“HIV, Mon Amour,” a collection of poems by Tory Dent, transcends conventional narratives surrounding HIV/AIDS. Dent, who was HIV positive, employs lyric poetry to create a deeply personal and bracingly honest narrative, resisting the dominant journalistic and political expressions associated with the epidemic. Through her unique approach, Dent navigates the stigmas attached to HIV/AIDS, rejecting both the stigmatizing and activist-driven narratives. Her use of language, range of feeling, and occasional self-doubt reveal a nuanced exploration of her experience. This collection serves as a powerful testament to the complexity of individual lives affected by HIV/AIDS, challenging pre-existing socio-political frameworks and fostering a deeper understanding of the human experience behind the statistics and red ribbons. Dent’s poetry could be used to analyze how illness narratives are far from one-dimensional – the poetry showcases the often contradictory feelings wrapped up in illness by encompassing pain and joy, isolation and community, the private and the public. “HIV, Mon Amour” could also be used to examine poetry as a narrative form.
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Details
Language: English
Type of Story: Poem
Medium: written
Contributed by: Emily Larabee
Citation:
Dent, T. (1999). HIV, mon amour. Sheep Meadow Press.