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The Pornographer's Poem: A Novel
In this stunningly original novel, Michael Turner, the author of the punk rock collage Hard Core Logo, and the hilariously sobering American Whiskey Bar, proves himself to be one of Canada's most dazzling and innovative contemporary writers.
The Pornographer's Poem is a first-hand account of the life of an unnamed pornographic filmmaker. At the age of sixteen, the narrator gets his first taste of adult cinema. Shortly before that, he shoots his first adult film, surreptitiously capturing his neighbours having sex on their back porch. From these linked experiences, he realizes that through representations of sexual activity he can comment on that which he finds both painful and confusing. In the films that follow, the narrator imagines in positions of dominance those who are disadvantaged in their everyday lives, now sexually belittling those who have once held them down. Nettie, an idealistic poet and the one person with whom the narrator genuinely connects, sees in pornography the opportunity to do something artistic, liberating, and socially relevant. She pushes the narrator to make films that subvert the way the world is constructed. Ultimately, despite his radical intentions, the narrator falls into a world of greed, delusion, and hypocrisy, the same world he once rebelled against.
Investigating the ways in which lives are remembered and reconstructed, Michael Turner works backwards and forwards in time with unerring attention to subtle shifts in voice and experience. But this is not a wistful recounting, for the retelling of the protagonist's story is affected by the interrogations of an authoritative, unforgiving tribunal.
As he tests the lines between pornography and art, between exploitation and exploration, Michael Turner continues to push the boundaries of the literary form. The Pornographer's Poem is an intelligent, funny, impeccably crafted work that challenges not only the way a novel should be written but, most importantly, the way it should be read.
The Pornographer's Poem is a first-hand account of the life of an unnamed pornographic filmmaker. At the age of sixteen, the narrator gets his first taste of adult cinema. Shortly before that, he shoots his first adult film, surreptitiously capturing his neighbours having sex on their back porch. From these linked experiences, he realizes that through representations of sexual activity he can comment on that which he finds both painful and confusing. In the films that follow, the narrator imagines in positions of dominance those who are disadvantaged in their everyday lives, now sexually belittling those who have once held them down. Nettie, an idealistic poet and the one person with whom the narrator genuinely connects, sees in pornography the opportunity to do something artistic, liberating, and socially relevant. She pushes the narrator to make films that subvert the way the world is constructed. Ultimately, despite his radical intentions, the narrator falls into a world of greed, delusion, and hypocrisy, the same world he once rebelled against.
Investigating the ways in which lives are remembered and reconstructed, Michael Turner works backwards and forwards in time with unerring attention to subtle shifts in voice and experience. But this is not a wistful recounting, for the retelling of the protagonist's story is affected by the interrogations of an authoritative, unforgiving tribunal.
As he tests the lines between pornography and art, between exploitation and exploration, Michael Turner continues to push the boundaries of the literary form. The Pornographer's Poem is an intelligent, funny, impeccably crafted work that challenges not only the way a novel should be written but, most importantly, the way it should be read.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1999
7 people are currently reading
370 people want to read
About the author
Michael Turner
9 books9 followersMichael Turner (born 1962) is an author and musician who writes poetry, prose and opera librettos.
Michael Turner is Vancouver based writer whose multigenre books include Company Town (1991), Hard Core Logo (1993), Kingsway (1995), American Whisky Bar (1997) and The Pornographer's Poem (1999). A frequent collaborator, he has written scripts with Stan Douglas, poems with Geoffrey Farmer, and songs with cub, Dream Warriors, Fishbone and Kinnie Starr. He blogs at mtwebsit.blogspot.ca.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Michael Turner is Vancouver based writer whose multigenre books include Company Town (1991), Hard Core Logo (1993), Kingsway (1995), American Whisky Bar (1997) and The Pornographer's Poem (1999). A frequent collaborator, he has written scripts with Stan Douglas, poems with Geoffrey Farmer, and songs with cub, Dream Warriors, Fishbone and Kinnie Starr. He blogs at mtwebsit.blogspot.ca.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
September 10, 2007
i finished this book at la guardia on a hard little chair. i then walked through the airport terminal with tears streaming down my face. not because this book was particularly sad, and not because it was particularly happy, but just because it was so fucking perfectly written.
