Alexander Dickow's Blog, page 2

Amy King Rules on the Rumpus

Amy King incomparably flings some truth at arrogance over at The Rumpus: this is a must-read for the poetry reader. Amy takes on, and takes down, Marjorie Perloff, Vanessa Place and Kenneth Goldsmith, notably:

PART 1 HERE

PART 2 HERE

The notion that Conceptual Poetry is nothing new is nothing new per se, nor is the notion that Conceptual Art, like Pop Art, pretends to rebel while in reality capitulating to power and capital. But King’s brilliant prose really drives the point home, and makes Perloff’s arrogance and Goldsmith’s disingenuous posing really shine through. These are egregious cases indeed. Wow! Bravo Amy!

The only small concern might be that all discourse on people like Goldsmith only adds fuel to the fire—so some might argue, although I would certainly like to hear Amy comment on the efficacy (or lack thereof) of contesting groups like Conceptual Poetry and Flarf. She does briefly (regarding Goldsmith’s tweets: see Part Two), but I would hope to see more on why speaking up is still valid, necessary and somehow effective.

Bravo Amy!

Caramboles reviewed by Sylvie Kandé: compte-rendu de Caramboles par Sylvie Kandé

In the fine translation journal Ezra, the admirable Sylvie Kandé has published a deeply sensitive review of Caramboles. Sylvie’s own Quête infinie de l’autre rive (Gallimard, 2011) comes with my very highest recommendation.

Many thanks to Sylvie and to Ezra!

*

Dans la revue de traduction anglophone Ezra, l’admirable Sylvie Kandé a publié un compte-rendu (en anglais) extrêment sensible de Caramboles. J’ajoute une recommandation la plus chaleureuse possible du livre de Sylvie, La Quête infinie de l’autre rive (Gallimard, 2011).

Grand merci à Sylvie et à Ezra!

Caramboles reviewed by Sylvie Kandé: compte-rendu de Caramboles par Sylvie Kandé

In the fine translation journal Ezra, the admirable Sylvie Kandé has published a deeply sensitive review of Caramboles. Sylvie’s own Quête infinie de l’autre rive (Gallimard, 2011) comes with my very highest recommendation.

Many thanks to Sylvie and to Ezra!

*

Dans la revue de traduction anglophone Ezra, l’admirable Sylvie Kandé a publié un compte-rendu (en anglais) extrêment sensible de Caramboles. J’ajoute une recommandation la plus chaleureuse possible du livre de Sylvie, La Quête infinie de l’autre rive (Gallimard, 2011).

Grand merci à Sylvie et à Ezra!

Scales: Echelles

Different poets work at different scales. Some are interested in the very interstices between letters, or in the letter itself, as in concrete and visual poetries that experiment with letter-like forms, superimposed letters, etc. Geof Huth, for instance, is a poet of the letter. Others work at the interstices between individual words. Words have their own attractions and repulsions, so that the adjective dry is more likely to find itself in the vicinity of the word desert than in the vicinity of the word couch. The poet who works at the scale of the word resists the “natural” and “spontaneous” attractions of words to each other (these being of course historical and cultural, and not natural at all). She seeks to couple words in “unnatural” ways, against the grain of established word-associations. The assemblage should make a whole, but its pieces should be heterogeneous. Amy King often works at the scale of the word, as do I. Still other poets work at the scale of the phrase. Rhythms and figures of thought tend to interest them more than the interconnections between individual words; they do not necessarily avoid the occasional cliché and the background noise of received ideas. A. R. Ammons and Walt Whitman are both poets of phrase and rhythm, for instance. Of course, all poets must confront all of the scales of language, but their strengths may lie more in the details and in the articulation of parts, or rather in the panorama, in the arc of the whole.

