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Håkan Sandell

Sandell is now MODERN TIMES' regular poetry critic. He is a Swedish poet and literary critic. He is now a regular poetry critic in MODERN TIMES. Sandell has published around 30 books, and for several decades he has also worked as a culture writer for the Swedish morning newspaper Sydsvenskan. His latest book is the collection of poems The world opens the gates (2023).

Farewell to an Ireland

POETRY: Paula Meehan has a keen eye for social realities combined with a sense of mystery. For example, one can ask whether the innermost thing in religion is the same as in socialism – that you yourself are all the others?
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"Our culture consists of broken pieces of stone, but the sunlight of the present constantly falls on them, and therein lies hope."

POETRY: MODERN TIMES presents here Filipino Cirilo F. Bautista. He is an internationalist, influenced by European and American high modernism. For Bautista, there is no other way to understand contemporary Philippine politics than by retelling its history.
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Anti-materialism and anti-consumerism

POETRY: The social criticism of poet Angkarn Kalayanapong can be so caustic that he is said to repel Thai readers, where he rages against Western influence, against prostitution, destruction of nature, substandard urban planning, greed and corruption.
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"Her hands were a road / of breathing trees"

POETRY: Kosmos' baby by Gunnar Wærness, and Collection by Erling Kittelsen are two books that have a similarity in how they extend away from the personal (author) self and borrow voices from the environment. The latter makes fun of the cultural tourist and New Age consumer who attends evening classes in Sufism one month and shamanic drumming the next.
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Confessional poetry or love poetry

POETRY: Vietnamese-American Ocean Vuong's poetry is corporeal and sensual. And Wales' foremost female poet Menna Elfyn writes in the Celtic-Welsh minority language Cymric. We present them both here.
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When you approach your limits

POETRY: In a collection of poems by Hans Magnus Enzensberger, there may be a touch of criticism of civilization. Like when the political commitment ebbs and allows the artistic expression to intensify – melancholic and energetic.
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Rich full-format MODERN TIMES including the supplement Orientering and Modern Times Review comes out quarterly in early March, June, September and December) with international book reviews (non-fiction) and comments / essays. According to the physical newspaper (and PDF), the articles are published regularly online (see the newsletters).

© MODERN TIMES & Orientering AS. PO Box 3113 Elisenberg, 0207 Oslo. Chief editor: Truls Lie

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