re-writing wikipedia

michael stavaric, who was part of the FM4 Wortlaut jury 2008 and read with me at the prosafestival in innsbruck, was panned by DIE ZEIT for allegedly having copied wide parts of his new book 'magma' from wikipedia and other sources like the german encyclopedia.

i haven't read the book, of course, but i would like to take up the cudgels for michael to an extent. i mean, if it weren't for sites like wikipedia, a poem like gagarin (below) would have been written differently - patchier - or maybe even not at all. gagarin is a good example because i not only used knowledge i gained from the wiki article, but also some of the wording they used. like unglückliche verkettung verhängnisvoller umstände that i left inverted to mark the quotation. however, i am not stupid enough to think that you guys out there wouldn't notice. i know that you know that every good author reads up on his material. it does get problematic, of course, where no new spin or extra meaning is added. yet copying stuff word by word from an open source... can't be forbidden. i'm not saying it should be done, i'm just saying i can't be forbidden and should probably be regarded as a characteristic of the writings of our time. i'm pretty sure that earlier on in history, critics just had a harder time figuring out what sources novelists used as they weren't as easily accesible as they are nowadays - both online and in hard copy; if i'm not mistaken, books were never as cheap as they are today (in relative terms).

i haven't spoken to michael about this, but i'm thinking that he must have been aware of the simplicity with which this aspect of his writing technique could be 'uncovered'. just as it should have been clear to christian weiss of DIE ZEIT that he was going to find what he was looking for over at wikipedia and in the encyclopedia, because that's where authors gather information. in my opinion, it really all depends on what one makes of that.

here's a far more favourable recension of 'magma' by beate tröger of the FAZ, who is probably older than christian weiss and less internet-savvy. or maybe she just didn't care, because she liked michael's style so much.

gagarin (post-CCCR)

stellst dich vors leben wie juri
vom nordpol als erster ins all ging
dein mädchen, dein mädchen
ist da, kosmonaut. du mann,
dem der spielraum ausgeht.
und die unglückliche verkettung verhängnisvoller umstände
unkorrigiert. stimmt's nicht,
nur zwei mehr stabile sekunden
hätte der vogel gebraucht.
kopf im helm für den überschallknall.
streng glänzt der rote platz
in meinem discozimmer.


you rise before life just like juri
from the north pole rose as first man into space
your girl, your girl
has arrived, cosmonaut. you man
who's losing space.
and the unfortunate concatenation of fateful circumstances
still uncorrected. isn't it right
that that bird would have needed
just two more steady seconds.
head into helmet for the supersonic bang.
sternly gleams the red square
in my disco room.

you'll find a corresponding video to this poem over at the WOAW facebook group.

WOAW has its own facebook group!

if you care to join, please find it here.

in addition to what i publish here on the blog,
i will post music clips over there from time to time.
=> soon, there will be a WOAW playlist, too.
awesome, innit?

spontangedicht: vorweihnachtliche kulturkaufhoelle

der gang zum kaufhausklo
während das leben am tampon vorbeiblutet
alles so riesig hier aber doch nichts zu sehn das ich bin
in briefen die kommas vergessen falsch setzen und nie wieder je
danach suchen die zeichen die stimmen doch auch nicht mehr
wo sie mal sassen so liest sich das leben vorbei an den
polsterquadraten die blasen vom gluehwein geleckt.

i am working on my prose text for tuesday at this very moment and needing a break. i need breaks all the time when i write. during those breaks i do all sorts of things, walk up and down, grab a tea, and another, call someone up, or pluck eyebrows. the typical stuff. like now for example, i'm writing this post. it's such a shame i haven't really written any poetry lately, at least none i'd like to put up here. i think i might be getting a little more protective of my private matters as i am expanding my presence on the web... i am, for example, new to twitter - please feel free to add me. alright, i'll try and go back to work now.

AB JETZT: rumproleten !

i have been invited to blog for metroprolet, which is super. i have promised to deliver two posts a week, which is more than i am posting here on WOAW at the moment. i am hoping that a little professional pressure will increase my textual output. i know, i've said this many times before, but this time it's different, 'cause no one likes to let their peers down, right? i will blog in german over there, by the way. that's a first and should be mighty interesting.

speaking of which: ernesto castillo and johannes jansen will read at the labor in neukölln next friday, 12 december 2008. 8 pm onwards, i think.

oh yeah, and don't forget my own reading on 16 december 2008 at the rumpelofen/ kaffee burger. i am currently working on a prose text for that, so you'll get to hear fresh material.

post no. 400: DIE FREIE LANZE preliminary preliminary website launch !

die vorlaeufige vorlaeufige webseite meiner kleinen agentur ist online. wenn Ihr junge designer kennt, die freiberuflich arbeiten wollen, leitet sie ruhig an DIE FREIE LANZE weiter; jahrelange arbeitserfahrung ist nicht zwingend noetig, nur talent sollen sie haben.

the preliminary preliminary webpage of my little agency is online. should you happen to know young designers who would like to work freelance, please pass them on to DIE FREIE LANZE - years and years of work experience are not important, i much prefer talent.

sometimes facebook ads point out good things. today i noticed FRND.DE for the first time, an initiative that is working to prevent suicide. i think that's great.