Indeterminate Inflorescence

by Lee Seong-Bok

A collection of meditations on poetry, art and life, taken from the creative writing lectures of one of South Korea’s most prominent living poets

'Kick against words like you would kick back on a swing. You’ve got to feel as if the soles of your feet are touching the sky.'

These 470 aphorisms, collected by his students, are evocative micropoems in their own right. Some express ideas at once familiar and breathtakingly new – truths we could sense but not put into words. Others unfurl fresh vistas and offer worlds to explore in their exciting and inspiring poetics.

Together, they offer an invigorating and original answer to the questions: How – and why – do we write at all? What does it mean to create? And how should we see the world?

Genres: Poetry, Nonfiction, Writing, Theory

Hardcover

Reviews

[emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

‘—Language is the alpha and omega of poetry. But just because language is the only true refuge, it doesn't mean it has to take the forms of poetry.’

I'd like to think that I'm a very simple reader (in the sense that) if the text can bring to my mind my forever favourite footballer of all-time, Zinedine Zidane? Then I can't help but 'like'. Of his (for the lack of better words) buttery smooth, mesmerising passes/touches (but in particular when he ‘passes’ the ball but then back to himself the next moment, you know, and it’s like what the actual fuck, that is beauty and that is poetry in motion for fucking sure?), etc. — swooned. But I also just (and very simply) love football analogies.

‘You've seen (football) players pass the ball to each other. If they're blocked, they pass, and receive the ball again once they're past the block. Just like this, you've got to let go of the language before thinking about what to do next. If you keep the ball in your possession, the reader will only steal it from you.’

This is surely not a very ‘helpful’ review (no shame though, it is what it is, and it is ‘mine’), but to add to the mad irrelevance, I had an absurd moment with a friend of a friend who is a Real Madrid fan last weekend after a casual racquet sport session. He mentioned that Real Madrid is his ‘team’, and I childishly responded with ‘eww, what the fuck, Barça forever’. And then right after he held the conversation on his own as he said (but in a fully non-aggressive way) something like ‘what’s wrong with that’, ‘fuck your team too’ and ‘likewise’ back to back (I didn’t even have time to say anything in between those lines). Feels almost Zidane-coded, and in any case, highly unhinged and weirdly endearing at the same time (ended without any breath of animosity; only friendly laughs). Confessedly, I appreciated and respected the unrestrained, unfiltered (football) feelings. Would have been so gross and disappointing if the response had been something like ‘Barça is quite good too’, no? Actually that would have sounded so ingenuine and insulting on so many levels.

‘You can't perfectly reproduce the feeling of the old who are sick and unconscious. Or of children who are running a high fever. But writing is still better at that than any camera or camcorder. That's why language is so precious.’

‘In Seon Buddhism, "to see what's fundamental" is understood as "to see is fundamental". Perhaps poems can arise from switching subject and verb, what is seeing and what is seen.’

But regardless of my ramblings above, I do actually, truly adore these ‘aphorisms’. Can Anton Hur please do more of these spectacular, brilliant translations of Lee Seong-Bok’s work? Hur’s response to a question in/from an interview/article about Toward Eternity is worth a mention/share :‘The way that I wrote ‘Toward Eternity’ is exactly how Lee Seong-bok describes the act of writing in ‘Indeterminate Inflorescence’. It may be a Seon idea that literature is not created by a person but by language itself; the person who thinks of himself as a tool-wielder becomes the tool for language to do its work. It has been a very generative, very useful idea for me though I am not a practitioner of Seon Buddhism.’ The way I see/read it, 'Toward Eternity' brilliantly plays with the ideas of immortality/mortality, life/death — which is also in a way a reflection of the ideas presented in Lee’s collection of ‘aphorisms’. In any case, both are wonderful, and so worthy of any reader’s time and attention.

‘Poetry is a near-death experience and a practice of death. Just as there can be no expectations of death, don't expect anything from poetry. Poetry is something no one can do anything about.’

Lee’s aphorisms remind me also of John Berger’s sentiments : ‘Poems are nearer to prayers than to stories—In all poetry words are a presence before they are a means of communication.’ (And Our Faces, My Heart, Brief as Photos) And also from the same text/work,‘Poetry makes language care because it renders everything intimate. This intimacy is the result of the poem’s labor, the result of the bringing-together-into-intimacy of every act and noun and event and perspective to which the poem refers. There is often nothing more substantial to place against the cruelty and indifference of the world than this caring.’ I just thought them rather complementary even if the similarities may not be convincing enough.

[Jess Esa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Indeterminate Inflorescence is made up of 470 beautifully translated notes from the creative writing lectures of Lee Seong-bok, one of South Korea's most prominent living poets.

You can approach reading this in so many different ways: use it for writing prompts and topics of discussion, or just reflect and be challenged by the insightful and wry ways he expresses life, poetry, and art.

"Even when walking with a good friend, it's hard to walk in step when your rhythms differ. Life and pain must be accepted in their rhythms and sent off in their rhythms. All learning, like surfing, is about learning rhythm."

I've been dipping in and out of these writing aphorisms for the last couple of months and, in the meantime, have already gifted it to a poet friend for their birthday and am ready to send it to another friend.

It's impossible not to want to share the wisdom in this book with others. I recommend it to anyone who writes, loves poetry, or just enjoys another's perspective on art.

[Till Raether]

I got absolutely nothing out of this.

