What good does it do for a person to wake up one morning this side of the new millennium

by Kim Simonsen, Randi Ward (Translator)

Nominated for the 2024 Nordic Council Literature Prize, Kim Simonsen introduces a new perspective to Faroese literature rooted in the materiality of all natural organisms.

The rhetorical title of the collection posits the crisis that is underway. Simonsen as a species among species, all comprised of the matter of the universe, how has our compulsion to hierarchically categorize everything estranged us from ourselves, each other, and the rest of this world? Simonsen challenges our anthropocentric pursuit of knowledge, exploring the human relationship with itself as an element of the natural world. The collection follows the process as the narrator reckons with estrangement from his fellow organisms, and turns to the greater materiality of the world to find continuity, connection, and solace.

Genres: Poetry

172 pages, Paperback

First published August 26, 2025

Reviews

[Megan]

For all the island dwellers
who hear the waves tonight
and know
how it is
to be human
for a moment between mountain and sea.

For the international brother and sisterhood
of insomniacs
(most take their lives at 04:48).

For those whose emotions have sense and sensibility
and a heart that reflects.

For all of you who know all too well
that there aren’t any real boundaries
on our planet.

The international republic of world literature
doesn't correspond to the lines on the map
that govern the rest of the world.

Humanity is part of a wider ecosystem, literally and figuratively. To be humane is to be ecological; to think and act ecologically is to thick and act humanely. To grasp on to the metaphors, to hold them both lightly and stubbornly, is to learn more about the world and our place in it and our relationships to each other. The language in this collection is lovely (this is great nature writing!!), and the thoughts and feelings were energizing to spend time with; the past week or so I made a point of reading some of this collection every morning.

Some poems from this collection
More poems
And more

Poems from a collection that hasn't yet been book-published in English
And more of those

[Ace Boggess · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had energy and heart, wistfulness mixed with a sense of that is anti-nostalgic. It can be read as collection of poems or one long poem, and either way, it is beautiful. It has a feel that is somewhere between Kenneth Rexroth and Kimiko Hahn. I found the whole book mesmerizing. Worth your time.

[Lu Louche · Rating 2 out of 5]

Out of the four sections this poetry collection is divided in, the second one was the best with the rest not touching me much.
I liked how all of the poems were clearly connected in II and I liked the nature theme.