I’d Rather Be a Poem – Modern German Poetry

Since 2014, Franz Dodel has been working on an endless, or rather never-ending haiku. Edition Korrespondenzen published a revised new...

Since 2014, Franz Dodel has been working on an endless, or rather never-ending haiku. Edition Korrespondenzen published a revised new edition in 2019, presenting the text as a linguistic perpetual-motion machine of sorts, with copious footnotes, addenda, and quotations. The text forms a unified whole in the form of a songbook. The lines, "we don't only remember/ while we're alive/ rather we're alive/ because we remember" are now followed by "perhaps this is an apt summary of Proust's 'Remembrance of Things Past'." Such verses can only be penned by a poet adamant about observing and writing on a daily basis, wresting his lines from the grip of time.

Luisa Famos is bound to be one of the first discoveries of anyone looking for Swiss poetry. This bilingual edition...

Luisa Famos is bound to be one of the first discoveries of anyone looking for Swiss poetry. This bilingual edition published by Limmat Verlag sheds light on what two Swiss languages—Romansh and German—stand to gain from one another. Readers might expect Romansh to have a lilt easily lost or weighed down in German translation, yet these versions establish Famos's status as a contemporary classic. In "On the Way / In Viadi" she delves into the differences between "moments" and "encounters." Luzius Keller, who wrote both the translations and the enlightening afterword, makes these poems accessible on a multitude of sensorial levels.

At last the field of poetry is graced by a true auditory phenomenon, tailor-made for the media-savvy and fans of...

At last the field of poetry is graced by a true auditory phenomenon, tailor-made for the media-savvy and fans of odd biographies. Ariane von Graffenried and Robert Aeberhard are the duo known as Fitzgerald & Rimini. Their latest collaboration is an homage to eight forgotten women, recited over 50-Hertz feedback, which in and of itself sets a powerfully poetic stage. Anyone who reads and listens to these two internationally acclaimed poets is in for a treat, and bound to be swept away by their enthralling work.

I first encountered Sascha Garzetti at a festival. I was struck by his simple, appealing language and the laconic, tongue-in-cheek...

I first encountered Sascha Garzetti at a festival. I was struck by his simple, appealing language and the laconic, tongue-in-cheek observations that he so carefully sets down on the cloudlike white page. This volume's short chapters tell the story of a life, of loss, and of time spent in far-off places. Here, finally, we again find the kind of poems you can just place in readers' hands: some will say, "how delicate," others, "how clear." When both camps can agree, "he's really good," something has indeed been gained.

The "father of concrete poetry" could never have dreamt that, at the age of 93, he would be denounced for...

The "father of concrete poetry" could never have dreamt that, at the age of 93, he would be denounced for his poem "avenidas," which had been considered an avant-garde classic since the 1950s. As obtuse amateur literary critics waged their dreadful debates, he calmly carried on editing this collection of sonnets which, read together, are a biography in poetic form, and a lively delight. Here, a master of self-imposed strictness writes poems and approaches utter extravagance—albeit within the bounds of a steadily measured 12 lines, of course.

The title of Nora Gomringer's latest collection, published during the coronavirus crisis, is a play on words between "praying mantis"...

The title of Nora Gomringer's latest collection, published during the coronavirus crisis, is a play on words between "praying mantis" and "God's service provider," shedding new light on her relationship to religion. From youth onward she's fostered her faith, carefully protecting it. She makes no secret of it, and in this book—whose poems mirror their viewers and readers in the fullest sense of the word—we read along as she questions herself and the crux of it all. She opens up about the cross and the many kinds of bigotry surrounding it, and does so with deep humor. The death of a good friend inspired a chapter on grief: Words for the empty language of the phrases we offer to the grieving.

Nora Gomringer's monothematic poetic experiment sets aspects of pop culture, medicine, horror, and fashion side by side to see what...