It's very odd to me how a carefully crafted book can be called "Lectures On Poetry" on the cover and "Lectures On Poetics" on the title page. These are two dramatically different things.

I hope I find a poet with the right sensibilities for this book so I can give it to them for Christmas. I ordered it straight from the publisher in Seattle and paid 9€ in custom fees.

[Hayley]

a lot of golf metaphors for a series of aphorisms about poetry. captures a poet’s struggle with remaining light while firm, the need to document spontaneity of the heart and not to kill it in doing so. but too many golf metaphors.

[syd · Rating 4 out of 5]

super interesting stuff. really enjoyed lee's approach to poetry

[Zhou · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Poetry takes its form in its endless failure to express what language cannot”

[Pascale · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just loved this book. It makes me think a little of Rilke's Letter to a Young Poet although it's very different. I enjoyed it. I put post it to mark the paragraphs I liked best and ended up tagging more than half of them :) If you like writing or reading poetry, I suggest reading it.

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really breathtaking book, overflowing with rich and supple metaphors... without knowledge of the original Korean, it feels like a wonderful translation. Full of poetic aphorisms about writing, poetry, and life.

It's the best kind of "how to" book, in that it doesn't really give you any instructions to follow. It's more like 500+ diving boards you might jump from... feels like each numbered point in the book could double as a fruitful writing prompt. Will be recommending this to a lot of people!

[D]

Aphorisms are a tricky format—was thinking of Sarah Manguso’s 300 Arguments as I read this. Because there’s a max capacity of wise aphorisms I can take in at a time, and inevitably in a collection of 300+ many will fall flat. Many here I thought sounded like lovely ideas, and then I kept asking—but how do I actually do this? Like, “speak what cannot be spoken.” Yes, great, how? This is the problem with aphorisms. Still some were wise and fun to think through. Seemed quite heavy on the golf analogies though?

[Kristen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a brilliant little thing

[Herb Randall · Rating 2 out of 5]

A smattering of insightful, thought-provoking aphorisms
on the nature of poetry and the writer, surrounded by many more that are either trite, cliched, or just silly.

[Daisy]

"Inflorescence" is the order in which flowers bloom on a stem. An alternative word for inflorescence in "pure Korean" is "flower-sequence" (kkotcharae). There are two kinds of inflorescence: "Determinate inflorescence" means flowers bloom from top to bottom (basipetal) with limited growth. "Indeterminate inflorescence" means the flowers bloom from bottom to top (acropetal), and growth is unlimited. We might say poems bloom in "indeterminate inflorescence" as they grow from concrete to abstract, from secular to sacred.

Poetry takes its form in its endless failure to express what language cannot.

A book of aphorisms isn't always successful, and while not every aphorism works for me, I think this collection provides many moments to pause and reflect. If poetry is to mean anything, it should attempt to emulate the twists and turns of life. But as humans, even if we cannot replicate life in its infinite fractals, the closest thing we can do is pause and capture the littlest details in a single moment.

[Barbara]

The format of the book - short numbered, paragraphs or a couple of lines - is a nice concept and works well when the quotes are good. I found only about 10% of the quotes to be good. Especially toward the end, they were not good and even contradicted themselves. They were the best when describing how to write poetry. Those were really good. Unfortunately, the bulk of the book was the poet’s opinions on life.

[Ellie G · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this collection of poetic conclusions because it was recommended by someone who works at a local bookstore whose suggestions have never let me down. "Indeterminate Inflorescence" is a reminder to listen. If you open yourself up to this book, as a writer or as a reader or as both, its wisdom waits on you.

[federico garcía LOCA · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lovely collection of poetic musings and writing prompts, some of which appeared to me more mystical rendered in this format on their own. Really though, I just wanted to read more of Yi Seongbok’s poetry itself than about it

Thank you Jamie!

[Rae]

best read in tiny doses. like a sugar pill- short, sweet, works if you think it does. read a page or two before writing.

indulgent, but it’s a book of poetic aphorisms, of course it is! it’s supposed to be!

[Christopher Walthorne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book worth persisting with. Much like the title, it is incredibly pretentious, but if you’re able to read through the metaphors you’ll find that there’s a lot of good advice in it; not just for poets, but for writers in general.

[Hannah Gibb · Rating 5 out of 5]

what a great little book. i will be returning to it on days when i need to reorient myself in writing.

[Jakub Sláma · Rating 5 out of 5]

some of the best advice and reflections on poetry I've ever read

[Reagan Kapasi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Liked: prompts to discuss poetry. Disliked: for writers of poetry.

[musa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every poet should keep this book as a reference and a provocation.

[Anastasiya Sukhenko · Rating 4 out of 5]

a poetry bible
a neurosis poet
loved it

[B. H. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Flashes of beauty here and there, but too twee for my tastes. I think this is less about the book being bad and rather me not being the right reader for this book.

[Tabea Nordhausen · Rating 1 out of 5]

There are some good phrases in here but overall it’s super boring and repetitive. I would not recommend this to anyone.

[Jack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thought-provoking reflections on life, creating art, and expression.

[Jamal Yearwood]

I wanted to like this. for a while, thought maybe the translation was off? but there were too many bold and wild statements, to just blame on translation

[Collie]

gorgeous little book but must be read in very tiny doses

[phoebe ringer · Rating 5 out of 5]

i’m not saying i not not not love this book