here & now

It should be no secret to our readers by now our enthusiasm and support of Broken Dimanche Press’ continuously growing list of published titles. The latest, Hanne Lippard’s ‘Nuances of No’ is no exception and coming out in such a special season, it makes for the perfect summer treat.

Best enjoyed outside in the park, pool, in the shade of a caffe, or at the beach, this little book makes a good companion for a summer holiday read. Nevermind its size (I usually tend to carry the heaviest books with me for holiday, as they tend to last longer). Once you are done with it, you can simply scroll back to the first page and read it all over again. ‘Nuances of No’ promises a wholly new experience with each read.

The reason resides much in the intricate use of word play, turns of phrase, common sayings and aphorisms Lippard uses in her work. This complex structuring of the texts leaves an open space in-between characters, words, sentences, for new associations and readings to be inferred with each read of the same poem.

These words, constantly repeated as in a song, a chorus, easily become mantras that echo in our heads, lasting longer than the poems themselves. In fact, Lippard’s work relies upon text as language, in the effects of the sounds produced by reading the texts, more than it relies in the typographic dimensions of the texts themselves. Thus, one would guess Lippard’s works not to work as well when put into paper as it works as declaimed words, that the artist frequently matches with image or music, in performances that go well beyond simple poetry readings.

Nevertheless and to my surprise, the book — the design and setting of the text — seems to unexpectedly make up for the loss of those dimensions of her work that paper usually cannot accommodate easily. The pages are typographical in the way of concrete poetry and words, occasionally combined with other visual elements, offer much more than their simple rhythms and meanings. By refusing to treat printed words as simple conveyors for communication, Lippard successfully adds, once again, new dimensions to her texts. The artist gives a voice to printed words (her voice, if you are familiar with her work), a life, a history — that echo repeating inside one’s head, — creating the same type of original aesthetic effect that she’s able to ensure in her live performances.

The book is available from Motto and a couple of other bookstores around town, as well as Broken Dimanche Press online shop, where you can purchase it free of postage charges for a limited period of time.