***

Les poètes travaillent à des échelles différentes. Tel poète s’intéresse aux interstices mêmes entre les lettres, ou bien à la lettre elle-même, comme dans la poésie concrète ou visuelle qui façonnent des choses ressemblant à des lettres, composent des lettres en surimpression, etc. Geof Huth est un poète de la lettre, par exemple. D’autres poètes travaillent dans les interstices entre les mots individuels. Les mots ont leurs attractions et répulsions propres, de sorte que l’adjectif sec se trouve plus volontiers près du mot désert qu’à côté du mot _canapé. Le poète qui travaille à l’échelle du mot résiste aux attractions “naturelles” et “spontanées” des mots entre eux (ces attractions étant bien sûr historiques et culturelles, et pas du tout naturelles). Elle cherche à accoupler les mots de manière volontairement artificielle, à rebours des associations verbales établies. L’assemblage doit former un tout, mais les pièces de l’assemblage doivent être hétérogènes. Amy King travaille souvent à l’échelle du mot, tout comme moi-même. D’autres poètes encore travaillent à l’échelle de la phrase ou du membre de phrase. Les rythmes et les figures de pensée les intéressent plus que les interconnexions entre les mots individuels; ils n’évitent pas forcément les clichés et le bruit de fond des idées reçues. A. R. Ammons et Walt Whitman sont tous deux des poètes de phrase et de rythme, par exemple. Bien sûr, les poètes doivent toujours composer avec toutes les échelles de la langue, mais elles peuvent puiser leur force davantage du côté des détails et de l’articulation des parties, ou plutôt du côté du panorama, dans l’arc du tout.

Scales: Echelles

Different poets work at different scales. Some are interested in the very interstices between letters, or in the letter itself, as in concrete and visual poetries that experiment with letter-like forms, superimposed letters, etc. Geof Huth, for instance, is a poet of the letter. Others work at the interstices between individual words. Words have their own attractions and repulsions, so that the adjective dry is more likely to find itself in the vicinity of the word desert than in the vicinity of the word couch. The poet who works at the scale of the word resists the “natural” and “spontaneous” attractions of words to each other (these being of course historical and cultural, and not natural at all). She seeks to couple words in “unnatural” ways, against the grain of established word-associations. The assemblage should make a whole, but its pieces should be heterogeneous. Amy King often works at the scale of the word, as do I. Still other poets work at the scale of the phrase. Rhythms and figures of thought tend to interest them more than the interconnections between individual words; they do not necessarily avoid the occasional cliché and the background noise of received ideas. A. R. Ammons and Walt Whitman are both poets of phrase and rhythm, for instance. Of course, all poets must confront all of the scales of language, but their strengths may lie more in the details and in the articulation of parts, or rather in the panorama, in the arc of the whole.

***

Les poètes travaillent à des échelles différentes. Tel poète s’intéresse aux interstices mêmes entre les lettres, ou bien à la lettre elle-même, comme dans la poésie concrète ou visuelle qui façonnent des choses ressemblant à des lettres, composent des lettres en surimpression, etc. Geof Huth est un poète de la lettre, par exemple. D’autres poètes travaillent dans les interstices entre les mots individuels. Les mots ont leurs attractions et répulsions propres, de sorte que l’adjectif sec se trouve plus volontiers près du mot désert qu’à côté du mot _canapé. Le poète qui travaille à l’échelle du mot résiste aux attractions “naturelles” et “spontanées” des mots entre eux (ces attractions étant bien sûr historiques et culturelles, et pas du tout naturelles). Elle cherche à accoupler les mots de manière volontairement artificielle, à rebours des associations verbales établies. L’assemblage doit former un tout, mais les pièces de l’assemblage doivent être hétérogènes. Amy King travaille souvent à l’échelle du mot, tout comme moi-même. D’autres poètes encore travaillent à l’échelle de la phrase ou du membre de phrase. Les rythmes et les figures de pensée les intéressent plus que les interconnexions entre les mots individuels; ils n’évitent pas forcément les clichés et le bruit de fond des idées reçues. A. R. Ammons et Walt Whitman sont tous deux des poètes de phrase et de rythme, par exemple. Bien sûr, les poètes doivent toujours composer avec toutes les échelles de la langue, mais elles peuvent puiser leur force davantage du côté des détails et de l’articulation des parties, ou plutôt du côté du panorama, dans l’arc du tout.

