I’d Rather Be a Poem – Modern German Poetry

Marion Poschmann's "Nimbus" is a book of spells as well as a magical object, in which the author conjures up...

Marion Poschmann's "Nimbus" is a book of spells as well as a magical object, in which the author conjures up various odes, ghosts, and other creatures. She devotes chapters to shamans and spirits—anima—and welcomes their many manifestations. The collection is descriptive and elegant, but also capable of deft feints, as if it were conjuring itself into being. I can read Poschmann again and again. Aptly, this volume's title can refer to both spiritual and meteorological phenomena: a saint's splendid, holy halo or the dark cloud formation that heralds havoc and, above all, uncertainty.

Kerstin Preiwuß's poems explore states of matter and their possible transition—be it melting, sublimation, or condensation. "Dew Point" is an...

Kerstin Preiwuß's poems explore states of matter and their possible transition—be it melting, sublimation, or condensation. "Dew Point" is an inspiring, intense volume of poems and imagery densely packed into brief cycles. Part musical score, part miniature history, it adds up to a riveting read. If petri dishes could sing, they'd have Preiwuß's poetic voice.

Lessie Sachs wrote poetry and short prose. The works in this collection are drawn from the archives of the Leo...

Lessie Sachs wrote poetry and short prose. The works in this collection are drawn from the archives of the Leo Baeck Institute in New York, and for the first time are grouped thematically. Her work is a testament to the power of poetry over the decades. She had some impressive contemporaries, and knew many of the modern era's first bestselling women, including Dorothy Parker, Gertrude Stein, and Mascha Kaléko. Her verses convey a strong sense of situational comedy and a pragmatic understanding of gender politics. Today, they sound fresh as ever and, even when elegiac, they retain her uniquely laconic wit.

At last an anthology that delivers on its promise: great cinema. "Cinema" contains work by 64 poets, and is wholly...

At last an anthology that delivers on its promise: great cinema. "Cinema" contains work by 64 poets, and is wholly dedicated to the cinematic archetype: darkened room, flickering screen, moving images, and the countless stories they convey. The texts are enriched with collages by Stefan Heuer, stylistically echoing the texts and taking the reader on a wild ride through quotations from film history. This book opens our eyes, casting cinema in a new light, while averting its gaze from overly gruesome films. Each and every poem exudes an enthusiasm and love for the unique world that is the cinema.

Nathalie Schmid's poems prove that individual elements needn't outdo one another—they can coexist in an orderly, even equitable way, one...

Nathalie Schmid's poems prove that individual elements needn't outdo one another—they can coexist in an orderly, even equitable way, one alongside the other. Their content is elegiac, but speaks to the reader through crystal clear, unsparing imagery that nevertheless harbors moments of tenderness. Much of it makes for painfully intimate reading. We're hardly used to reading a poet so keen to confess. She's full of life, and her experiences address us as exhortations.

The poet Thien Tran died 10 years ago, yet his work inspired such enthusiasm, and left such a huge wake,...

The poet Thien Tran died 10 years ago, yet his work inspired such enthusiasm, and left such a huge wake, that his fellow poet Ron Winkler decided to take up the chase. Here, he offers a living obituary in book form, recounting a life that refuses to vanish beneath the sands of time. Tran's poems are the length of a quick cigarette break. Both brimming with life yet melancholic, they grant the poet's voice an evocative echo.

Martina Weber lays out her poetic images one after another, like a series of film stills grabbing our gaze. She...

Martina Weber lays out her poetic images one after another, like a series of film stills grabbing our gaze. She arranges them in clear lines across her canvas to evoke thoughtful echoes in her readers' reflections. Some poems are densely patterned, others retain an airier feel between their lines. These stylistic variations fit well with her observations of urban life. The texts slowly build up into "Houses, Wholly of Light."

This work draws the reader deep into a cold winter forest where beastly, devilish encounters await; the only form of...

This work draws the reader deep into a cold winter forest where beastly, devilish encounters await; the only form of light is intimate and archaic, emanating from hearths and candles. It culminates in a brilliant piece of Bernhard-esque radicalism, bringing together forlorn voices. This collection calls upon the reader to dive in—with enough momentum, it quickly reaches full stride. Supplemented by the reader's own spinning thoughts, it begins to resonate and positively hum with vivid imagery and an exquisite darkness.

A deservedly celebrated book! "Birdlife" is so polyphonic and unexpected that it's a joy to read. It calls various birds...

A deservedly celebrated book! "Birdlife" is so polyphonic and unexpected that it's a joy to read. It calls various birds by name, and sets their characteristics in direct relation to human actions and perceptions. The resuscitation of a dead starling, for example, is like a gruesome game played in a desperate attempt to make up for its killing, or even undo its death. To animals, we humans are menaces and mere observers in one. Ziebritzki examines this age-old coexistence, writing of countryside and city, of all the spaces and interstices in which we encounter each other.