Howl at the Poetry Cafe. Email steven@sjfowlerpoetry.com for info. Lineup subject to change.
Steven Fowler
Maintenant #49
The notion and standing of the “poet” as a figure of cultural significance varies enormously from European nation to European nation. It almost goes without saying that by and large there has been a reduction in the audience and therefore cache afforded the poet as an artist, and many poets eschew the self-analysis and regard traditionally afforded to those recognised as somehow significant in their field. However there are poetic cultures that remain indelibly “literary”, where the poet is a voice representing far more than just their own concerns. Emilian Galaicu-Păun is inarguably one of these poets – eloquent, assured, politically engaged, his work has left a firm mark on European poetry, and is uniquely bound to the idiosyncratic circumstance of his home nation, Moldova. For the 49th edition of Maintenant, Emilian Galaicu-Păun.
(this interview was translated, conceived and written in collaboration with Livia Dragomir.)
http://www.3ammagazine.com/3am/maintenant-49-emilian-galaicu-paun/
Accompanying the interview are two of Emilian’s poems, translated by Adam J. Sorkin and Cristina Cîrstea
http://www.3ammagazine.com/3am/two-poems-emilian-galaicu-paun/
Maintenant #48: Morten Søndergaard
Representative of a golden generation of Danish poets, Morten Søndergaard is as versatile a poet as there is currently writing in the synthesised Northern European style of the 21st century. Having gained a wide reputation across Europe and the US for his organic adaptation of poetic form, his output over the last few decades has been varied and remarkable. A true blueprint for the future of European letters, he is as comfortable with verse as with sound poetry and his highly humourous, ethical and sensory poetry is a major contribution to Northern European poetics. In a typically generous interview, we present the 48th of the Maintenant series
Accompanying the interview are four of Morten’s poems, translated into English by Barbara Haveland
Maintenant #47: Anatol Knotek
Following in the footsteps of some of Europe’s greatest poetic innovators in the 20th century, the work of Anatol Knotek is the latest chapter in the visual / concrete / conceptual poetry legacy that has emerged from Austria, and most specifically, the city of Vienna. It is often suggested that concrete and visual poetry reached it’s apex in the 1950’s to 1970’s and since then has declined somehow. It is probably true that the vitality and power of the original movement, (led, outside of Austria, by the likes of Bob Cobbing, the de Campos brothers, Henri Chopin, Edwin Morgan, Andras Petocz, Shimpei Kusano…) could not be sustained and attention from a wider readership waned. However, it is clear when poets as young as Knotek produce work of this superlative quality the medium is not lacking, it is in resurgence and rather some of the very best poetry in Europe is part of this tradition. At it’s forefront sits Knotek and we are pleased to present a poetic artist whose work will no doubt become a focal part of the European poetic landscape for years to come.
Accompanying the interview are eight of Anatol’s poems
Allen Ginsberg and the story of Howl
Special Edition is pleased to present an evening exploring the groundbreaking poem by the luminary of the Beat generation. This event, celebrating the release of the film Howl later in the month, includes a reading of the poem and a talk on Ginsberg and the Beats.
Admission free but space is limited, so arrive early to avoid disappointment. To guarantee a place email specialedition@poetrylibrary.org.uk
More here. Via Steven Fowler.
Maintenant #46 – Holly Pester
Perhaps other than the rarefied skill of performance, originality might be the hardest attribute to find in contemporary poetry. The ability to engender an audience to one’s work without appearing reluctant or melodramatic or trite is a trait often located in the poet’s personal dedication and consideration. Originality is perhaps harder to explicate, given the nature of its newness. These characteristics are what define the work of Holly Pester, and the experience of seeing or hearing her perform leaves an indelible impression on the viewer that they are witnessing a deeply gifted poet, one who it would seem will lead the way in the UK in the near future and beyond. Her work is incisive and wise, unpretentious yet sophisticated. She is without posture or affectation and still her urbane performances entrap and captivate audiences, their exploration of tonality, voice, volume and sound forcing a profound concentration on the potentialities of everyday language, whether that is a potential for oppression or amusement. Truly representative of what we hope to advocate in the Maintenant series, the 46th edition of the series – Holly Pester.
Accompanying the interview are soundfiles of two of her poems and Holly’s reading for Maintenant at the Icelandic embassy.
Maintenant #45 – Aleš Šteger
Undeniably one of the most engaging and enjoyable poets currently writing in Europe, Aleš Šteger is a cultivated and often brilliant poet whose work demands rereading for its fluency and lumination. He maintains an air of philosophical sophistication while imbuing his work with a laconic satire and aberrant minimalism that makes it distinct in the memory. A leading light in the rich Slovenian poetry community, we are very pleased to introduce Aleš Šteger as Maintenant edition Forty Five.
