So what, you gonna cry now?

So what, you gonna cry now?

Most poetry’s pretty fucked up. It tries hard to be hard. Not only hard to understand, but also hard to touch – hard to feel. Sentiment isn’t really welcome in poetry anymore, it’s been outlawed. Sentiment is bad for poetry. It eats up the poetry and excretes it as pure whiny mush. As is usually the case, sentiment wasn’t outlawed for just any old no-good-reason – it was kicked out ‘cause it’d started to misbehave so badly as to not be considered tolerable anymore. It had had too much to drink and was creeping everybody out with its nonsensical, overemotional whimpering. It was all in your face with its “The depths of my pain/ the drip of my drugs / today’s the day / I die” and it’s roughed-up, false bravado, driving everybody nuts. So... »

The Death of a Poem

The Death of a Poem

Poetry is a culture heavily impregnated with the idolisation of poets. Popular knowledge of poetry stops where the anecdotes about poets end and the poetry begins. We remember Rimbaud as the original rockstar, vomiting all over the Paris culture elite. We remember Ginsberg as... »

Poetry and Prose

Poetry and Prose

The difference between poetry and prose? Poetry sings, prose talks. Poetry dances, prose walks. Poetry’s fewer words with more (“deeper”) meaning. Poetry’s about form while prose is about content. Poetry’s the memory and prose the remembrance. Poetry’s constructed in lines, whereas prose is constructed in... »


READ THIS COLUMN DON’T READ THIS COLUMN NOW READ

READ THIS COLUMN DON’T READ THIS COLUMN NOW READ

I recently saw a norwegian sketch on Youtube about the invention of the book. A medieval man has just gotten his first book and can’t seem to get it... »

Eitur fyrir byrjendur in German!

Eitur fyrir byrjendur in German!

My second novel, Eitur fyrir byrjendur (Poison for beginners), will be published in Germany next year by Kozempel & Timm publishing . The book was originally published by Nýhil... »

Verbal Pupils

Verbal Pupils

Next saturday I will perform at the poetry Festival Verbale Pupiller in Aarhus, Denmark. It’s an international festival and amongst the guests this year are Cia Rinne, Charles Bernstein,... »

I’ll have what he’s having

I’ll have what he’s having

Are you tired of writing your own damn poems? Does it feel like you’d rather plunge through the fiery gates of hell rather than come up with one more... »

Speaking like a God

Speaking like a God

They say human beings use language to make sense of their surroundings. We frame, categorize and systematize the objects around us with the help of nouns and verbs and... »

Babe, come onto me

Babe, come onto me

Lo, the oogly woogly wiggly toes of my puffinous pinkster! Lo, the perpetual whirlpool of his gung ho rainbows! Lo, the sabre-dancing jiggifunk of his eyeyeyeyeyes! Behold his umpteen-breasted olympic... »