Christian Bök
Encyclopedia
Christian Bök is an experimental
Canadian poet
. He is the author of Eunoia, which won the Canadian Griffin Poetry Prize
, and which has been said to be "Canada
's best-selling poetry book ever."
He began writing seriously in his early twenties, while earning his B.A. and M.A. degrees at Carleton University
in Ottawa
. He returned to Toronto in the early 1990s to study for a Ph.D. in English literature at York University
, where he encountered a burgeoning literary community that included Steve McCaffery
, Christopher Dewdney
, and Darren Wershler-Henry
. he teaches at the University of Calgary
.
In 1994, Bök published Crystallography
, " "a pataphysical encyclopaedia that misreads the language of poetics
through the conceits of geology
." The Village Voice said of it: "Bök's concise reflections on mirrors, fractal
s, stones, and ice diabolically change the way you think about language — his, yours — so that what begins as description suddenly seems indistinguishable from the thing itself." Crystallography was reissued in 2003, and was nominated for a Gerald Lampert Award
.
Bök is most famous for Eunoia
(2001), a book which took him seven years to write. Eunoia consists of univocalic
s: The book uses only one vowel in each of its five chapters. In the book's main part, each chapter used just a single vowel, producing sentences such as this: “Enfettered, these sentences repress free speech.”
It took 7 years to write Eunoia, and Bök believes "his book proves that each vowel has its own personality, and demonstrates the flexibility of the English language." In preparation for the novel, Bök read the dictionary a total of five times, compiling an exhaustive list of vocabulary; Bök aimed to use almost all of these words during his work.
Edited by Darren Wershler-Henry and published by Coach House Books
,
in 2001, Eunoia won the 2002 Griffin and sold 20,000 copies. Canongate
published "Eunoia" Britain in Oct. 2008. The book was also a bestseller there, reaching #8 on the Top 10 bestselling charts for the year.
Bök is a sound poet and has performed an extremely condensed version of the "Ursonate" by Kurt Schwitters
. He has created conceptual art
, making artist's books from Rubik's cube
s and Lego
bricks. He has also worked in science-fiction television by constructing artistic language
s for Gene Roddenberry
's Earth: Final Conflict
and Peter Benchley
's Amazon.
in 2002.
Bök's poem "Vowels" was used in the lyrics of a song on the EP A Quick Fix of Melancholy (2003) by the Norwegian band Ulver
.
In 2006, Christian Bök and his work were the subject of an episode of the television series Heart of a Poet
, produced by Canadian filmmaker Maureen Judge
.
On May 31, 2011, The BBC World Service
broadcast Bök reading "The Xenotext."http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p00gvpkk/The_Strand_31_05_2011/
Avant-garde
Avant-garde means "advance guard" or "vanguard". The adjective form is used in English to refer to people or works that are experimental or innovative, particularly with respect to art, culture, and politics....
Canadian poet
Canadian poetry
- Beginnings:The earliest works of poetry, mainly written by visitors, described the new territories in optimistic terms, mainly targeted at a European audience...
. He is the author of Eunoia, which won the Canadian Griffin Poetry Prize
Griffin Poetry Prize
The Griffin Poetry Prize is Canada's most generous poetry award. It was founded in 2000 by businessman and philanthropist Scott Griffin. The awards go to one Canadian and one international poet who writes in the English language....
, and which has been said to be "Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
's best-selling poetry book ever."
Life
He was born "Christian Book", but changed his last name "to avoid unseemly confusion with the Bible."He began writing seriously in his early twenties, while earning his B.A. and M.A. degrees at Carleton University
Carleton University
Carleton University is a comprehensive university located in the capital of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario. The enabling legislation is The Carleton University Act, 1952, S.O. 1952. Founded as a small college in 1942, Carleton now offers over 65 programs in a diverse range of disciplines. Carleton has...
in Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
. He returned to Toronto in the early 1990s to study for a Ph.D. in English literature at York University
York University
York University is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's third-largest university, Ontario's second-largest graduate school, and Canada's leading interdisciplinary university....
, where he encountered a burgeoning literary community that included Steve McCaffery
Steve McCaffery
Steven McCaffery is a Canadian poet and scholar who was a professor at York University. He currently holds the Gray Chair at SUNY Buffalo . McCaffery was born in Sheffield, England and lived in the UK for most of his youth attending University of Hull. He moved to Toronto in 1968...
, Christopher Dewdney
Christopher Dewdney
Christopher Dewdney is a Canadian writer and poet.He was born in London, Ontario, and presently lives in Toronto, where he is a professor at York University. He is the long-time partner of writer Barbara Gowdy. Winner of the 2007 Harbourfront Festival Prize, he is the author of four books of...