January 7, 2009
Michael Turner’s debut novel, The Pornographer’s Poem, is neither pornographic, nor a poem, but there are passages in the book that achieve the poetic and the pornographic. It’s one of those narratives where if someone saw you reading it and asked what it was about, a simple recounting of the plot would be meaningless. You could possibly say that it’s the coming of age story about a teenage boy, nameless but slightly reminiscent of Holden Caulfield, who starts making amateur porn films after spying on his neighbors and their Great Dane, but then gets sucked into the dangerous world of drugs, gangsters, and commercial porn. Has a best friend, Nettie. But their relationship is tumultuous at best with fights often culminating in sex. Then there's the drug-dealer/porn king, Flynn who forces the narrator into the world of commercial porn. And then there's the great soundtrack -- Turner drops all the right music and musicians' names into the mix which further sets the sinister mood. And then it's also about the act of creation and creating and the role of the artist in society. The "and then" clauses could go on forever -- this novel is like an onion and the reader just keeps peeling away layer after layer.
But it’s about so many more things than that and moving the plot from beginning to denouement to conclusion is simply not one of them. The Pornographer’s Poem is a dreamlike, startling, brooding, and multivalent metafictive exploration of the awakening of childhood/adolescent sexuality versus the façade of upper-middle class suburban life in the 1970’s. It is also about the crossroads of art, pornography, and commerce, the implications of the camera’s or eyes’ gaze, and the subjective nature of the past and the truth, and the attempt to reconstruct both. That is, can we ever, like a camera, retell an event as it really was; and if we can’t tell it or show it, did it ever really happen? And is there a difference between telling and showing? Is something more truthful because we’ve recorded it and can show it or is the truth nothing more than how we remember something?
The Pornographer’s Poem is an impressive piece of thought-provoking prose that will unfortunately be marginalized into the transgressive fiction ghetto, if it gets noticed at all. This series of labyrinthine recollections from a narrator who admits to being a liar is far too complex for smut seekers, but will probably alienate those looking for a gentle read. Our nameless narrator raises all the “big” questions, especially concerning the nature of art and artifice conflated with the roles of observer and participant and what this all means in terms of the role of the artist. If you're participating, how can you be recording the action; and if you're recording the action, how can you participate in it. And once the action is recorded, is it removed from the actual experience? To push the envelope even farther, Turner plays with our sensibilities by delving, with relish, into many of our arbitrarily constructed taboos, causing the intelligent reader to question why we even have these taboos. The novel's conclusion? An apocalyptic stewing of violent sexual imagery that climaxes in what the narrator calls "white on white." And in a Finnegans Wake-like turn, the last question of the narrative simply loops the reader right back to page one (and this narrative does invite second, third, and fourth readings). Circle? Ouroboros? Moebius strip? Ohm? Yes.
The Pornographer's Poem was a best-seller in Canada, but has garnered very little acclaim in the US. I cannot stop singing this novel's praises -- it is an original, a work of incredible imagination and courage that dares to probe the darkest underpinnings of the psyche while displaying a mastery of language and literary form. Can I compare it to anything? Maybe David Lynch's Lost Highway or Mulholland Dr. Highly and enthusiastically recommended, but not for the easily offended
But it’s about so many more things than that and moving the plot from beginning to denouement to conclusion is simply not one of them. The Pornographer’s Poem is a dreamlike, startling, brooding, and multivalent metafictive exploration of the awakening of childhood/adolescent sexuality versus the façade of upper-middle class suburban life in the 1970’s. It is also about the crossroads of art, pornography, and commerce, the implications of the camera’s or eyes’ gaze, and the subjective nature of the past and the truth, and the attempt to reconstruct both. That is, can we ever, like a camera, retell an event as it really was; and if we can’t tell it or show it, did it ever really happen? And is there a difference between telling and showing? Is something more truthful because we’ve recorded it and can show it or is the truth nothing more than how we remember something?
The Pornographer’s Poem is an impressive piece of thought-provoking prose that will unfortunately be marginalized into the transgressive fiction ghetto, if it gets noticed at all. This series of labyrinthine recollections from a narrator who admits to being a liar is far too complex for smut seekers, but will probably alienate those looking for a gentle read. Our nameless narrator raises all the “big” questions, especially concerning the nature of art and artifice conflated with the roles of observer and participant and what this all means in terms of the role of the artist. If you're participating, how can you be recording the action; and if you're recording the action, how can you participate in it. And once the action is recorded, is it removed from the actual experience? To push the envelope even farther, Turner plays with our sensibilities by delving, with relish, into many of our arbitrarily constructed taboos, causing the intelligent reader to question why we even have these taboos. The novel's conclusion? An apocalyptic stewing of violent sexual imagery that climaxes in what the narrator calls "white on white." And in a Finnegans Wake-like turn, the last question of the narrative simply loops the reader right back to page one (and this narrative does invite second, third, and fourth readings). Circle? Ouroboros? Moebius strip? Ohm? Yes.