Accompanying the interview are nine of his poems.
Special thanks to Jan Wagner for his assistance with this interview.
Reillumination #5 – Baroness Elsa von Freytag-Loringhoven
The fifth of the bi-monthly article series with Nthposition.com focused on unjustly overlooked European poets.
This edition is focused on the German Dadaist icon Baroness Elsa von Freytag-Loringhoven
Also featured, three poems by Freytag-Loringhoven
Reillumination #1 – Gunnar Ekelöf http://www.nthposition.com/amiracleworkingicon.php
Reillumination #2 – Daniil Kharms http://www.nthposition.com/reilluminationii.php
Reillumination #3 – Kostas Ouranis http://www.nthposition.com/reilluminationiiikostas.php
Reillumination #4 – Lucian Blaga http://www.nthposition.com/reilluminationsiv.php
Maintenant #44 – Tadeusz Dąbrowski
Simply one of the most substantial and powerful poets emerging from Europe as a whole, Tadeusz Dąbrowski is a figure who is climbing toward worldwide prominence. An essayist, critic and editor (of the literary magazine Topos) he has authored five poetry collections and won the Hubert Burda Prize and, from Tadeusz Różewicz himself, the Prize of the Foundation for Polish Culture. His poetry has been translated into thirteen languages. Maintenant, as a series, hopes to be a platform in which readers will be able to come across poets who might grow into the stature of their most reputed and iconoclastic forebears. Perhaps with Tadeusz Dąbrowski we have arrived too late. Fundamentally a product of his generation, and quite definitively, the literary culture of Poland in general, Dabrowski’s is a voice both singular and alert, both wry and contemporary. He is a poet who should, and does, speak for himself.
Accompanying the interview are seven of his poems.
Special thanks to Izabela Banasik for her assistance with this interview.
Maintenant #43 – Christodoulos Makris
A scrupulous and gifted writer, Christodoulos Makris is a poet of language over territory, a poet of semblance over culture. Twenty years removed from his home nation of Cyprus, he has developed a reputation in both the UK and Ireland, his current place of residence, as a vital and astute poet. In a generous interview he discusses his knowledge of the poetry scene in Cyprus given its political constitution, how his own work is conceived, and how it has grown in the country he has chosen to live. In the very first Maintenant interview of 2011, we present Christodoulos Makris.
Accompanying the interview are five of his poems.
http://www.3ammagazine.com/3am/five-poems-christodoulos-makris/
Maintenant #42 – Aase Berg
One of the most deft and iconoclastic poets in Northern Europe, over the course of the last 25 years Aase Berg has developed, remarkably, a reputation to match her talent. One of the founding members of the Stockholm Surrealist Group in 1986, it was during the 90’s that she came to the fore as one of the most prominent poets, theorists and critics in Sweden. In the 42nd edition of the Maintenant series she discusses the several collections of poetry she has published, some of which with the Bonnier publishing house, the largest and most prestigious in Sweden, and her thoughts in general on poetic innovation and the state of poetry in contemporary Sweden.
http://www.3ammagazine.com/3am/maintenant-42-aase-berg/
Accompanying the interview are eight of her poems, spanning four collections. Translations are published with thanks to Johannes Goransson
Maintenant #41 – Jón Örn Loðmfjörð
The poetry of Jón Örn Loðmfjörð can be quixotic, even caustic, yet he is undoubtedly a poet so utterly without pretension, with such an indelible sense of humour and a violent sense of satire, that we cannot help but feel reassured that poetry as a medium for criticism is alive and well in his hands. Moreover his is a poetry with a voice that is far more sophisticated than mere polemicism. The paradox is that he is hardly an optimistic poet in manner or guise, but yet the feeling we are left with is one of urbane rigour and integrity. The final poet to be featured in the Maintenant series who participated in our exceptional Icelandic reading program in November 2010, the work of Jón Örn Loðmfjörð was a revelation to all who witnessed it read in the Icelandic embassy and the Rich mix centre. In a typically frank interview we are extremely proud to present Jón Örn Loðmfjörð as the 41st edition of Maintenant
http://www.3ammagazine.com/3am/maintenant-41-jon-orn-lo%C3%B0mfjor%C3%B0/
Accompanying the interview are five of his poems.