Nora Gomringer's monothematic poetic experiment sets aspects of pop culture, medicine, horror, and fashion side by side to see what connections spring up. The results—initially published as three separate volumes between 2013 and 2017, illustrated by Reimar Limmer—are now being reissued as a set. Her hilarious poems contain hidden cunning, and she loves luring her readers onto thin ice. Upon closer reading, however, they're also poignantly bittersweet: diseases become cultural markers, and clothes morph into much more than mere rags or haute couture.

Sonja Harter's poems are highly complex—brazen, serious, and blossoming with late-pop attitude. She turns observed scenes into heightened abstractions, and...

Sonja Harter's poems are highly complex—brazen, serious, and blossoming with late-pop attitude. She turns observed scenes into heightened abstractions, and leads us from a larger whole into the narrowly private sphere. To read Harter is to witness the emergence of a new generation. She reveals her sources in many poems that wink and nod at other poets, either through overt dedication or by implied inspiration. It's all pulled off with the utmost respect and tact, in lowercase letters and with a beguiling humility.

In "The Dog Comes at 4 O'clock—A Sad Saying," Nancy Hünger writes about grief like no other young poet in...

In "The Dog Comes at 4 O'clock—A Sad Saying," Nancy Hünger writes about grief like no other young poet in Germany. The book's contents hover somewhere between prose miniature and poetic monolog; they hover much like the first-person narrator, who describes experiences ranging from institutionalization to love, loss, and the all-encompassing darkness of depression. The reader sees an attempt to compose words transform itself into a desperate attempt to maintain composure. Love is a longed-for destination, as fleeting as it is tiring. To feel deeply is to deeply hurt.

These daily poetry notes, one for each day in the merry month of May, are laconic, clear, and humorous. Strolling...

These daily poetry notes, one for each day in the merry month of May, are laconic, clear, and humorous. Strolling from the recycling bin to the opera house, they crack open new poetic spaces. Adrian Kasnitz's "Calendar #5" is adamantly urban, and both its texts and illustrations are special discoveries.

Years ago, Marcel Beyer wrote a collection titled "Graphite." He chose a material with geological, cultural, historical relevance, as has...

Years ago, Marcel Beyer wrote a collection titled "Graphite." He chose a material with geological, cultural, historical relevance, as has Esther Kinsky in "Schiefern," which can mean "slate," "schist," or "splintering." This volume, devoted to observations of nature, focuses on geology. Stones like tufa and fool's gold appear alongside heather, fire, and writing itself; all are symbols of cultural history—dark, stratified, and splitting apart. Kinsky's lovingly detailed view of people, terrain, and country mine a vein of unfamiliar riches, pitch black rather than predictably sparkling

The planet, which "carries you for your appointed days," has its own eponymous poem in this collection. In "Imago," Uwe...

The planet, which "carries you for your appointed days," has its own eponymous poem in this collection. In "Imago," Uwe Kolbe paints sumptuous pictures using densely wrought, ever-more-concise language. One might occasionally wish his work were lighter but, considering the topic he so often grapples with—the fleeting nature of it all—it's little wonder he'd aim to both ground and root it in his readers. And grounding and rooting call for forceful statements with meaningful heft. This is one impressive book, amplified by nods to prayer, church bells, and recitations of mass.

This book sates one's hunger while simultaneously whetting the appetite. "Maneaters of Love" is an anthology of 40 poets spanning...

This book sates one's hunger while simultaneously whetting the appetite. "Maneaters of Love" is an anthology of 40 poets spanning from classical to contemporary. They're gathered here to serve up poems on love, carnal desire, yearning, and feasting in all their splendid suggestiveness. The book is a five-star menu, each chapter is a course, and cannibalism—the most extreme form of embodiment—is the intellectual amuse-bouche.

A few years ago I had the honor of designing a book with the visual artist Christina von Bitter. I...

A few years ago I had the honor of designing a book with the visual artist Christina von Bitter. I wrote texts to accompany and freely converse with her unusual miniature paintings. For "After the Storm, the Mosquitoes," she collaborated with the poet Michael Krüger to produce precise visual and verbal descriptions of specific places—including both interior and exterior states. This volume, published by Hirmer Verlag, is a harmonious marriage: art catalog meets poetry collection.

