This is a short enthuse to welcome Michal Puchir's _Semantic Succour_ from
Maquette Press. And the first thing to say is that Puchir is having lots
of fun with all his languages: here's part of the last section of "The
Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke":
_____________________________________
double di: of shuddup here here! swank! swoons!
Pte. zythum, (last but not least...!) Mr. Suchlike! well, wel-
come Mr. Suchlike. how, how how - we'd've'd invited
prominent Deleted Repeated Words but, zugzwang,
you know the commas...
_____________________________________
Now I've got a reading of this, you'll be pleased to hear, leaping off
from the spelling of mad Dick Dadd's surname and zigzigging and
zugzwanging through the dictionaries - but how relevant is it? The
important thing which struck me reading this (aloud, of course, to the
annoyance of those around me) was the physical excitement, the enjoyment
of it all. Thanks. There's nine such poems in this pamphlet, of which the
fairy feller's the longest and most intricate. Here's the shortest, the
first, called "Last" (is that cobblers?):
____________________________________
reticule by occupation I detail:
stiffened up blubbered wrist hook-ups
for one string bag and one washed polypropylene bag.
hodgepodge plume I am carried home.
at eight a.m. the mitten behind scenes
awakens. symplace. begin!
over counter swoon deja vu
___________________________________
Seeing the possible cricket reference in the last line zipps me back to
the end of TFFMS: "the Fairy Feller's in mid on." - interesting: I'd
thought that with the close catcher in there he was standing back for a
hook - but no, checking the picture, Puchir could be right, the on side's
wide open...
If this seems flippant, I hope it's not totally inappropriate: Puchir's
light touch with his adopted language is a great asset, inviting readers
to experience new leaps between one word or phrase and the next, and to
make new connections. The leaps work by sound and/or etymology or syntax.
Semantic succour.
It's available for two pound fifty, payable to Andy Brown at Maquette
Press, 3 South Street, Sheepwash, Beaworthy, Devon EX21 5LZ.
RC
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
|