Beschreibung
With his latest poetry collection „We Atomkinder“ the poet Pascal Beer leads his readers into the depths of Dirty Realism and illuminates the darker sides of everyday life with a directness reminiscent of Charles Bukowski. The poems explore childhood and adolescence during and after the oppressive era of the Cold War and nuclear threat, without bringing global events to the forefront. Instead, Beer focuses on interpersonal relationships and individual experiences in a world full of uncertainty.
From the childhood innocence and rough camaraderie in „A True Friend“ to the metaphorical reflection on manipulation and deceit in „A Lesson,“ Beer displays a broad spectrum of themes and emotions. „Halfway There“ reveals the tornness and melancholy of a life in the shadow of nuclear threat, while „An Invention from the 60s“ and „A Toast“ question consumer society and the facade of bourgeois life.
The collection delves into the losses and psychological legacy of a generation that grew up under the shadow of nuclear danger. Beer’s verses are characterized by clear language and evocative imagery that inevitably transport readers to the past and make them feel the threat that was once omnipresent.
WE ATOMKINDER
we atomkinder, narrative poetry
muskat media press, Aarau, 2023
ISBN: 978-906216-07-2
94 pages, hardcover, 35.00CHF/28€
Mike Madill –
In We Atomkinder, Pascal Beer’s honest and accessible poems seem to jump right off the page. From nuclear sunsets to live art exhibits and espresso machines, discover how each of our lives is ‘filled with heroes and beggars’, and that the thin line between the invincible and the crazy ‘is best worn as a smile’.
Mike Madill is the author of the award-winning poetry collection, The Better Part of Some Time, (Wet Ink Books, 2022).
David Bateman –
Pascal Beer’s new collection of poetry, WE ATOMKINDER, is an engaging, at times explosive critique of the world that the poet inhabits, the ways in which he navigates and negotiates each new situation, and how he finds himself in a kind of existential space that he appears to be comfortably uncomfortable in – always inquisitive and ready for a new encounter within a world he tries to find a place to observe, critique, and somehow enjoy.
The opening poem (A True Friend) illustrates the speakers need to stay both distant and close within a conflicted but valued childhood friendship, while the final poem (Sarah) echoes the discomfort of a specific situation with a self-proclaimed marriage partner, and quickly becomes a somewhat comic, yet violently overpowering encounter that places the female presence within a deceptively dominant pose.
This focus upon women in a world of deification & objectification – and at one point, a connection to the iconic figure of Barbie – appears at various points throughout ATOMKINDER and creates a form of queer heteronormativity as it simultaneously uplifts and diminishes the male gaze, always acknowledging the possibility of a woman’s power over her potential detractors, enchanted observers, and chosen lovers.
An especially evocative piece (A VIEW OF SCHÖNENWERD) speaks of beauty and potential doom within an everyday setting where the poet’s skill for creating a direct and engaging narrative epitomizes the general themes of the overall collection,. This thematic strain surfaces as both warning and delight in a profoundly fractured world of nuclear power plants, beautiful women, and the peace and the smiles that help us move through frequent views of chaotic natural and unnatural landscapes.
A VIEW OF SCHÖNENWERD
realizing
everything that
once was free
now comes at a price.
toys
food
tv
a roof over your head
love.
now I take advantage of these last
few things that cost me nothing
like the sundown
outside my window
with a view of the
nuclear power plant.
seeing all of these
beautiful girls walking past
my window,
I feel adrift and at
peace, knowing that
their smiles
are not meant
for me.
Even the sudden line break between –
I feel adrift and at
peace…
speaks of the overall collections narrative power and engaging consistency, as it both startles and enlightens, separating a sense of disconnection and formlessness through the clear focus that Pascal Beer maintains throughout WE ATOMKINDER. He both joins & separates the positive and the negative images and connotations of a single thought, showing that a sense of peace comes with the potential explosive nuclear baggage of a world always on the edge of disaster.
Raymond Helkio –
«I had goosebumps reading this body of work. A magnificent collection of works by a poet who has embraced the unthinkable and lays it all out before us, like a prince who has decided to expose the monarchy for all of its rhetoric and secrets. One can run from the horrors of this world but cannot hide, certainly not while Beer is around.»
Read the full review on
https://raymondhelkio.com/we-atomkinder