Sense of humour in poetry? A rare bird, I say. Even more so if it is clearly self-referencing. Which makes Max Höfler’s poems even more exhilarating and refreshing. Show me a reader who will read the line below and not chuckle, I dare you… Höfler enjoys breaking down poetic ‘borders’ in lots of other, different, often ingenious ways: combining words with images or – yes and why not? – bar codes and footnotes; playing with the form, experimenting. Always laughing at himself. He draws inspiration from the avant-garde movements of the early 20th century.
This is a very good poem in German.
By Max Höfler
Written in English
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Max Höfler is an author, sound artist and curator. He is the co-founder of the international literature network CROWD. He has received numerous prizes and grants for his books. He regularly reads and performs at international events.