Wem gehört die Lyrik? / Who owns poetry? (Poetry Debates III)

Event series, fall 2023

Curated and hosted by Henrik Wehmeier in cooperation with Claudia Benthien

Poetry is currently experiencing an unexpected surge in popularity. Poetry slam events continue to set new attendance records and are pulling in impressive viewer numbers on video platforms; Instapoetry is reaching millions of readers both on social media and in book format; and even traditional book poetry is experiencing an upswing. Christian Metz has described this situation as the heyday of German-language poetry. However, this current popularity is naturally also being accompanied by critical voices: young formats like slam poetry and Instapoetry have been accused of commercializing the genre, leading to a decline in its literary quality. As a result, these popular formats continue to provoke debates both in newspaper arts sections and in academia about what can actually be defined as poetry and what should not. Decreasing (printed) book sales, in turn, are putting a strain on traditional poetry; despite their “heyday,” poets are now economically dependent on readings, literary prizes, and scholarships above all.

Who owns poetry? With this provocative question, the Poetry Debates III events aim to take up current debates about contemporary poetry and discuss them with poets, publishers, scholars, and the public. Who decides what poetry is? Why is it so important whether something is recognized as poetry or not? This debate also includes song lyrics and discussions of their poetic quality. Moreover, the traditional printed poetry book is increasingly being critically called into question as digitalization leads to massive changes in the book market. How are publishers responding to these changes? What does it mean for poets to be more and more economically dependent on (state) institutions through prizes and grants? These institutions, in turn, are being exposed to critical questions about who actually has access to poetry, which is often described as elitist.

 

Wed, Oct 18, 2023

Who reads poetry? Accessibility and social functions of poetry

Wed, Nov 1, 2023

Lyrics as poetry? The poetic quality of song lyrics

Wed, Nov 15, 2023

The end of book poetry? Digital formats and new dependencies

Wed, Nov 29, 2023

Poetry as a commodity? Popular poetry between commercialization and art

 
Continue to the program (PDF)