Très Hip

A review of Van Gogh's Ear, Volume Three

By Mark Terrill

Van Gogh's Ear, Volume Three. Edited by Ian Ayres. 2004; annual; 223pp; French Connection Press, 12 rue Lamartine, 75009 Paris, France, www.frenchcx.com.

Marilyn Monroe wrote poetry? That's just one of the many surprises in store when you delve into the third volume of Van Gogh's Ear, one of the premier poetry journals currently available. This English-language publication from Paris, France, is an annual, book-length collection of consistently strong, cutting-edge poetry, both new and old, from poets and non-poets alike. Works from such disparate and varied contributors as Yoko Ono, Ted Berrigan, Marilyn Monroe, William S. Burroughs, Alice Notley, Norman Mailer, Rae Armantrout, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Anne Waldman, John Updike, and some 75 others have been seamlessly edited together in this hefty, elegantly produced tome.

The incredible diversity created by bringing together so many different styles and schools (shades of Beat, New York School, European modernism, postmodern avant-garde abound) makes Van Gogh's Ear seem more like an all-inclusive and highly definitive anthology of modern poetry than just another thrown-together journal. But not so all-inclusive as to be without a particular editorial aesthetic, which founding editor Ian Ayres has managed to maintain throughout. Each and every poem or prose poem is strong and gutsy, clear and concise, and says something in a way not previously said before. The end result is an amazingly strong and consistent collection that adheres to no particular school or coterie, is neither academic nor gritty confessional, and remains eclectic, diverse and very hip from the first page to the last. All American poetry editors (and poets) should have a look at Van Gogh's Ear, which definitely sets a high-water mark in the otherwise sludgy mainstream of contemporary poetry journals. Highly readable and highly recommended.