Dmitri Prigov’s visual poetry
Dmitri Prigov (1940-2007) was a Russian conceptual poet, artist, and dissident. One of the things he is famous for is his стихограммы (стих ‘poem’ + грамма (’gram’, a part of words like phonogram or program, from Greek γράμμα ‘recording’))
I don’t understand much about poetry, and probably neither do you, but I mean look at that
Как я весел! Как я мил! – How cheerful I am! How nice I am!
Смерть рядом – Death is near
Ин вино веритас – ‘In vino veritas’ (Latin), In wine there is truth
А в пиве что? – And what’s there in beer?
В начале было слово, и слово было у Бога, и слово было Бог (сentral circle) – In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God
И свет во тьме светит –
And the light shines in the darkness
Если враг не сдается, его уничтожают – If the enemy does not surrender, he must be destroyed
Нет – No
Враг – Enemy
И восстанут они все из могил своих, и призовут нас всех к ответу – And then they will all rise up from their graves and bring us all to justice
holy
