Thilo Krause’s new poems explore his childhood and youth in the GDR during the 1990s. He investigates the traces that history inscribes on objects and people. His feeling for detail is unwavering and full of tenderness.
“Parents gesture wildly/ behind bulletproof glass/ made of Super Mario and Battle of Britain/ but we, in our clutter of IKEA and VEB/, simply couldn’t hear them.”
In two long poem cycles, he writes “A Story of War”, exploring his father’s and grandfather’s memories. “The only countries Grandfather trusted/ were those on rusty maps/ inside watering cans.”
The Elbe Valley is a constant presence in Krause’s poetry. Yet overarching themes and the sublime are not his main focus. Rather, he observes what is on the margins, leftover and transient. With this poetry collection, Thilo Krause stands out as a significant poet of his generation.
“His poems accomplish what has always been the poet’s purpose: to celebrate life.”
Manfred Papst, NZZ am Sonntag
Stuttgart
Literaturhaus Stuttgart,
Breitscheidstraße 4,
70174 Stuttgart