The Pornographer's Poem was a best-seller in Canada, but has garnered very little acclaim in the US. I cannot stop singing this novel's praises -- it is an original, a work of incredible imagination and courage that dares to probe the darkest underpinnings of the psyche while displaying a mastery of language and literary form. Can I compare it to anything? Maybe David Lynch's Lost Highway or Mulholland Dr. Highly and enthusiastically recommended, but not for the easily offended
March 18, 2021
The narrator, a young boy recently graduated from high school, gives and account of his life to an unnamed interrogator. He tells about his friends, and especially his long standing friend Nettie, and the new friends he makes including Robin who takes a particular liking to him; and the enigmatic Flynn. He also tells of his remarkable elementary school teacher who introduces him to film making; and the new neighbours, an open-minded young couple.
When he catches his new neighbours supposedly in the privacy of their own garden enjoying one another, he uses his movie camera, a gift from his school teacher, to get a better view, but he can only use the zoom while depressing the shutter. What he unwittingly captures on film turns out to be quite outrageous, especially when the family dog joins in! It is this film which in turn determines the subsequent events in his life, as the story reveals.
The unusual format of the book coupled with the quality of the prose makes for most interesting reading. As the young narrator explains himself we are never quite sure how much is truth, how much is exaggeration, how much is dreamed or just pure invention. Some of his descriptions, reflecting his interest, are in film script format, some are in fact dreams. At times he is very frank and explicit, and here the prose can be quite blue, yet such passages are somehow neutral and detached.
The conclusion reveals the true situation, but it is not until the last few pages, if then, that one even has so much as a glimmer of what is really happening. To say more would spoil the story, and if my review seems somewhat vague, please forgive me, but to reveal any more (and there is a great deal more) would be unfair to potential readers.
When he catches his new neighbours supposedly in the privacy of their own garden enjoying one another, he uses his movie camera, a gift from his school teacher, to get a better view, but he can only use the zoom while depressing the shutter. What he unwittingly captures on film turns out to be quite outrageous, especially when the family dog joins in! It is this film which in turn determines the subsequent events in his life, as the story reveals.
The unusual format of the book coupled with the quality of the prose makes for most interesting reading. As the young narrator explains himself we are never quite sure how much is truth, how much is exaggeration, how much is dreamed or just pure invention. Some of his descriptions, reflecting his interest, are in film script format, some are in fact dreams. At times he is very frank and explicit, and here the prose can be quite blue, yet such passages are somehow neutral and detached.
The conclusion reveals the true situation, but it is not until the last few pages, if then, that one even has so much as a glimmer of what is really happening. To say more would spoil the story, and if my review seems somewhat vague, please forgive me, but to reveal any more (and there is a great deal more) would be unfair to potential readers.
January 23, 2025
i don’t even know how to describe this book. i went in blind. i knew nothing. i have never read anything like this. i went through every emotion. its amazing. michael turner is a true original and genius
June 15, 2018
This book absolutely blew me away oh my lord
I don't event know what to say about it
Just absolutely brilliant
I don't event know what to say about it
Just absolutely brilliant
February 23, 2023
Straightforward and ghastly. Not too explicit but leaves you numb.
January 19, 2024
Maybe my new favorite author?? Unique, smart and witty. A very fun read, so much subtext, I'm excited to recommend this book to others
February 28, 2024
entertaining, raw, witty, profound etc. i’m a sucker for coming of age stories and he is one good story teller
August 4, 2024
“virgin suicide with added sex”
….no kidding
….no kidding
February 1, 2010
Fallon forced me to read this. She got it at the college bookstore really cheap and wanted to discuss it with someone. For a book with “pornographer” in the title, it isn’t surprising that there is plenty of very graphically detailed sex. However, it’s anything but pornography.
The book is a page turner. Maybe it’s because I’m stupid, but I didn’t catch on to what was happening until the very last page.
All of the characters are beautifully flawed, especially the unnamed protagonist. They’re not the type of people you wish you knew in real life, but you can sort of imagine people you know in real life being like them without your knowledge – and it’ll freak you out. Big time.
