Alphabet poetry collection alphabet is one of the most wellknown poems of inger christensen, who was broadly considered to be denmarks most prominent poet. Born in 1935, inger christensen is denmarks best known poet. Inger christensen alphabet pdf one of scandinavias most honored poets, veteran danish writer christensen originally published her booklength alphabet 20 years ago to great acclaim. Mar 17, 2020 alphabet an excerpt inger christensen alphabet.
Poem hunter all poems of by inger christensen poems. Inger christensen, a distinguished danish poet whose work lyrical, philosophical, selfreferential and exquisitely mathematical was a. She received numerous international literary awards, including the nordic prize of the swedish academy, the grand prix des biennales. Its natural, chemical, industrial, and other structures divide, celllike, into a growing universethe accumulation of like sounds and repeated. Alex middleton reads her translations of inger christensen. Inger christensen inger christensen poems poem hunter. Jun 24, 2012 alex middleton reads her translations of inger christensen s alphabet at the other room. Two bracken exists and blackberries, blackberries bromine exists and hydrogen, hydrogen three cicadas exist, chicory, chromium, citrus trees cicadas exist cicadas, cedars, cypresses, the cerebellum four doves exist, dreamers and dolls killers exist and doves and doves haze, dioxin and days days exist, days and death. Description apricot trees exist, inspired by alphabet, the celebrated epic poem by danish experimentalist inger christensen, is roger sinhas cosmic dance ode to the metaphysical in everyday life. Her works include poetry, fiction, drama, and essays.
Inger christensen biography, poems, alphabet, it, butterfly. Inger christensen 16 january 1935 2 january 2009 was a danish poet, novelist, essayist and editor. Apr 20, 2020 danish alphabet poem posted on april 20, 2020 by alya the condition of secrecy teems with inger christensen experimental danish inger christensen experimental danish inger christensen experimental danish lydfabet rudiger meyer. In the spring of 2011, i happened upon inger christensens alphabet, a slim new directions paperback, and came under the spell of its exquisite structure almost immediately. Awarded the americanscandinavian pen translation prize by michael hamburger, susanna nieds translation of alphabet introduces inger christensens poetry. Christensens poem is a powerful account of living an ordinary life under the threat of nuclear war, but the poems lyrical accumulating form also makes it oddly redemptive. Jan 12, 2009 inger christensen, a distinguished danish poet whose work lyrical, philosophical, selfreferential and exquisitely mathematical was a cornerstone of modern scandinavian poetry, died on jan. Uncategorized and tagged afric mcglinchey, danish, inger christiansen, poem, poet, poetry by afric mcglinchey.
Inger christensen s alphabet is built up under two formal constraints. Inger christensen alphabet alphabet is one of the most wellknown poems of inger christensen, who was broadly considered to be denmarks most prominent poet. Alex middleton reads her translations of inger christensens. Jan 26, 2009 in the 1970s inger christensen turned to essays, novels and childrens books before returning to poetry with alphabet and the 1991 sommerfugledalen the butterfly valley, which critics hailed as. Susanna nied on translating alphabet by inger christensen. I couldnt fathom why i hadnt heard of the poem before. Alex middleton reads her translations of inger christensens alphabet at the other room. Inger christensens alphabet is built up under two formal constraints. Ailbhe darcy, introducing inger christensens alphabet on bbc radio. Alphabet builds on her earlier analogies between language and. Still, a fear of what might be and a love of what is speak eloquently from these texts.
Its natural, chemical, industrial, and other structures divide, celllike, into a growing universethe accumulation of like sounds and repeated words underscores the increased length of each poem. Inger christensen poems, quotations and biography on inger christensen poet page. Her awardwinning alphabet is based structurally on fibonaccis sequence a mathematical sequence in which each number is the sum of the two previous numbers, in combination with the alphabet. Ailbhe darcy, introducing inger christensens alphabet on bbc radio 4s. In the 1970s inger christensen turned to essays, novels and childrens books before returning to poetry with alphabet and the 1991 sommerfugledalen the butterfly valley, which critics hailed as. Through wahmanholms engagement with an epigraph drawn from inger christensens poetry collection alphabet, a book in which christensten uses a formal approach based on the fibonnaci. She initially studied medicine but then trained to be a teacher, and from 1963 to 1964 she worked at the college for arts in holb. An english language translation by susanna nied won the americanscandinavian pen translation prize in 1982. Not all readers will take to these alphabet poems, for they must be read slowly. Alphabet poetry by inger christensen translated from the portuguese by susanna nied finally available in english translation, alphabet is a startling and gorgeous work by denmarks most admired poet, inger christensen. Its inventive structure, based on the fibonacci sequence the number of lines in each section follow the pattern 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, etc. Inger christensen was a danish poet, novelist, essayist and editor.
