News
Robert Kroetsch Winner Announced
Snare Books is pleased to announce Geoffrey Hlibchuk’s Variations on Hölderlin as the winner of the 2008 Robert Kroetsch Award for Innovative Poetry as judged by Elizabeth Bachinsky.
About the book:
Variations on Hölderlin is informed by a particular etymology of the verb “to translate”: to move the dead from one place to another. The corpse in question here belongs to Friedrich Hölderlin, the schizophrenic Romantic poet subsequently canonized by such figures as Nietzsche and Heidegger. But whereas these theorists all too often arrest his corpus in order to conduct their critical autopsies, the Variations resurrect Hölderlin to the modern day, where his schizophrenic obsessions with the gods are now updated through contemporary celestial phenomena: astronauts, radio transmissions and satellites provide a new context above, while the underground churns with the sounds of subways and cloud chambers. Caught between these two levels, Hölderlin’s poetry is reconfigured not through an accurate reproduction of his work, but rather through the fluidity of variations: “I am not mad / chronology just made me look that way.” The Variations remind us that poetry is, above all, an ongoing conversation between the dead and the living.
About the writer:
Geoffrey Hlibchuk was born the son of a steelworker and a lifeguard in Toronto, Ontario. After failing as a high school dropout, he attended York University where he majored in English literature and creative writing. He subsequently moved to America to join the poetics department at the State University of New York at Buffalo. During his time in academia, he has studied poetry with Charles Bernstein, Gerald Bruns, Michael Davidson, Christopher Dewdney, Lyn Hejinian, Steve McCaffery and others. He has authored numerous critical works on Canadian poetry, in addition to a dissertation that examines the link between poetry and philosophical theories of exceptionality. His current project studies the triadic relationship between poetry, technology and schizophrenia. He now works for Ontario’s Ministry of Education, where he helps develop special education policy for students with Autism Spectrum Disorders.
Another Review of Thumbscrews
Christian Bok reviews Thumbscrews on the Poetry Foundation website here.
Excerpts from Thumbscrews
nypoesi features a few pieces from Nathalie Zina Walschots’ Thumbscrews here and derek beaulieu’s review of the collection here.
mclennan Reviews Thumbscrews
Renowned Canadian writer rob mclennan takes time from his busy literary schedule to review Thumbscrews. Read the review here.
Calgary Sun Goes Snaring
The Calgary Sun reviews both Natalie Zina Walschots’ Thumbscrews and ryan fitzpartick’s FAKE MATH. Check them out here.
2007 Books Flying off the Shelves
Thumbscrews by Natalie Zina Walschots, FAKE MATH by ryan fitzpatrick and the small blue by Jay MillAr have been being gobbled up by lit fans in the know from coast to coast. Natalie and ryan finished an aggressive cross Canada tour to great success and praise, while Jay was featured at Toronto’s International Readings at Harbourfront. Grab a few copies here and don’t get left behind.
Review of Thumbscrews
The Danforth Review’s Nathaniel G. Moore dives head first into 2007 Robert Kroetsch Award for Innovative Poetry winner Natalie Zina Walschots’ delicious Thumbscrews. Read his review here.
Thumbscrews and FAKE MATH Top 5
