Complete Minimal Poems

by Aram Saroyan

Poetry. Visual Poetry. Long-cherished in out-of-print editions, anthologies and text books, and more recently celebrated on the internet, Aram Saroyan's groundbreaking concrete and minimalist poems of the 1960s are gathered together here in a single, much-needed volume. COMPLETE MINIMAL POEMS includes the entire contents of Aram Saroyan (Random House, 1968), Pages (Random House, 1969), The Rest (Telegraph, 1971), as well as Saroyan's contribution, "Electric Poems," to the anthology All Stars (Goliard-Grossman, 1972), and a sequence, "Short Poems," which hasn't appeared previously. With ties to the work of such writers and artists as e.e. cummings, Andy Warhol, Gertrude Stein, Donald Judd, Ian Hamilton Finlay and Steve Reich, COMPLETE MINIMAL POEMS confirms Aram Saroyan's place among the most daring and engaging figures in modern poetry.

Genres: Poetry

284 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2007

About the author

Aram Saroyan is an American poet, novelist, biographer, memoirist and playwright. There has been a resurgence of interest in his work in the 21st century, evidenced by the publication in 2007 of several previous collections reissued together as Complete Minimal Poems. He is the son of author William Saroyan and actress Carol Grace, and the father of Strawberry Saroyan.

Reviews

[Eddie Watkins]

One might be tempted (as I was) to forego buying this book as it can easily be read in the store during half a lunchbreak.

But being an inveterate booknerd book junkie I forewent 8-9 minimal lunches to plop down the purchase price. Then I indulged in a maximal lunch to celebrate (collards & mac & cheese) - dyspepsia from a soul food truck...

It can also easily be read at one's desk at work, thereby lightening up that windowless place by clearing the mind and populating it with crickets; creating large inner spaces with perfectly formed small singing things.

Some clarifying word pills:

LYRIC

I'm a cardboard poet.
I eat rice.


* * * * *


a cartoon
of
energy


* * * * *


my knees are in my knees
my eyes are in my eyes


* * * * *


black salad

[Özgür Daş]

Yayınevi bu kitaba 15 lira etiket koymuş... Her gün bir sayfasını okusa kişi okumalara doyamaz sanıyorum. ''Yazmak Ontolojik Farkındalığın En Hacimli Halidir'' mottosuyla yayın yapan Kült Neşriyat, ayakta alkışlıyorum sizi...

[Kevin]

They're not kidding when they say minimal.

[Mark Hollingsworth]

Some good little poems.

Some fun play with sound:
"corporate pirates"

Some interesting juxtaposition:
a cartoon
of
energy

Some heightened images:
"nnausea"

My favorite (probably because it relates to another book I'm reading):
I leaps

through
my eyes

[Peter Landau]

Poems as image. Poems as play. Poems that are funny and moving, sometimes almost off the page. These works transported me. They changed my perspective, my perceptions, for the better. What a difference a letter makes when there are only four of them. How strange a page is when its treated as environment.

[Jeff Jackson]

The best of these minimal poems are conceptual and linguistic masterpieces that deserve to be printed and tacked on the walls of any museum. But perhaps because of their conceptual nature, most of the poems either work brilliantly or fall flat, making the overall collection very hit or miss for me. Richard Hell's rave review in the NY Times provides examples of some of the best poems and more information on Saroyan's project. If you're at all intrigued, this is well worth a read. The book presents the poems thoughtfully and is a gorgeous object.

[Jeffrey]

This was one of my favorite recent book discoveries. Each of the little poems in this book is no more than a few words long, but using a variety of techniques, such as misspelling, repetition, unusual juxtapositions, interesting typography (such the concrete poem), Saroyan turns each little poem into a suggestive little gem worthy of savoring, like a rich piece of chocolate in your mouth.

I kept this book by my bed for well over a year, picking it up and enjoying these little word play poems a few poems at a time.

[c]

Saroyan's at his best when he allows the English language to fully reveal itself as the ugly, weird, unwieldy, and ultimately brilliant language that it is. When he gets too involved, it rarely turns out well.

[Barry]

A few of these poems are terrific.
But I wish the book didn't end with an idyllic vision of a bird flying by, kids screaming, and his wife doing the dishes.

[Anselm]

lighght

[Atte]

Poika naputteli (säästäväisesti) sanoja paperille 1960-luvulla. Osa näistä on melko nerokkaita.

[Raul De]

This volume was the return to print of Aram Saroyan's poetry, and I read it in two sittings - in the first one I stopped at the 200 pages and in the second one I finished the book. It's incredible. It's simple and complex. It's graspable and elusive. The poem-word that synthesizes my reaction is mystified. Saroyan demands we engage with language differently to how we're accustomed. His poetry is molecular, atomic. And yes, that may not always be impressive, but that's how we question our relationship with art. Saroyan's word poems and typographical poems are akin to abstract painting or minimalist music, they're sculptures, they're photographs. I am obsessed by art that strips away the ego and celebrates creation and existence for its own sake. It may be the most anti-commercial art possible, maybe the purest art. In the vast majority of these poems, Saroyan is pure play. Some are melancholic (Car Swerves, Injures 11; Driver Held). All of them are serene. I think of Donald Judd, of Agnes Martin. Peace of extraordinary simplicity. I admit, my first impression after finishing the collection was that some elements, themes, words, techniques, are repeated too much, and I was disappointed that Saroyan didn't do more with the seemingly endless possibilities of this form, as if he didn't know how to use the fire he discovered. Marcel Duchamp, pioneer of conceptual art, only produced 13 readymades in his life, explaining (I paraphrase), "When you try to make art with the ugly, everything is beautiful." Only 13 sufficed to help establish conceptual art and change the art world forever. Saroyan shows restraint in his Complete Minimal Poems. An entire world on the hands of the reader (which looks like New York City, my only complaint) that is explorable, navigable, an infinitely re-readable. To me, Saroyam is life in snapshot.

