Beyond Words

At the age of twelve, Sadiqa de Meijer immigrated to Canada from the Netherlands and started living a life in two languages. “You shoot yourself and live,” the award-winning poet writes in Alfabet/­Alphabet. “Is that what happens when you switch languages?” In this deeply resonating book of essays, de Meijer reflects on the ways language is linked to place and memory and how our early experiences with speech stick with us, wherever we may find ourselves later in life. She recounts how she first learned concepts like “tree” and “ground” as a young child. Years later, while learning English, she realized that even with seemingly simple and easy-to-gloss words, there is something missing in translation. Consider how “sky” doesn’t quite capture the feeling of “lucht.” The English word “isn’t vast and fresh, or as haunted by hurried clouds.” In fact, it conveys something altogether different: “Sky cannot fill your lungs or enter your...