“His
talent is so explosive and elementary that I have no doubt it will
prevail beyond the frenzied media blitz,” Lars Bukdahl, a Danish poet
and poetry editor, said in an email. “He’s great at raging against
everything and everyone, including himself, but at the same time, he has
this strong eye for detail.” He also has an ability to mix ancient and
modern, Rumi and Eminem, Mr. Bukdahl added.
The question now is whether he is just another teenage flash in the pan.
“He
is only 18,” Mr. Riis said in a telephone interview from Copenhagen,
“but the sheer force of his talent will drive him on.” Already, he said,
Mr. Hassan has forced many liberals in Denmark to confront his critical
observations of the welfare system and of how Danes cope with
immigrants. “Nobody had really paid attention,” Mr. Riis said. “Now he
came up with it, and everybody is forced to listen.”
Asked asked how he might see himself at 30, Mr. Hassan said he had no idea.
“I have no favorite poems,” he said. “I hate them all.” Are they a cry from the heart? “I do not cry. I depict with words.”
He added, “I don’t ask as many questions as journalists.”
Min hele ubehjælpsomhed:
SvarSletDear Alison
Let me try. and please correct my poor english:
I think one of the remarkable things about Hassan is that his inspirations are both very ancient, religious poetry and shamanistic chanting, and hyper-modern, boastful and confessional rap artists, Rumi as well as Eminem.
His talent is so explosive and obvious (or elementary) that I have not doubt it will prevail beyond the frenzied media blitz; he's great at raging against everything and everyone, including himself, but at the same time he has this strong eye for detail: his father beating him with crosspieces from the bed.
It is true that immigrant voices have been conspiciously missing in danish literature (compared to not just England and Germany, but also Norway and Sweden) and both journalists, critics and publishers have put up wanted posters, but Hassan would have made a great splash no matter what by the sheer power of his poetry - and his personal courage and charisma.
Never before has a collection of poetry sold more than 100.000 copies in Denmark, and as a poet and poetry critic and editor of a poetry journal (Hvedekorn) the fact that this poetry is not only good but great makes me childshly happy.
I hope this can be of some use.
Best regards
Lars
Godt gået! Meget langt fra at være "ubehjælpsom" ;-)
SvarSletDen er jo desværre røget ud af selve artikeln - men elsker elsker "childshly happy"-slåfejlen. Shly/Sly as a child!
SLY
SvarSletand
the
Family
Stone
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wESg_uX6NY