, and Darren Wershler-Henry
Darren Wershler-Henry
Darren Wershler aka Darren Wershler-Henry is a Canadian experimental poet, non-fiction writer and cultural critic.A former grave digger, he was the senior editor of Coach House Books between 1997 and 2002, where the works he edited included several highly acclaimed books of contemporary innovative...
. he teaches at the University of Calgary
University of Calgary
The University of Calgary is a public research university located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1966 the U of C is composed of 14 faculties and more than 85 research institutes and centres.More than 25,000 undergraduate and 5,500 graduate students are currently...
.
In 1994, Bök published Crystallography
Crystallography (book)
Crystallography is a book of poetry and prose published in 1994 and revised in 2003 by Canadian author Christian Bök. Based around a pataphysical conceit that language is a crystallization process, the book includes several forms of poetry including concrete poetry, as well as pseudohistorical...
, " "a pataphysical encyclopaedia that misreads the language of poetics
Poetics
Aristotle's Poetics is the earliest-surviving work of dramatic theory and the first extant philosophical treatise to focus on literary theory...
through the conceits of geology
Geology
Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
." The Village Voice said of it: "Bök's concise reflections on mirrors, fractal
Fractal
A fractal has been defined as "a rough or fragmented geometric shape that can be split into parts, each of which is a reduced-size copy of the whole," a property called self-similarity...
s, stones, and ice diabolically change the way you think about language — his, yours — so that what begins as description suddenly seems indistinguishable from the thing itself." Crystallography was reissued in 2003, and was nominated for a Gerald Lampert Award
Gerald Lampert Award
The Gerald Lampert Memorial Award is made annually by the League of Canadian Poets to the best volume of poetry published by a first-time poet. It is presented in honour of poetry promoter Gerald Lampert...
.
Bök is most famous for Eunoia
Eunoia (book)
Eunoia is the title of a set of univocalics by Canadian poet Christian Bök, which consists of chapters written using words limited to a single vowel...
(2001), a book which took him seven years to write. Eunoia consists of univocalic
Univocalic
A univocalic is a type of constrained writing that uses only one vowel-letter . It can thus be considered a lipogram, excluding the other four vowels....
s: The book uses only one vowel in each of its five chapters. In the book's main part, each chapter used just a single vowel, producing sentences such as this: “Enfettered, these sentences repress free speech.”
It took 7 years to write Eunoia, and Bök believes "his book proves that each vowel has its own personality, and demonstrates the flexibility of the English language." In preparation for the novel, Bök read the dictionary a total of five times, compiling an exhaustive list of vocabulary; Bök aimed to use almost all of these words during his work.
Edited by Darren Wershler-Henry and published by Coach House Books
Coach House Books
Coach House Books is an independent Canadian publishing company located in Toronto, Ontario. Coach House publishes innovative and experimental poetry, fiction, drama and non-fiction. The press is particularly interested in writing that pushes at the boundaries of convention.-History:The company was...
,
in 2001, Eunoia won the 2002 Griffin and sold 20,000 copies. Canongate
Canongate
The Canongate is a small district at the heart of Edinburgh, the capital city of Scotland.The name derives from the main street running through the area: called Canongate without the definite article, "the". Canongate forms the lower, eastern half of the Royal Mile in Edinburgh's historic Old Town....
published "Eunoia" Britain in Oct. 2008. The book was also a bestseller there, reaching #8 on the Top 10 bestselling charts for the year.
Bök is a sound poet and has performed an extremely condensed version of the "Ursonate" by Kurt Schwitters
Kurt Schwitters
Kurt Hermann Eduard Karl Julius Schwitters was a German painter who was born in Hanover, Germany. Schwitters worked in several genres and media, including Dada, Constructivism, Surrealism, poetry, sound, painting, sculpture, graphic design, typography and what came to be known as...
. He has created conceptual art
Conceptual art
Conceptual art is art in which the concept or idea involved in the work take precedence over traditional aesthetic and material concerns. Many of the works, sometimes called installations, of the artist Sol LeWitt may be constructed by anyone simply by following a set of written instructions...