[Jamjun Rorsoongnern]

tdlr: craft 5/5, editorial/compilation 1.5/5 = average 3ish/5

This collection gives big “read this for craft” in an academic way. Don’t get me wrong, there are some beautiful plays with the limitations and boundaries of poetry, the word, sonics, and concrete poetry. But this form of compiling was just not my cup of tea. I think the compilation of these poems is wonderful for collection/archival purposes, but if you want to really appreciate the brevity and beauty of minimal poems, a 280-page book that doesn’t include color or the original medium/aesthetics makes it hard to be still with each page. Googling the poems in other contexts (in artists’ books, newspapers, and projected in art galleries) gave more texture and pause for each poem. I think an introduction or editor’s note would have been nice. Again, I understand why they probably didn’t (minimalism and such), but just on a personal level, it was difficult to fully immerse into the collection. Again, I cannot stress this is a personal prefrence. It has many craft elements and philosophy enriching this poetry practice, but it is just not my thing. I would HIGHLY recommend it for folks who already have engaged with his work or are big fans of other minimalist poets. However, it’s not the best introduction to minimal poetry; it’s more of a book to get into after having some experience with minimal poems. The alteration of the formatting really took away from the beauty and complex layering of the poems.

This article was super helpful to re-read some of the poems and posture my reading! If you decide to read this book, definitely check I out beforehand.
https://thereader.mitpress.mit.edu/ar...

[Ray Lee]

I first encountered an Aram Saroyan poem through a daily poetry email distribution list. The poem?




lighght



I was intrigued not only by the simplicity and brevity of the poem, but also by the spelling which highlighted (no pun intended) both the usefulness of "gh" to pronounce the word "light" correctly and at the same time the arbitrariness when doubled. Such a slight change made light of the word "light" (pun intended).

Here are two more favorites:

POEM

One two
three there
are three are
never seen
again.


----------------------------------------------

Not a
cricket

ticks a
clock


Saroyan's poems, as brief as they are, require multiple readings to fully experience them and appreciate the possibilities of language they reveal. What a nice surprise to discover so much in so few words.

[mwpm]

The Complete Minimal Poems brings together poems from Saroyan's various small press publications, including: Aram Saroyan, The Beatles, coffee coffee, Electric Poems, Gertrude Stein, I Am Rose, In, My Mummy's Dead, Pages, and The Rest

[Mike Walter]

minimalistic and mind bending

I read once that poetry is as much about the white space on the page as it is about the words. While that sounds trippy I think it has some merit. I thought of that saying as I read a book of poetry by Aram Saroyan. He’s known for his “minimalist poetry” with some of his works consisting of one word or even one letter (so, yeah, lots of white space).

Read each poem in this book multiple times and was still finished with it in under an hour. I think I’ll try it one more time later after an edible.

[Evan Pincus]

I love that this is barely even a consistent redefinition of poetry - sometimes it's a lovely little miniature (and these poems truly are miniature!), sometimes it's a question posed to the reader like the famous lighght, other times they're simple observations, other times still they're tossed off jokes. "Surely they can be all things at once," you may ask? Well, not these - they're truly all over the place in a wonderful and charming way.

[Jordan]

A coworker seemed frustrated after flipping through. "How can a poem be one word?" It's a joy to read this book. Small moments of beauty and playfulness. The printed version of saying a word over and over until it doesn't mean anything, or spelling it in strange ways to say it new ways. A book I'll be revisiting often.

[David S]

Conceptual, strange, funny, beautiful. Some are impenetrable, some are simply a single word on an otherwise blank page, and some are among my favorite poems ever. Often feels like more of an art project than a language project, if there's even a difference between the two. Lots to think about. One of those books you can open to a random page and let it be your fortune for the day.

[e]

if your discernment could use a recalibration then these quippy quill spills might be just the thing.
diagnostics for rut-ridden minds. kibble dribble or the king's swanging cock-piece? only YOU can decide.

[Pamela]

oh oh oh oh
loved this book
laughghed and laughghed
oh oh oh oh

[EIJANDOLUM]

آودددي.

[sophia]

certainly minimal…

[atito]

these are actually quite fun to encounter on the page and as part of a book! but i guess they had their own charm as posts on tumblr :-)

[Sam]

lighght

[Regulator]

Ah minimalism. This is a quick, enjoyable a read. Some small moments in this book can be frustrating if you're looking for meaning, but there are a number of great haiku-like images and thoughts, and many funny poems in here. Overall, it's worth reading if you love poetry and want to see where the extremes of minimalism can take you.

[Andrew]

some really great stuf in here. close to perfection but he doesn't take the minimalism far enough to enjoy just one word, or two words. sometimes the trickery (either with misspelling or punctuation) obscures the force of what one word can really be, and how it can be enough in itself. my favorite:
Not a
cricket

ticks a
clock

[Steve]

http://ronsilliman.blogspot.com/2007/...

[Jessica]

i wish we could get away with one-line poems today...i liked "crickets" quite a bit

[The Rev. Baron Librarian]

Very enjoyable read, best when shared aloud.