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Hugo Ball and the Fate of the Universe: Adventures in Sound Poetry

by Lane Chasek

Born in the chaos of WWI Europe, sound poetry is a genre which defies common sense and interpretation, a poetic system in which nonsense syllables take the place of words. Hugo Ball, founder of sound poetry and the Dada movement, viewed his creation as both artistic and political. Ball's innovations went on to influence poets and musicians throughout the world, from the scat singing of Ella Fitzgerald to today's algorithmic poets.

Hugo Ball and the Fate of the Universe follows author Lane Chasek's journey to write their own sound poem. Along the way, they face the challenge of piecing together sound poetry's legacy—how it transformed our relationship with meaning and language, and how language itself wields the power to both heal and destroy us.

 

 

About the Author

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Lane Chasek's stories, essays, and poems have appeared or are forthcoming in Broke Bohemian, Contrast, Hole in the Head Review, Jokes Review, Lincoln Underground, Paragon, Plainsongs, Sheila-Na-Gig, and others. They were the winner of both the 2016 and 2017 Laurus Poetry Prize, and their essay "Becoming Vegan in Western Nebraska" was the featured nonfiction selection in the anthology Voices of Nebraska: Diverse Places, Diverse Peoples (University of Nebraska Press, 2016). Besides writing, Lane enjoys watching 90s horror movies and cooking plant-based Sichuan recipes.

Read an interview with the author.

 

 

Reviews 

“A fabulous book! It really is an adventure.”
- Tim Staley, poet and host of Monsoon Down the Radio

"I have never met Lane Chasek. But my guess based on his writing is that he is probably a disco dancing woolly mammoth from outer space with a heart made out of coleslaw." 
- Kyle Flak, author of I Am Sorry for Everything in the Whole Entire Universe

“The author has some significant, even profound insights. … The book includes a number of ideas that really demonstrate intellectual curiosity and an attempt to synthesize them.”
- Jerry Guarino, author of Cafe Stories

“I just ordered this and you should, too. If you don’t trust me, read the sample pages on Amazon, and then order it, or what’s wrong with you?”
- Daniel Fives, author of FIVES.

“The way this hitchhiker’s guide of sound poetry surveys post-language allows us to make discoveries right along with the author. The tone is serious insanity, congenial nonsense. … Maybe this book will inspire you to write your own sound poem. Logic is all there is to lose.”
- Cactifur.com