Arse Poetica: Musings on Muse Abuse: Prose, Poems, Drawings, Intertextualities

The 32 satirical poems and 25 cartoons in this collection tackle the world of poets and poetry, both mocking and celebrating writers as diverse as William Blake, J. M. Coetzee, Michael Ondatje, and Breyten Breytenbach. While the playful veneer of the verse and Thurberesque cartoons draws on the South African tradition of light satire, the erudite references undergird metaphysical questions about the poetry publishing community. Previously published in journals written for literary academics as well as for children, the poetry in this collection opens up to different kinds of readings and levels of interpretation.