Poetics - Conclusion

That concludes the series of translated chapters from Pia Tafdrup's Over Vandet Går Jeg - Skitse Til En Poetik, Borgen, Copenhagen,1991. I'm aware of the rough nature of some of the translation - this is a draft project, and one that I hope to be able to take further at some future stage. The book is an unusual one: there are not too many contemporary philosophical texts on poetics and the nature of poetry, and this is one of the most extensive ones I know. Tafdrup is also unusual in the Danish context, in that her work and vision encompass the whole of the European and American literary traditions - she brings a truly international perspective to the reader, and her poetry and other writings are underpinned by a philosophical mode of approach that has its roots in the work of Martin Buber. Her models are poets like Hölderlin, Mallarmé, Rilke, Celan, René Char and Nelly Sachs, who for her form what she calls "den klassiske udgangspunkt" (the classical starting-point), which makes possible "den egentlige nyskabelse" (truly new creation).

I'll hope to present some more of my translations of Pia Tafdrup's poetry in a future posting.