Talmud (extrait d'une lettre à un ami): Talmud (excerpt from a letter to a friend)

...Pour l’étude du Talmud, en effet, c’est de l’étude réjouissante: ça va du raisonnement le plus serré jusqu’à l’anecdote croustillante en passant par le débat, la parabole et la formule-énigme. C’est un livre où il y a Tout, a bien peu de choses près; je m’étonne que les poètes ne s’en soient pas emparé davantage. Comme texte bariolé c’est le comble; à côté, Sterne a l’air monotone et uniforme. Et un peu d’apprentissage de la langue araméenne avec l’hébreu ajoute du sel à l’entreprise…

***

...As for learning Talmud, it’s delightful study indeed: it ranges from the finest reasoning to the most risqué anecdote, by way of debate, parable and riddle-formula. It’s a book with Everything in it, or very close to it; I’m surprised poets haven’t gotten their hands on it more than they have. Where the poïkilos is concerned, there’s nothing better; next to Talmud, Sterne seems monotonous and uniform. And learning a little Aramaic along with Hebrew only adds to the excitement…

Talmud (extrait d’une lettre à un ami): Talmud (excerpt from a letter to a friend)

…Pour l’étude du Talmud, en effet, c’est de l’étude réjouissante: ça va du raisonnement le plus serré jusqu’à l’anecdote croustillante en passant par le débat, la parabole et la formule-énigme. C’est un livre où il y a Tout, a bien peu de choses près; je m’étonne que les poètes ne s’en soient pas emparé davantage. Comme texte bariolé c’est le comble; à côté, Sterne a l’air monotone et uniforme. Et un peu d’apprentissage de la langue araméenne avec l’hébreu ajoute du sel à l’entreprise…

***

…As for learning Talmud, it’s delightful study indeed: it ranges from the finest reasoning to the most risqué anecdote, by way of debate, parable and riddle-formula. It’s a book with Everything in it, or very close to it; I’m surprised poets haven’t gotten their hands on it more than they have. Where the poïkilos is concerned, there’s nothing better; next to Talmud, Sterne seems monotonous and uniform. And learning a little Aramaic along with Hebrew only adds to the excitement…

Autobiographical Poem (composed 2011)

Tegenaria Agrestis

Elegy

In night-time I was rush face-first in the spider web.

During one hour my face felt with the spiderwebs still,

and after the spider would horrify myself each time.

Not any variety the bugs, only spiders. (And earwhigs.)

But revulsion and to fascinate are the same things,

but just depending how you felt on that emotion.

Fascinating also is a good way for feeling not as vulnerable.

So I’ve adopted the pet spider.

We found sometimes the spiders like Max,

who scuttle extremely quick,

have a sickly brown and about the size of a nickel,

all in the house, tucked in mat webs

in such as the basement crannies of stairs or niches.

A few ones turn up dead over near

the door to down in the basement.

I fed what things I can catch, like the ants, to Max.

I have shown classmates Max, and also friends.

I was upset with them when classmates

insisted spiders were an insect.

I learned spiders may breathe especially beautiful

since some of them can have booklungs.

I wept when Max was on his back

while his legs curl all inside like the newborn.

A scientist in the newspaper published his article then.

Max was called the hobo spider.

If you break a whitish and round egg sac

of hobo spiders in half,

you will watch the eggs that could bounce

incredibly high up as if completely small rubber balls.

The scientist told Max was a poisonous spider.

Goodbye, Max.

You breathed especially beautiful.

Autobiographical Poem (composed 2011)

Tegenaria Agrestis

Elegy

In night-time I was rush face-first in the spider web.

During one hour my face felt with the spiderwebs still,

and after the spider would horrify myself each time.

Not any variety the bugs, only spiders. (And earwhigs.)

But revulsion and to fascinate are the same things,

but just depending how you felt on that emotion.

Fascinating also is a good way for feeling not as vulnerable.

So I’ve adopted the pet spider.

We found sometimes the spiders like Max,

who scuttle extremely quick,

have a sickly brown and about the size of a nickel,

all in the house, tucked in mat webs

in such as the basement crannies of stairs or niches.

A few ones turn up dead over near

the door to down in the basement.

I fed what things I can catch, like the ants, to Max.

I have shown classmates Max, and also friends.

I was upset with them when classmates

insisted spiders were an insect.

I learned spiders may breathe especially beautiful

since some of them can have booklungs.

I wept when Max was on his back

while his legs curl all inside like the newborn.

A scientist in the newspaper published his article then.

Max was called the hobo spider.

If you break a whitish and round egg sac

of hobo spiders in half,

you will watch the eggs that could bounce

incredibly high up as if completely small rubber balls.

The scientist told Max was a poisonous spider.

Goodbye, Max.

You breathed especially beautiful.

Vers unique d'un poème avorté: Line from an aborted poem

Raise all my voice beneath my breath