pech und blende

by Lutz Seiler

Lutz Seilers Gedichte sind »Erkundungen der Kindheitslandschaften zwischen Abraumhalden und paramilitärischen Formierungen, sie überzeugen durch ihre Intensität der sinnlichen Ausdruckskraft und ihre vielschichtige Bilderwelt. Seine ganz eigene, suggestive Stimme eröffnet einen glaubwürdigen poetischen Raum, wie er in der Gegenwartsdichtung selten zu finden ist«, heißt es in der Begründung zur Verleihung des Kranichsteiner Literaturpreises 1999 an den Autor.

In einer gehärteten Sprache außerhalb aller Moden sucht Lutz Seiler nach dem Essentiellen, nach den Spuren unseres Herkommens. Seine Gedichte rufen die dunklen Seiten unseres Daseins auf, graben tief im Vergangenen, legen dessen Schichten frei.

Genres: Poetry, German Literature

96 pages, Paperback

First published July 23, 2000

About the author

Lutz Seiler grew up in the Langenberg district of Gera, Thuringia (former East Germany). After training as a skilled building construction worker, he worked as a bricklayer and carpenter. During his national service in the National People’s Army (NVA) of the DDR, he started to take an interest in literature and wrote his first poems.
In the summer of 1989 Seiler worked as a seasonal employee on the island of Hiddensee, a popular former East German holiday resort located west of the island of Rügen off the north-eastern coast of Germany, an experience that later formed the basis of his first novel published in 2014, Kruso.
Seiler read German Studies at the universities of Halle (Saale) and Berlin up to 1990.
His 2014 debut novel, Kruso, won numerous awards.
Lutz Seiler is considered one of the most important German-speaking poets of today.

Reviews

[Iamthesword · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best way I can describe what Lutz Seiler's poetry does to me is that his language is like resin: It is thick and sticky and tard and it fills every little crack of your brain. And then it hardens, creating shiny amber that is so very beautiful. But at the same time, it locks you in and doesn't let you go. You are emprisoned in the landscapes, the events and the emotions Seiler describes, often everyday encounters of East German life - things that feel familiar, but off at the same time. There is an oppressive quality to a lot of the poems, like being trapped in an open space. There is a restlessness in the poems that only those unable to move have. While there might be a natural impulse (at least for German readers) to look for historical conections, it is that emotional dimension that made Seiler's poetry stand out to me. I highly recommend giving them a shot.

[michal k-c · Rating 4 out of 5]

Seiler moves quickly and if you blink you might get lost. Solid linguistic experimentation and personal / social history — who knew verse about an East German mining region could be so moving?

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am not a poetry person - but this caught me, because there is rhythm and flow in the text. I actually read the entire thing aloud to myself, because the poetry seemed so... natural and captivating. I was not into all poems, but Lutz Seiler reminded me of what poetry is meant for and what it is capable of.

[Lewis Isbell · Rating 1 out of 5]

I just didn’t get it. After reading the translators notes I got a little bit but it’s all lost on me

[james !! · Rating 4 out of 5]

i'm no expert when it comes to poetry but i throughly enjoyed this collection! i found the majority very hard-hitting, definitely a poignant work that leaves it's mark. i love the strong rhythmic spine that can be seen (well, heard) throughout Seiler's poetry! completely complimentary with the subjects discussed, allows them to really be felt!

i've had 'pitch & glint' on my tbr ever since i read his novel ‘Star 111' and wish i got round to this sooner! since ‘Star 111’ is semi-autobiographical, the connections to this collection are incredibly clear! lots of focus on childhood and his hometown of Gera which were familiar to pick back-up on and i couldn't help but think of Carl from 'Star 111' which maybe made some of the poems a bit easier for me to comprehend!

will definitely be continuing my Lutz Seiler journey as more & more of his work gets translated as I've enjoyed everything i've read so far! a really great collection, my favourite snippet probably comes from 'brain dead Sunday' but i will 100% revisit this a few more times due to it's small size so that may change with further reading/understanding!

[Joseph Schreiber · Rating 4 out of 5]

This poetry collection originally published in German in 2000, is the second collection to be released in English. I read his 2010 collection (in field latin/2017) several years ago and loved it, this earlier work is likewise rooted in the East Germany of Seiler's youth—the wildness, the strict schools, the land scarred by uranium mining. Seiler is keenly interested in sound and rhythm, and building images that move beyond the mere biographical. Darkness, frost, echoing footsteps recur. His use of lower case letters and ampersands (especially striking in German where nouns are capitalized) also adds to the mood of his poetry. One of the blurbs on the back describes his work as "a real-world Stalker with line breaks." That captures the feel well.

[malo · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 1/2

[Phil · Rating 3 out of 5]

A beautiful edition. Good moments: the child swinging the Irish setter by the bridge; the description of the 'Berlin room'; the translator's appreciation and dedication.