HAPPYAGONY by Mem Ferda - REVIEW
A book review by Victoria Walsh
Some people are incredibly creative, and Ferda is one of them—an actor with a postgraduate degree from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. HAPPYAGONY is a collection of personal poems. When I say personal, I mean that HAPPYAGONY is a collection of poems exploring intimate moments, significant episodes, and unique events from his life.
We begin his poetic journey with a poignant poem about his childhood in Angolem or Taşpınar, a village in the Nicosia district of Cyprus, located southwest of Morphou. Ferda remembers an ‘almost forgotten land’ and a puppy that falls into a well. The poem is written in a way that evokes the sad memories felt by a young child who will never forget the ‘scent of despair’ that affected the entire village.
Ferda is a talented poet who can tell his life story and those of family members in vivid snapshots. The Meerschaum Pipe describes his great-grandfather's fateful voyage from Turkey to Cyprus in 1866. Towards the end of the book, Ferda writes a long narrative poem about the death of his sister, Aydin. The poem conveys the pain and tragedy of her passing in an elegant manner that is befitting of a loved relative.
Death is a theme that runs through HAPPYAGONY, but it isn’t morbid or unsettling; it is factual and reassuring. Ferda tackles the death of his mother and father and his near death on the pleasure boat, The Marchioness. For those who don’t know about this tragedy, The Marchioness sank in the River Thames in 1989 after it was involved in a collision with the dredger Bowbelle. One hundred thirty people died, including Lawrence Dallaglio's sister Francesca and Antonio de Vasconcellos, a 26-year-old merchant banker who was celebrating his birthday on board; most of the drowned were young people enjoying a night out in London. Only a twist of fate saves Ferda.
The poems express Ferda’s innermost feelings and celebrate his achievements. From circumcision to Doner kebabs with a dash of Hollywood on the side. Expect the unexpected and enjoy the revelations. The poems change in how they are written, from simple lyric sequences to verse novels, proving that Ferda understands how to tell a story to entertain or appal the reader.
There’s little doubt that Ferda’s first foray into poetry won’t be his last. A man of many talents, Mem Ferda is a bilingual British actor and award-winning film producer. Born to a Turkish diplomat (Minister of Agriculture in Northern Cyprus) and a multi-lingual mother, the family moved from Cyprus to London when he was aged 12 after an assassination attempt on his father.
Born in 1963, Ferda has over 200 film and TV credits, often portraying heroic and villainous characters. He has starred alongside notable actors such as Ray Liotta, Jason Statham, Idris Elba, and Dominic Cooper. His notable films include the Guy Richie film Revolver made in 2005, Legacy in 2010, The Devil's Double (2011), and 2015’s Miss You Already. Ferda’s versatility and ability to quickly adopt accents give him a commanding presence that continues to make his talent a sought-after actor in the film industry.
As a dedicated philanthropist, Ferda supports various international charities, and the feelings that prompt this philanthropy are evident in HAPPYAGONY. In an excerpt from ‘Tonight, I Pray’, he says of those who survive an earthquake: ‘Livelihoods lost, homes destroyed. Have courage, I pray.’ In the following poem, ‘Wrap Me In Silver Foil,’ we experience the shock and horror of the 7/7 bombings. To give you some back story, the 7/7 bombings were a series of coordinated suicide attacks carried out by terrorists that targeted commuters travelling on public transport in London during the morning rush hour. The poem conveys the pain and disbelief felt by all in the UK then.
For me, his poetical lightness of touch brings back fond memories of The Valbonne, a Mayfair nightclub, now closed, that was a celebrity hangout in the 80s. My friends and I regularly took to the dance floor decked out in loud prints, shoulder pads, heels and red lipstick. Maybe Ferda and I crossed paths, danced to Wham’s Club Tropicana, and drank lurid-coloured cocktails served by a Tom Cruise lookalike in a Hawaiian shirt, and perhaps we didn’t; it doesn’t matter, as the poem serves as a pleasant reminder of those happy times almost 35 years ago.
To find out more or purchase the book, check out Mem’s website here.