http://www.3ammagazine.com/3am/five-poems-jon-orn-lo%C3%B0mfor%C3%B0/
Maintenant is a series of interviews with European poets by Steven Fowler, presented with selection of each poet’s work. Catch up with the previous ten below:
#40 Sergej Timofejev (Latvia) http://www.3ammagazine.com/3am/maintenant-40-sergej-timofejev/
#39 Efe Duyan (Turkey) http://www.3ammagazine.com/3am/maintenant-40-efe-duyan/
#38 Volya Hapeyeva (Belarus) http://www.3ammagazine.com/3am/maintenant-38-volya-hapeyeva/
#37 Bryndís Björgvinsdóttir (Iceland) http://www.3ammagazine.com/3am/maintenant-37-bryndis-bjorgvinsdottir/
#36 Georgi Gospodinov (Bulgaria) http://www.3ammagazine.com/3am/maintenant-36-georgi-gospodinov/
#35 Ragnhildur Johanns (Iceland) http://www.3ammagazine.com/3am/maintenant-35-ragnhildur-johanns/
#34 Ann Cotten (Austria) http://www.3ammagazine.com/3am/maintenant-34-ann-cotten/
#33 Eugenijus Ališanka (Lithuania) http://www.3ammagazine.com/3am/maintenant-33-eugenijus-alisanka/
#32 Primož Čučnik (Slovenia) http://www.3ammagazine.com/3am/maintenant-32-primoz-cucnik/
#31 Paal Bjelke Andersen (Norway) http://www.3ammagazine.com/3am/maintenant-31-paal-bjelke-andersen/
The accompanying poetry for each poet can be found at www.maintenant.co.uk
» Maintenant #40 – Sergej Timofejev
One of the most adventurous and groundbreaking poets in the Baltic, Latvia’s Sergej Timofejev is a fundamental part of the radical reconfiguration of his nation’s poetic culture and landscape in the last few decades. A urbane, grounded, naturalistic stylist, the power of his poetry has allowed him to implement numerous innovations in a region associated with formalism. Experiments with poetry and music / art installations / performance / video & even computer games, have seen his popularity soar in Latvia, though he remains a poet writing in the Russian language. In the 40th edition of Maintenant, Sergej Timofejev discusses the influence of Western culture, the healthy state of Latvian poetry and the reward of poetic collaborative innovation.
http://www.3ammagazine.com/3am/maintenant-40-sergej-timofejev/
Accompanying the interview are five of his poems.
Soundcloud Maintenant page
Recordings from the Icelandic embassy reading on 26th November 2010 featuring:
- Jeff Hilson & Audun Mortensen
- Sam Riviere
- Tamarin Norwood
- Chris Page
- Ragnhildur Jóhanns
- Bryndís Björgvinsdóttir
- Tim Atkins
- Jón Örn Loðmfjörð
- Patrick Coyle
- Holly Pester
- Eiríkur Örn Norðdahl
Maintenant #39 – Efe Duyan
Via Steven Fowler:
One of the most complex and magisterial poetic traditions in Europe, Turkey continues to produce some of the finest poets writing today, as it has done consistently for centuries. Efe Duyan is one of the most resolute stylists and theorists of his generation, a lauded Nazim Hikmet scholar and an architect by trade, his eloquent and erudite poetry has earned him a reputation across the continent. One of the many brilliant poets participating in Literature Across Frontiers, we are honoured to welcome Efe Duyan as the first Turkish poet to be featured in Maintenant.
Accompanying the interview are six of his poems.
Maintenant #38 – Volya Hapeyeva
A figure of youthful prominence in Belarus, Volya Hapeyeva is at the very forefront of emergent poets reaching their notoriety in Eastern Europe. A lauded playwright, critic and linguistic philosopher, as well as a poet, her depth and zest have marked her out as one of the most agile stylists writing in Europe at large. Her work is marked by a sensitivity and care that many would find incongruous with her rigour and methodological pragmatism. She makes the conflagration of lyrical poetry & collaborations with Belarussian techno DJ’s seem effortless. We are happy once again to introduce another fantastic young poet as the 38th edition of the Maintenant series.
Accompanying the interview are seven of her poems. It is the first time her work has appeared in the English language.
We are indebted to Chris Michalski for his translations.
Maintenant #35 – Ragnhildur Jóhanns
Celebrating the third Maintenant reading of 2010 we introduce Ragnhildur Jóhanns, one of four innovative Icelandic poets to read at the Rich Mix arts centre in London on November 27th, and one of the most exciting and elastic poetic talents to emerge in Europe over the last few years. A unique craftswoman, she is a sculptural, visual and physical poet, unhindered by convention. She works with text, with performance but seeks to create poetic objects, pure concrete poems, that is literally fashioning books out of her work and embodying the text. Fulfilling our remit to introduce poets who will undoubtedly rise to prominence in the next few decades and who refuse to be limited by what has come before, for the 35th Maintenant interview, Ragnhildur Jóhanns.
http://www.3ammagazine.com/3am/maintenant-35-ragnhildur-johanns/
http://www.3ammagazine.com/3am/ten-poems-ragnhildur-johanns/
Maintenant catch up and Iceland reading
Maintenant 32
An interview with the Slovenian poet, Primož Čučnik, the 32nd subject of the 3am magazine interview series centred on contemporary European poets. The interview is also accompanied by two poems.
