Charles Bernstein

Runouden puolustus. Runoja ja esseitä kahdelta vuosituhannelta (A Defence of Poetry. Poems and essays from two millenia) is a book by Charles Bernstein in Finnish, edited and translated (for the most part) by me - but also featuring translations by Markku Into, Teemu Manninen, Tuomas Nevanlinna, Tommi Nuopponen, and Aki Salmela. Published in the poEsia series of poetry books (a joint venture by Kirja kerrallaan and Poetry Society Nihil Interit), it is freely available online as a pdf, and may be purchased as a book-on-demand here.

Contents in English: Foreword by Leevi Lehto, A Defence of Poetry, The Only Utopia Is In a Now, Ballet Russe, "is like a", Palukaville, As If the Trees by Their Very Roots Had Hold of Us, Senses of Responsibilty, March, Type, New Year's, Contradiction Turns to Rivalry, The Klupzy Girl, Boy Soprano, Forefright, Dysraphism, Voyage of Life, The Harbour of Illusion, A Test of Poetry, Solidarity Is the Name We Give to What We Cannot Hold, Targets Of Opportunity, Sunset Sail, Artifice Of Absorption, Emotions of Normal People, A View From Nowhere, Besotted Desquamation, Claire-in-the-Building, Memories, Thank You For Saying Thank You, The Republic of Reality, In Particular, This Poem Intentionally Left Blank, "The Four Saluts", Johnny Cake Hollow, Sane As Tugged Vat, Your Love, Sunset At Quaquaversal Point, Flame In Your Heart, Dew And Die, Laurel's Eyes, War Stories, The Warble of the Ammonia-Bellied Barkeep, The Bricklayer's Arms, How Empty Is My Bread Pudding, The Art of Immemorability.

My Foreword in English translation (from Foreign Literary Studies, China)

For my "statement" (in English) on translating "Besotted Desquamation", click here.

Video by Karri Kokko of Charles and I reading "Thank You For Saying Thank You" / "Kiitos kun sanoit kiitos", at Café Engel, Helsinki, October 2, 2006

Interview with Charles Bernstein by Tuomo Karhu, in Turun Sanomat, Sept. 30, 2006

Essay on Charles & the book by Rita Dahl

"Runous toteuttaa ruumiin kertomusta" - a review by Markku Paasonen in Helsingin Sanomat, Sept. 30, 2006

Earlier Stuff

Images from "Idän ja lännen kieli", a reading in Helsinki in August 2001, with Arkadii Dragomoshchenko, Hamdan Zakirov, Charles, and I

The Four Saluts: by Stephané Mallarmé, Charles Bernstein, and Tommi Nuopponen, read by Nuopponen, Bernstein, and I

My interview with Charles in Helsingin Sanomat, January 1993: Finnish, English