it is the masterwork by Danish poet Inger Christensen (a true singer
of the syllables, said C. D. Wright), often cited as a Nobel contender
and one of Europe's most revered poets. On its publication in 1969, it
took Denmark by storm, winning critical praise and becoming a huge
popular favorite. Translated into many languages, it won international
acclaim and is now a classic of modern Scandinavian poetry.
it is both a collection of poems and a single poetic epic, forming a
philosophical statement on the nature of language, perception, and
reality. The subject matter, though, is down to earth: amoebas, stones,
and factories; fear, sea urchins, and mental institutions; sand,
sexuality, and song. The words and images of it recur in ways
reminiscent of Christensen's other works, but here is a younger poetry,
wilder, and crackling with energy. The marvelous and complex use of
mathematical structure in it is faithfully captured in Susanna Nied's
English translation, which won a 2005 PEN Translation Fund Award.