http://www.3ammagazine.com/3am/maintenant-32-primoz-cucnik/
http://www.3ammagazine.com/3am/two-poems-primoz-cucnik/
Maintenant 31
An interview with the Norwegian poet, Paal Bjelke Andersen, the 31st subject of the 3am magazine interview series centred on contemporary European poets and the fourth and final Norwegian poet featured as part of the series to celebrate the Maintenant: Ny Poesi readings held in London recently at the Poetry Cafe & the Rich mix arts centre. The interview is also accompanied by five pieces of poetry translated into English specifically for the readings & interview.
http://www.3ammagazine.com/3am/maintenant-31-paal-bjelke-andersen/
http://www.3ammagazine.com/3am/five-poems-paal-bjelke-andersen/
Maintenant 30
An interview with the Danish poet, Martin Glaz Serup, the 30th subject of the 3am magazine interview series centred on contemporary European poets. An extraordinary poet, children’s author and critic, included with the interview are seven excerpts from his remarkable work The Traffic Is Unreal translated by Thomas E. Kennedy.
http://www.3ammagazine.com/3am/maintenant-30-martin-glaz-serup/
http://www.3ammagazine.com/3am/seven-poems-martin-glaz-serup/
Maintenant 29
An interview with the Russian-born British poet, Annie Katchinska, the 29th subject of the 3am magazine interview series centred on contemporary European poets. An extraordinary talent, she is one of the very brightest stars emerging in the UK. Included with the interview are three of her poems.
http://www.3ammagazine.com/3am/maintenant-29-annie-katchinska/
http://www.3ammagazine.com/3am/three-poems-annie-katchinska/
Icelandic & British Poetry in collaboration
3am magazine’s Maintenant interview series presents Icelandic & British Poetry in collaboration at the Rich mix
(35 – 47 Bethnal Green Road, London. E1 6LA)
Saturday November 27th – 7pm – Entrance free
Iain Sinclair & Ragnhildur Jóhanns / Eirkur Örn Norðdahl & Stewart Home
Scott Thurston & Bryndís Björgvinsdóttir / Jón Örn Loðmfjörð & Tom Jenks
zimZalla object 006
zimZalla object 006, Klitschko, an A3 poster poem by SJ Fowler, is now available. Visit the zimZalla site for details.
Soho Curzon Poetry Reading – SJ Fowler – October Wednesday 6th 7pm
A release of five SJ Fowler publications by four presses Zimzalla / Knives Forks & Spoons press / Kitt press / Arthur Shilling press (http://www.zimzalla.co.uk) (http://www.knivesforksandspoonspress.co.uk) (http://www.kittpress.com) (http://arthur-shilling-press.blogspot.com) Wednesday October 6th 2010 ~ 7pm ~ Entrance free the Soho Curzon cinema, Mezzanine bar
99 Shaftesbury Avenue London W1D 5DY 0871 703 3988
A unique collaborative poetry event featuring the presence of the four of the UK’s most vital and productive publishing organisations. The event will feature a forty-minute reading from SJ Fowler and a sales table with work from the list of each of the presses.
SJ Fowler is one of the most prolific and inventive young poets emerging in Britain. A formidable reader, his poetry is concerned with the latency of aggression in passive cultures, and the violence of the banal. A devotee of boxing, his symbolic engagement with the combative arts lends his writing an assailing immediacy. Concurrently antagonistic and innovative, his poetry is distinct and affecting whether spoken or read from the page – Robert Sutcliffe (editor of Kitt press)
Kitt press present Saint Augustine of Hippo
A poetic / pictorial collaboration with the artist David Kelly, the book is a love letter to Augustine’s secular lust and apparently disingenuous commitment to chastity. The fragmented abstract of an Augustine icon permeates the poetry.
The Knives forks Spoons press present Arthur Abraham
Ten poems in celebration of the German / Armenian boxer recall the tonality of epic Anglo-Saxon poetry run through the grinder of avant-garde documentation.
Kitt press present Animal Husbandry
A series of poems written in response to the Rorschach inkblot paintings of Sian Williams. Each is a meditation on the novelty of this psychological test and the supposed inevitability of its response – an invocation of the sexualized female form.
Arthur Shilling press presents Antonio Margarito
A poetry cycle dedicated to the Mexican boxer banned for loading his gloves with Plaster of Paris, the poems evoke Aztec ritual invocations and Beat-esque free verse ecstatics.
ZimZalla presents Klitschko
Zimzalla object number 6 is a boxing poster designed by SJ Fowler in the manner of the Vienna group concrete poets. Mixing heavy blocked type with irreverent commentaries on the nature of punching people in the face for a living.
otherroom.org 