, making artist's books from Rubik's cube
Rubik's Cube
Rubik's Cube is a 3-D mechanical puzzle invented in 1974 by Hungarian sculptor and professor of architecture Ernő Rubik.Originally called the "Magic Cube", the puzzle was licensed by Rubik to be sold by Ideal Toy Corp. in 1980 and won the German Game of the Year special award for Best Puzzle that...
s and Lego
Lego
Lego is a line of construction toys manufactured by the Lego Group, a privately held company based in Billund, Denmark. The company's flagship product, Lego, consists of colorful interlocking plastic bricks and an accompanying array of gears, minifigures and various other parts...
bricks. He has also worked in science-fiction television by constructing artistic language
Artistic language
An artistic language is a constructed language designed for aesthetic pleasure. Unlike engineered languages or auxiliary languages, artistic languages usually have irregular grammar systems, much like natural languages. Many are designed within the context of fictional worlds, such as J. R. R....
s for Gene Roddenberry
Gene Roddenberry
Eugene Wesley "Gene" Roddenberry was an American television screenwriter, producer and futurist, best known for creating the American science fiction series Star Trek. Born in El Paso, Texas, Roddenberry grew up in Los Angeles, California where his father worked as a police officer...
's Earth: Final Conflict
Earth: Final Conflict
Earth: Final Conflict is a Canadian science fiction television series based on story ideas created by Gene Roddenberry, and produced under the guidance of his widow, Majel Barrett-Roddenberry. It was not produced, filmed or broadcast until after his death...
and Peter Benchley
Peter Benchley
Peter Bradford Benchley was an American author, best known for his novel Jaws and its subsequent film adaptation, the latter co-written by Benchley and directed by Steven Spielberg...
's Amazon.
Recognition
Eunoia won the Griffin Poetry PrizeGriffin Poetry Prize
The Griffin Poetry Prize is Canada's most generous poetry award. It was founded in 2000 by businessman and philanthropist Scott Griffin. The awards go to one Canadian and one international poet who writes in the English language....
in 2002.
Bök's poem "Vowels" was used in the lyrics of a song on the EP A Quick Fix of Melancholy (2003) by the Norwegian band Ulver
Ulver
Ulver is a musical group from Norway. Since their first, folklore-influenced black metal release entitled Bergtatt – Et eeventyr i 5 capitler , Ulver’s musical style has been fluid and increasingly eclectic, blending genres such as rock, electronica, symphonic and chamber traditions, noise and...
.
In 2006, Christian Bök and his work were the subject of an episode of the television series Heart of a Poet
Heart of a Poet
Heart of a Poet is a Canadian television documentary series that premiered in April 2006, created by Maureen Judge and Tina Hahn and executive produced by Maureen Judge. The production is broadcast on Bravo!....
, produced by Canadian filmmaker Maureen Judge
Maureen Judge
Maureen Judge is a critically acclaimed Canadian filmmaker and television producer. Most of her work is documentary and explores themes of love, betrayal and acceptance in the context of the modern family.-Biography:...
.
On May 31, 2011, The BBC World Service
BBC World Service
The BBC World Service is the world's largest international broadcaster, broadcasting in 27 languages to many parts of the world via analogue and digital shortwave, internet streaming and podcasting, satellite, FM and MW relays...
broadcast Bök reading "The Xenotext."http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p00gvpkk/The_Strand_31_05_2011/
See also
- List of Canadian writers
- List of Canadian poets
- Concrete poetryConcrete poetryConcrete poetry or shape poetry is poetry in which the typographical arrangement of words is as important in conveying the intended effect as the conventional elements of the poem, such as meaning of words, rhythm, rhyme and so on....
- Sound poetrySound poetrySound poetry is an artistic form bridging between literary and musical composition, in which the phonetic aspects of human speech are foregrounded instead of more conventional semantic and syntactic values; "verse without words"...
External links
- Christian Bök pages on UbuWeb, including recordings, poetry, and essays
- Christian Bök on Twitter
- Griffin Poetry Prize biography
- Griffin Poetry Prize reading, including video clip
- University of Calgary Faculty of English profile
- Eunoia online book
- Christian Bök interview and reading on CBC Radio program And Sometimes YAnd Sometimes YAnd Sometimes Y is a Canadian radio series, which airs on CBC Radio One. Hosted by Jane Farrow and produced by Nicola Luksic, the program explores the cultural and social context of language. Associate producer Tom Howell makes regular appearances as the "Word Nerd".The series originally aired in...
, episode 5, July 25, 2006 - Podcasts recorded at the Institut du Monde Anglophone, Université Paris 3 – Sorbonne Nouvelle, on May 22, 2008
- Christian Bök at University of Toronto LibrariesUniversity of Toronto LibrariesThe University of Toronto Libraries is the library system of the University of Toronto, comprising about 30 individual libraries that hold more than 10 million bound volumes and 5 million microform volumes...