In nocturne, claire wahmanholm beckons our attention to the lives, both around us and within us, that bloom in darkness. I up they soar, the planets butterflies, pigments from the warm body of the earth, cinnabar, ochre, phosphor yellow, gold a swarm of basic elements aloft. In alphabet, inger christensen has created a system by combining the alphabet with fibonacci s numeric sequence, in which each number is equal to the sum of the two. While she turns a potato under the running water, atom bombs exist.
Jan 02, 2009 inger christensen, danish poet whose linguistically sophisticated work explores the interconnections of language, fiction, and reality. The poem was originally published in 1981 in danish as alfabet. It was published in 1981, by the danish poet inger christensen. Inger christensen was born in vejle, denmark in 1935. In inger christensens long poem alphabet, first published in danish in 1981, the poet cooks potatoes. Each section also gets increasingly long, as christensen uses the fibonacci sequence to determine the number of lines. Phenomenal woman, still i rise, the road not taken, if you forget me, dreams. Her poetry reflects a complex philosophical background, yet her most complex. A 200page exploration of the word it, the poem reveals the intellectual influence of thinkers such as lars gustafsson, soren kierkegaard, noam chomsky, and r. Poet ailbhe darcy delves into the poem alphabet and what it means to her. Per the title, it is an alphabet poem, so each section begins with and rotates around words beginning with a. Inger christensen was both a virtuoso and a paradox. Finally available in english translation, alphabet is a startling and gorgeous work by denmarks most admired poet, inger christensen. Inger christensens alphabet new directions, 2001 is a book that made me hesitate at first, then won me over.
The choice of constraint by rebecca hazelton poetry foundation. It is inspired by the poem alphabet 1981 by inger christensen, a. Nov 30, 2009 description apricot trees exist, inspired by alphabet, the celebrated epic poem by danish experimentalist inger christensen, is roger sinhas cosmic dance ode to the metaphysical in everyday life. Alphabet is a systematic poem that is dictated by the fibonacci sequence. Each section also gets increasingly long, as christensen uses the. She is considered the foremost danish poetic experimentalist of her generation. Inger christensens alphabet discussed in radio 4 feature christensens poem is a powerful account of living an ordinary life under the threat of nuclear war, but the poems lyrical accumulating form also makes it oddly redemptive. Written during the cold war, its an account of living. Dec 10, 2008 inger christensen s alphabet is built up under two formal constraints. Christensen is considered to be one the greatest danish poetic experimentalists of her era. After further research about the process and restrictions that christensen succumbed to, it is obvious that her messages and talent are not limited by the form she used. She was danish, and it is a misfortune for any great writer to be confined to a.
Per the title, it is an alphabet poem, so each section begins with and rotates around words beginning with a particular letter of the alphabet, proceeding through the letter n. Inger christensen poems poems of inger christensen. Inger christensen was a danish poet, essayist, and novelist, born in vejle, denmark in 1935. A structural wonder, based on the fibonacci sequence and made alive by inger christensen. Is it the dreamed summer hour of my childhood shattered as. Alphabet is one of the most wellknown poems of inger christensen, who was broadly considered to be denmarks most prominent poet. Susanna nieds remarkably beautiful translation was awarded the americanscandinavian pen translation prize by michael hamburger. Susanna nieds translation of alphabet introduces inger christensens poetry to us readers for the first time. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Read all poems of inger christensen and infos about inger christensen. Inger christensen, who has died aged 73, was one of the most significant european poets of the 20th century. She is perhaps best known for her major poem alfabet alphabet, 1981, a systematic work which uses the. Inger christensens book alphabet approaches language in an interesting and mathematical way. This land art project for landshape is located on the grounds of the gasmuseet, hobro.
While she stands in the kitchen peeling potatoes under the tap, atom bombs exist. Her fiction, drama, essays and childrens books won her wide acclaim in denmark and other. Inger christensen was one of denmarks most innovative experimental poets. Inger christensen s alphabet in polish translation. Susanna nieds remarkably beautiful translation was awarded the americanscandinavian pen translation prize by michael. Contemporary poets have used the alphabet constraint on a grand scale, creating long poems, such as carolyn forches on earth, and even throughout entire books, such as inger christensens alphabet and harryette mullens sleeping with the dictionary. The gorgeous poetry herein reflects a complex philosophical background, yet has a. The choice of constraint by rebecca hazelton poetry. Inger christensen, danish poet whose linguistically sophisticated work explores the interconnections of language, fiction, and reality.
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