The Baudelaire Fractal by Lisa Robertson
On Wednesday 20 November 2019, Dr. Lila Matsumoto of the School of English introduced and moderated a highly sucessful event at Nottingham Comtemporary in which poet Lisa Roberston read from her debut novel The Baudelaire Fractal.
Combining elements of the memoir, magical realism, and criticism of contemporary art and poetry life, Robertson's text presents a mystical experience, in which Robertson wakes in a hotel room one morning to discover that she has written the complete works of Baudelaire. She moves between London, Paris, the French countryside and Vancouver, inspired by the spirit of the poète maudit, transitioning between the early 1980s and the present, from rented room to rented room, considering the Baudelairian obsessions as poverty and modernity.
Lisa Robertson is a Canadian poet, translator and essayist. Her work connects questions of poetry and politics with considerations of utopian impulses, including art, food, interior design, astrology, etc. Robertson’s recently published works include 3 Summers (Coach House Books, 2016) and her eighth book of poetry; Occasional Works and Seven Walks for the Office for Soft Architecture (Clear Cut Press, 2003). Her novel The Baudelaire Fractal is published by Coach House Books.
Lila Matsumoto is Assistant Professor of Creative Writing at University of Nottingham. Recent works include her poetry collection Urn & Drum (Shearsman, 2018) and an essay on immigration and folk ritual which aired on BBC Radio 3. She convenes the Nottingham Poetry Exchange, a programme of seminars and poetry readings. Her research and practice is focused on experimental forms of production and performance of poetry, and the connection between the visual arts and literary practice.
Posted on Tuesday 3rd December 2019