Questions, but no answers: while editing a manuscript
I’m in the process of editing something so all these strange questions come for me. I have no answers. Well, not exactly. And not while I’m in the midst of this process. What might a book be saying or declaring? Is what it’s not saying as important? But how can we know what it’s not saying? Does a book actually say anything? Didn’t someone write? Well, did they? OK, does even the writer know what they re saying? Could you write a book about what the book isn’t about? What are the words not saying? Is it the words, each of them, or the phrases, or the sentences or lines? Who is or isn’t in the poem? Who is knocking on the door to come into the poem? (Oh, so, here’s a metaphor!) Who doesn’t give a shit? Are these simply random, stumbling questions? Are any questions random? Is it a return of the repressed? What are the book’s gestures? ‘Wo es war, soll ich werden’, anyone? Is the book a symptom of something? So, the book...
Comments
It's large and very diverse. There should be something in there for everyone. I especially enjoyed the poems by Phi O and Peter Rose, and a fine elegy for Jan McKemmish by Pam Brown.
The editor also included previously unpublished work and I wonder if that's a departure from the practices of previous BAP editors?
Adam Aitken
Yes, it's almost, but not, overwhelming. I liked Martin's poem for Dorothy as well. And Chris Edward's poem - well, partly because I edited the poetry feature it was part of. And ..., and ... Many others to enjoy.
I think that it has been a feature of a lot of previous Black Inc BAPS (as opposed to the UQP ones), for the editors to accept submissions during the year of unpublished as well as published work. Peter Rose decided not to, as I recall, but I'm sure Les and Dorothy did.
Jill