Inger ChristensenRezensionen

Just can't decide how I feel about this one.½

brainy but sensual!

This collection is absolutely beautiful, breathtaking, terrifying, sad & hopeful...so many things at once. The narrative impact of the mathematical structure is so intense & perfectly suited to a book concerned with nature and the danger posed to it by humanity. This book is filled with Cold War/nuclear-age anxiety as well as a quiet, lovely reverence for the simple existence of natural things. The contrast between death and existence, between death as natural and death as human-created finality is so well portrayed throughout.

Definitely a wonderful, gorgeous work of both poetry and translation.

I read this in brief segments over the course of a few months. The genius of this work can be found not only in the mathematically inspired composition, but in Nied's brilliant translation. Christensen used the Fibonacci sequence to inspire the structure of the poems, but there is a poignant richness brought by the words themselves to the themes of environment, nature, progress, humanity in the midst of metaphysical simplicity. I think this is the most I've ever enjoyed a book of poetry.

Anmeldelser af de enkelte digtsamlinger:

Sommerfugledalen: https://beldenak.wordpress.com/2017/01/14/inger-christensen-sommerfugledalen/
Alfabet: https://beldenak.wordpress.com/2013/11/24/inger-christensen-alfabet/
det: https://beldenak.wordpress.com/2010/01/31/inger-christensen-det/

Indeholder "PROLOGOS", "LOGOS", " SCENEN", " symmetrier 1-8", " transitiviteter 1-8", " kontinuiteter 1-8", " konnexiteter 1-8", " variabiliteter 1-8", " extensioner 1-8", " integriteter 1-8", " universaliteter 1-8", " HANDLINGEN", " symmetrier 1-8", " transitiviteter 1-8", " kontinuiteter 1-8", " konnexiteter 1-8", " variabiliteter 1-8", " extensioner 1-8", " integriteter 1-8", " universaliteter 1-8", " TEKSTEN", " symmetrier 1-8", " transitiviteter 1-8", " kontinuiteter 1-8", " konnexiteter 1-8", " variabiliteter 1-8", " extensioner 1-8", " integriteter 1-8", " universaliteter 1-8", "EPILOGOS".
Meget anderledes systemdigtning. Et pragtværk.

When I read It, I had a feeling of entering the author´s mind. A feeling of vulnerability and nudity. A not altogether positive feeling. The book should be read from start to end, because it is a story. But then you need and want to go back and explore, taste the words and find your favorites.
To read it also was something of a nostalgic travel. Written in 1969 it is of course part of that era´s political and cultural influences even though it´s much much more than that.

I read it in swedish but I am thinking of rereading it in the original language danish - here´s a taste of it: ”Det. Det var det. Så er det begyndt. Det er. Det bliver ved. Bevæger sig. Videre. Bliver til. Bliver til det og det og det”.

Didn't love it but it's got a certain charm. Plottiest plot is right, Dawn. I had a hard time keeping it all straight. Seemed kind of silly though, like a combination of a soap opera and a Greek tragedy. Maybe if I read it all in a day it would've made more of an impression. But I ended up spreading it out over a week; this tiny book really should be read in a day.

Not the usual for me to use someone else's review but in this case I'm making an exception because I don't know if I could explain 'Alphabet' anywhere near as well.

http://www.complete-review.com/reviews/dansk/christi.htm

It is a very unique piece (it's to be found in the Oulipo section of Complete Review) and well worth recommendation from here.½

det er den bedste digtsamling jeg kender

"Vi anländer tidigt en morgon,
nästan innan vi vaknat.
Luften är blek och litet kylig,
och den krusar sig på huden
som en hinna av fukt.
Vi talar om spindelns nät,
hur det går till,
och om regnet som vaskade vattnet
medan vi sov,
medan vi for
över jorden.
Så är vi vid huset,
och vi badar i grusgångens damm
som bland sparvar."

Inger Christensen (f. 1935) framstår allt tydligare som en av Danmarks mest särpräglade och egensinniga poeter — och flera av hennes stora diktsamlingar har översatts till bl.a. engelska och franska. Nu introduceras hon för svensk publik med en dubbelvolym — innehållande både den mjukt sensualistiska Brev i april (1979) och den kompositionellt märkliga samtidssviten Alfabet (1981), tolkade av Urban Andersson respektive Jan Östergren.