The plot is a big twisting animal in love with film and probing at the meaning of art and the differences between art and pornography. The protagonist is often just as confused, if not more confused, than the reader.
Overall, it’s an exciting, suspenseful, surprisingly beautiful book. If you can get past the sex scenes I’d even consider calling it classic.
The book is a page turner. Maybe it’s because I’m stupid, but I didn’t catch on to what was happening until the very last page.
All of the characters are beautifully flawed, especially the unnamed protagonist. They’re not the type of people you wish you knew in real life, but you can sort of imagine people you know in real life being like them without your knowledge – and it’ll freak you out. Big time.
The plot is a big twisting animal in love with film and probing at the meaning of art and the differences between art and pornography. The protagonist is often just as confused, if not more confused, than the reader.
Overall, it’s an exciting, suspenseful, surprisingly beautiful book. If you can get past the sex scenes I’d even consider calling it classic.
April 20, 2015
This well-received Canadian novel earned its reviews through a measured, hyper-realism (to the point of subdued absurdity) detailing a high school student's coming-of-age in the context of making 8mm films. Never trying too hard, it neither pushes any emotional agenda nor makes a big deal of it's ultimate meaning (in the novel's world.) At first it reads like a true-to-life autobiographical re-telling, but the focus on quotidian details soon prove life to be strange than fiction - ergo, we come to believe this can't have been real at all!
June 9, 2011
One of my favorite books! It's not for the faint of heart considering the graphic depictions of sex but it's all necessary. To me this is a coming-of-age novel that actually depicts all the feelings and frustrations associated with growing up and having sex. The ending literally knocked me on my ass because I NEVER saw it coming and you'll want to immediately reread it to see how obvious the whole thing is.
April 9, 2012
This book stands out in my mind as one of the great expositions of unadulterated sexual discovery and exploration I have ever come across.
This book stands as a reminder that sex can be an unmediated experience; detached from narratives of Christianity, pornography and media.
But, for most who did not discover sexuality in this way, the book stands as a stark reminder of one's own mediated sexual discovery...
As such, the book is strangely liberating and tragic.
This book stands as a reminder that sex can be an unmediated experience; detached from narratives of Christianity, pornography and media.
But, for most who did not discover sexuality in this way, the book stands as a stark reminder of one's own mediated sexual discovery...
As such, the book is strangely liberating and tragic.
May 13, 2007
didn't really spark anything for me - there were a few laughts and some compelling bits but overall, meh.
July 12, 2008
I loved The Pornographer's Poem as a fairly young teen, and I was worried it wouldn't hold up. It does. It's as strong as I remember, and I'm going to have to buy it now.
June 15, 2007
Cathy has written: "Disgraceful typesetting--riddled with errors--what'd they do, scan in a handwritten MS? "1" for "I", "m" for "in", eg runnmg. And ignorant mistakes, like balling for bawling."
January 24, 2009
Quick and compelling, even on re-read, with a sharp ending and tight storyline. I tend to find familiar settings jarring in fiction, but not so much here, perhaps because of the timeframe (1978-80).
July 11, 2007
I found this in the free book bin at R&L! OK, OK, proper review to come, then ...
August 16, 2007
I like novels of obsession and self-loathing a lot. Do you?
March 26, 2008
Excellent read, his name should be Michael "page-turner" Turner
May 24, 2012
I'm finishing it because I started it, but I'm not as enthralled with it as I expected to be. I'd heard such good things about this book, but... Maybe I just waited too long to read it.
Read
August 7, 2011Magnifique.
July 24, 2012
Should I give this book another chance? The reviews here are mostly positive, but I read the novel when it was first published and found it dense and uninspiring. Did I miss its genius?
January 14, 2013
Incredibly brilliant. Each of my friends who have read it have interpreted it differently to me. But I need to re-read because I'm still not sure...
August 13, 2013
An interesting premise couldn't save this book from being a bit too rambling. The graphic sex scenes bordered on overly gratuitous just for the sake of it.
June 6, 2015
I thought I'd be unimpressed but it's one of the best modern pieces of CanLit I've read in a long time. Totally original, highly recommended.
November 9, 2016
A gritty, realistic take on young sexuality. May be disturbing to some, only because of its accuracy.
October 16, 2015
Fuckin' amazing, start to finish genius.
May 12, 2022
Unique, specific and not for everyone. It's one of those books that you'll either love or find utterly tasteless. Inspired and raw take on young sexuality.
August 29, 2022
Book of the year?
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews