Condition of Secrecy: Selected Essays - Softcover

Inger Christensen; Susanna Nied

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0811228118 ISBN 13: 9780811228114

Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company, 2018

Synopsis

The Condition of Secrecy is a poignant collection of essays by Inger Christensen, widely regarded as one of the most influential Scandinavian writers of the twentieth century. As The New York Times proclaimed, "Despite the rigorous structure that undergirds her work--or more likely, because of it--Ms. Christensen's style is lyrical, even playful." The same could be said of Christensen's essays. Here, she formulates with increasing clarity the basis of her approach to writing, and provides insights into how she composed specific poetry volumes. Some essays are autobiographical (with memories of Christensen's school years during the Nazi occupation of Denmark), and others are political, touching on the Cold War and Chernobyl. The Condition of Secrecy also covers the Ars Poetica of Lu Chi (261-303 CE); William Blake and Isaac Newton; and such topics as randomness as a universal force and the role of the writer as an agent of social change. The Condition of Secrecy confirms that Inger Christensen is "a true singer of the syllables" (C. D. Wright), and "a formalist who makes her own rules, then turns the game around with another rule" (Eliot Weinberger).

About this title

Review:

Inger Christensen manages to make wit, passion and questioning, and astonishing design serve each other's ends as one, and she does it in a way that is utterly her own. --W. S. Merwin

About the Author:

Inger Christensen (1935- 2009), whose work is a cornerstone of modern Scandinavian poetry, was the recipient of many international awards, among them the Nordic Authors' Prize, bestowed by the Swedish Academy and known as the "Little Nobel." Her books include the masterpiece it; alphabet; Butterfly Valley; and Light, Grass, and Letter in April.

About this edition

• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Publication date: 2018
• ISBN 10: 0811228118
• ISBN 13: 9780811228114
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 160