bp: beginnings

by bp Nichol, edited by Stephen Cain

tagged: canadian, poetry

Description

While bpNichol (1944-1988) has attained iconic status in Canadian literature in recent years, particularly through his lifelong poem The Martyrology and his work in visual and sound poetry, there are numerous early "fugitive" sequences that are often referred to in critical studies, but are long out of print and only available in library special collections or in the hands of rare book collectors. bp: beginnings brings together these pre-Martyrology materials in one comprehensive collection, including such key texts as Nichol's first chapbooks Beach Head and Cycles Etc., the minimal lyric sequences The Other Side of the Room and The Journeying and the Returns, and various concrete and sound-texts such as "Lament," "The Year of the Frog" and "Ballads of the Restless Are." These collected sequences show Nichol developing his talents in both visual poetry and lyricism, pointing the way towards the union of the two forms in the later Martyrology. Combined with The Captain Poetry Poems, bp: beginnings now makes all of Nichol's major poetry sequences available to both the avid Nichol specialists and to aficionados of innovative poetry everywhere.

About the Authors

bp Nichol

bpNichol was one of Canada’s most challenging and innovative poets. His writing spans a remarkable range—from concise allegories on a single letter, on through to sound poetry, fiction, theoretical investigations and culminating in his nine-volume poem The Martyrology. Nichol’s curiosity and his care of language provoke his readers to embark on their own explorations into the language frontier. Meanwhile: The Critical Writings of bpNichol (2001), bpNichol Comics (2001), Rational Geomancy (1992) and Selected Writing: As Elected (1980) are also available from Talonbooks. A celebration of Nichol’s work, Tracing the Paths (1988), edited by Roy Miki, was published by Talonbooks shortly before Nichol’s death in 1988. Writing by bpNichol also appears in Imago 20 (1974), edited by George Bowering.

Stephen Cain

STEPHEN CAIN is the author of six full-length collections of poetry and a dozen chapbooks, including False Friends, I Can Say Interpellation, Zoom, Etc Phrases, American Standard/ Canada Dry, Torontology, and dyslexicon. His academic publications include The Encyclopedia of Fictional and Fantastic Languages (co-written with Tim Conley) and a critical edition of bpNichol’s early long poems: bp: beginnings. He lives in Toronto where he teaches avant-garde and Canadian literature at York University.

Contributor Notes

bpNICHOL (Barrie Phillip Nichol) was born September 30, 1944, in Vancouver, British Columbia. His writing is, by definition, engaged with what he called 'borderblur': in his lifetime he wrote (somewhere between) poetry, novels, short fiction, children's books, musical scores, comic book art, collage/assemblage, and computer texts. In the mid-1980s, bpNichol became a successful writer for the children's television show Fraggle Rock. His early work in sound was documented in Michael Ondaatje's film Sons of Captain Poetry. A second film has been made on Nichol, bp: pushing the boundaries, directed by Brian Nash. bpNichol died in Toronto, Ontario on September 25, 1988.

Editorial Reviews

"Thanks to Stephen Cain and Book*hug, readers and scholars might possibly, for the first time, really be able to dig into a period of Nichol's work that hasn't really been explored properly." —rob mclennan

“There’s so much in bp: beginnings to revisit with pleasure or to discover, oh lucky readers, for the first time. A necessary book.” — Douglas Barbour

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bp: beginnings

by bp Nichol, edited by Stephen Cain

bp Nichol

Stephen Cain

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