Jacket2 Publishes Our Interview with Maxim Amelin: “Resisting the Art of Entropy Triumphant” - August 18, 2014

Jacket2, which publishes “articles, reviews, interviews, discussions and collaborative responses, archival documents, podcasts, and descriptions of poetry symposia and projects,” has recently added our 2013 interview with Maxim Amelin–the first such interview to appear in English–to their already rich content. We’re downright thankful for the opportunity, and are please to see the interview quickly followed with a feature on “Russian Poetic Counterpublics.” Check in at Jacket for new work by premiere Russian poets and Russian poetry scholars, including Elena Shvarts, Polina Barskova, and Eugene Ostashevsky.

And take a peek at our interview, “Resisting the Art of Entropy Triumphant,” where we ask Amelin about neologisms, his branching syntax, and the odd preponderance of the number three in his third book, The Gorgon’s Steed (2003). A sample of Amelin’s insight and wit? “You can’t live for long in Russia if you’re totally serious — you’ll either go crazy or lay hands on yourself. Only laughter can save you.”

Following the interview you’ll also find three new translations (“Vindictive Goddess, Statue Now Woken,” “Temple with an Arcade,” and “Why Repeat Ourselves?”) alongside their original Russian.