Nadja Küchenmeister's texts might first strike the reader as mysterious, powerful, delicate, and even charming, but the most intriguing aspect...

Nadja Küchenmeister's texts might first strike the reader as mysterious, powerful, delicate, and even charming, but the most intriguing aspect stems from their flawless rhythm and worldview. "In the Glass Mountain"—a fairy-tale realm encompassing both the possible and the impossible—contains a series of short cycles, each of which would hold up as a standalone volume. Küchenmeister insists upon striking conclusions, so her strongest work often comes toward the end. She is also an unparalleled master of enjambement.

Those who flee, lose; those who don't flee, die. These thoughts came to mind as I read Lessmann's "State of...

Those who flee, lose; those who don't flee, die. These thoughts came to mind as I read Lessmann's "State of Flight," because her poems distill the tragedy of displacement, immigration, and the loss of one's homeland into stark imagery. Much like Celan, Lessmann works with linguistic observations; here, his shibboleth morphs into her reflections on the "sharp S." This poet considers flight the quintessential human condition: it is both a force and an ability, a source of suffering, great grief, and inner turmoil. Her texts on the subject are radiant and magnetic. Here, she has created a new country in the spaces between the lines.

Anyone who's shuddered at Annette von Droste-Hülshoff's ninteenth-century classic "The Boy on the Moor" will experience the "excarnation" promised by...

Anyone who's shuddered at Annette von Droste-Hülshoff's ninteenth-century classic "The Boy on the Moor" will experience the "excarnation" promised by the title of Eva Maria Leuenberger's latest book, wherein nature becomes human and vice versa. Its four chapters, each with a different layout, let readers wander through typeset landscapes: valley, moor, gorge. At times the eye plummets, but swiftly regains balance through the act of reading onward.

The works of this daring and courageous poet are strange, but they are also among my most favorite. Sünje Lewejohann's...

The works of this daring and courageous poet are strange, but they are also among my most favorite. Sünje Lewejohann's tone is neither reticent nor gossipy. Sometimes her work strikes me as that of a chitchatty child with an irrepressible urge to communicate, calling everything—even the obscurest—by its true name. The idea that, at certain points in her work, we readers will stall, suffer, and be tempted to disengage is part of the poet's artful calculation. It's a promising premise that's swiftly fulfilled, because she's like "the all-enveloping weather," and hence holds control of her poetic game. It's hard to describe what she does and how she does it, but I never tire of reading her, and when it comes to poetry that's really saying something.

Herta Müller, winner of the 2009 Nobel Prize in literature, has ventured into new territory, creating visual poetry that is...

Herta Müller, winner of the 2009 Nobel Prize in literature, has ventured into new territory, creating visual poetry that is sensuous and, at times, hilarious. It manages to transform certain moments and word choices into sheer lightness. Some lines and thoughts float somewhat mystically into vagueness, prompting us to complete them in our minds. The aural landscape of these texts, so steeped in isolation, is laconic and tinged by an overarching melancholy. The poet has organized every aspect of her universe, and we're almost glad to sit by her side in this grand "blue room" called homesickness.

A cloth-bound treasure trove! "Deep Down I'd have Preferred to be a Poem" is a nod to Catalonian poet Jaime...

A cloth-bound treasure trove! "Deep Down I'd have Preferred to be a Poem" is a nod to Catalonian poet Jaime Gil de Biedma, and sets the tone for this anthology of work by poets who appeared at the Lyrik Kabinett—Munich's main poetry venue—between 1989 and 2019. This book, edited by Holger Pils and Michael Krüger in honor of Ursula Haeusgen, the institution's founder, spans three decades of poetry. This partially bilingual collection includes all of Europe's better-known poets, plus a few major international stars. It's a welcome reminder that poetry anthologies have the power to double as world chronicles, rendering readers wiser, more spirited, and more European.