I have just completed "reading" this "poetry" book by bpNichol and found it completely frustrating.
I personally don't understand how lines and stanzas filled with letters of the alphabet and colours repeated at random and actual nonsensical scribbles on a page can make up poetry, or even art. Is the illegible doodle on page 224 supposed to represent the images described on page 225? Also, what was with the six pages of the somewhat creepy nose and mouth drawings?
Yet, among all the senseless (in my humble opinion) ramblings, there were small flecks of what might be considered beautiful poetry.
If this poet was looking for a reaction, he certainly got one from me. Unfortunately, it left me feeling a tad bit hostile.
some honest first thoughts! yes! weeee! i wonder if it might be helpful to hold inside your skull while experiencing/reading "A Book of Variations" this comparison from Karl Young: Nichol approached language/poetry with an almost Blakean innocence, like the curiosity of a drunken child... (http://www.thing.net/~grist/l&d/bpnichol/ky-e-bp.htm)
ReplyDeletehis work reminds me that the possibilities of ink on page remain largely unexplored, and that ink (factually) is a medium of human interaction/relationships: friends, readers, critics, family, strangers, collaborators, pets, lovers, et ceteras!
I enjoy your quotes around reading and poetry. They made me giggle. I'm very much excited to have the discussion this week if we already have such a strong opinion on the book!
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately I'm not 100% done the book so I'm going to keep my mind open until I get to the end.