Transpoesie - Poets

Tóroddur Poulsen is a pioneering Faroese poet, graphic artist, and musician. He was born in Tórshavn, the capital of the Faroe Islands, in 1957. Over the course of his career, Poulsen has published nearly forty books and become an inimitable force in Nordic literature. His avant-garde reading style and rebellious alter ego, Garage God Tóroddsson, have long since earned him a reputation as a pugnacious punk poet. Poulsen’s work combines graphic and literary expression to generate fresh, often satirical, reflections on contemporary society and cultural norms. Katrin Ottarsdóttir’s 2008 film, A line a day must be enough!, documents the day-to-day life of Tóroddur Poulsen and his complicated relationship with his native archipelago.
Tóroddur Poulsen has twice received the M.A. Jacobsen Literature Award, and he was awarded the most prestigious cultural prize of the Faroe Islands, Mentanarvirðisløn Landsins, in 2012. With Fjalir (Planks, 2013), a collection of poetry and woodcut prints, Poulsen is the Faroese nomination for the Nordic Council Literature Prize in 2014.
An English translation of Fjalir will be published by Forlagið í Støplum in the autumn of 2014.

For more information, see the following:

•             The Island Review “Rocking the boat in the Faroe Islands” is an article by Randi Ward about contemporary Faroese writers and cultural icons: www.theislandreview.com/randiward-faroe

•             The Bitter Oleander Spring 2013 (Vol.19; No.1) issue features poems byTóroddurPoulsenand a comprehensive interview. All in English translation by Randi Ward: www.bitteroleander.com/issues.html

•            Scandinavian Review Spring 2014 centennial issue features poems and woodcut prints from Fjalir (Planks).

•             Beloit Poetry Journal Tóroddur Poulsen and Planks were featured on BPJ’s Poet's Forum throughout the month of July 2014: http://blog.bpj.org/2014/07/randi-ward-on-toroddur-poulsen-planks.html

•             World Literature Today highlights work from Planks in its September 2014 issue: http://www.worldliteraturetoday.org/section/21st-century-native-lit

•             Catch & Release, the literary blog of Columbia: A Journal of Literature & Art, has showcased poetry and woodcut prints from Planks: http://catchandrelease.columbiajournal.org/2014/08/28/five-poems-in-translation-by-randi-ward/

•             Steinprent, the Faroe Islands lithographic workshop and gallery, has a page dedicated to TóroddurPoulsen’s artwork on its website: http://www.steinprent.com/Steinprent.com/Toroddur_Poulsen.html

•             Ein regla um dagin má vera nokk!  (A line a day must be enough!) isKatrinOttarsdóttir’s documentary film about Tóroddur Poulsen: www.bluebirdfilm.dk/A-Line-a-Day-Must-Be-Enough.html

The poem (untitled) selected for Transpoesie 2014 is from TóroddurPoulsen’s latest collection, Leyviðhaldieg/ Løvettrorjeg, published by Edition After Hand in 2014: afterhand.blogspot.com