PoetryNetArchive
Tuis /
Home
Briewe /
Letters
Kennisgewings /
Notices
Skakels /
Links
Boeke /
Books
Onderhoude /
Interviews
Fiksie /
Fiction
Poësie /
Poetry
Taaldebat /
Language debate
Opiniestukke /
Essays
Rubrieke /
Columns
Kos & Wyn /
Food & Wine
Film /
Film
Teater /
Theatre
Musiek /
Music
Resensies /
Reviews
Nuus /
News
Spesiale projekte /
Special projects
Slypskole /
Workshops
Opvoedkunde /
Education
Artikels /
Features
Geestelike literatuur /
Religious literature
Visueel /
Visual
Reis /
Travel
Expatliteratuur /
Expat literature
Gayliteratuur /
Gay literature
Xhosa
Zulu
Nederlands /
Dutch
Hygliteratuur /
Erotic literature
Bieg /
Confess
Sport
In Memoriam
Wie is ons? /
More on LitNet
Adverteer op LitNet /
Advertise on LitNet
LitNet is ’n onafhanklike joernaal op die Internet, en word as gesamentlike onderneming deur Ligitprops 3042 BK en Media24 bedryf.

Fire, shadow and dreams

Fire Griffin

Life is a never-ending circle which causes a ripple effect as it impacts on everything and everyone. The senses and the brain experience and store this information. Every now and then, these experiences bubble to the surface. When this happens, one grabs a pen and writes for others and for oneself - sometimes from the heart, at other times from the head.

Since the phenomenon called life is so "chock-a-block", it is difficult to single out specific people or experiences (writers do not want to be too specific either!). Fire Griffin and Light Raven are influenced by music, the movies, poetry, prose, romance and sex, the gothic culture and spirituality. (No sport, thank you!) They also paint.

Fire Griffin
This Taurus hails from the North-West, or as she nicknamed it, the Wild West - the birthplace of Aardklop. She obtained her Honours degree in Communication at the University of the North-West (University of Potchefstroom). During the late 90s she moved to Pretoria, where she participated in poetry readings at Up the Creek en Tequila Sunrise in Hatfield. Thereafter, her keyboard refused to rest. Fire Griffin paints fantasy themes and portraits.

Light Raven
True to his star sign, this Aquarius is the "quiet and mysterious type". He is almost the opposite of the "fire-eating" Griffin. He confesses that he was born with a pen in his hand. Redheaded vixens make him swoon. He is involved with a writers' forum in Pretoria. He graduated at Tukkies. Thereafter, he chose a career in the arts. Light Raven paints expressionist portraits.

Poetry/lyric writers Leonard Cohen and Nick Cave played a big role in the writings of both these poets. Cohen says in one of his anthologies, The Energy of Slaves:

I'd like to read
one of the poems
that drove me to poetry
I can't remember one line
or where to look

(Touché, they say!)

The focus is on the "Energy of Slaves", since writers and artists are all slaves - driven by emotions, passions and obsessions! It's the fire that fuels and devours. Leonard also writes:

Love is a fire
It burns everyone
It disfigures everyone …

Fire Griffin and Light Raven did not compose this book of poems with a set theme in mind. The idea originated with a few glasses of wine in hand (always extremely inspirational!). After all the poems were laid on the table, put in the poetry pot and the two began to "stir", it "became evident that a threefold theme ran through everything like a golden thread: fire, shadow and dreams!" says Light Raven.

Many South African poets used these themes.

The images of fire, love and lust are used by, amongst others, Elisabeth Eybers and ID du Plessis. Stephan Bouwer sketches the privacy of the dream and the dreaming. Breyten Breytenbach writes about the dream world of his mistress. André Letoit/Koos Kombuis writes about "sweet dreams". Ingrid Jonker created "Die donker man" and Sheila Cussons let witches toil and brew in the "Swart kombuis". Opperman writes ("Diereriem/Weegskaal"): ''Die nag en dag sal ek soms bring deur wik en weeg tot ewening; maar altyd roer tussen die twee die wyser van die skemering."

The design was also done by the two poets. They used the rich red and black for obvious reasons. The placing of the "soulful symbols" on each facing pageenhances the symbolism. Even the variation in line spacing is deliberate. "We use this idea to accentuate our individualism while simultaneously highlighting a unanimity of thought," says Fire Griffin. The two writers agree that the book can be seen as a freedom cry: "We did not want to conform and be dictated to." They also foresee that thís type of creative individual will be the kind of person who buys, reads and enjoys the book.

Why bilingual? While Fire Griffin's English poems were being published and receiving awards internationally, she was forced to feel guilty for not being able to publish in Afrikaans. New poets and story-writers should receive a publishing break. There's a library of writers eagerly waiting to be published. Afrikaans elitism is history! LitNet motivates a new generation of writers to prove that "the pen is mightier than the penis". If someone is bilingual, write! She then mentions the names of Antjie Krog and André Brink.

Light Raven jests that his poems are darker than those of Fire Griffin and describes it as an "abyss" of mirrors, reflections and shadows and a place of pain where one could get lost in dreams. He accentuates time and contrasts in his poetry. He believes that everything should have a beginning and an end. If not, one ends up with another "boring soapy"! He works with contrasts to transform the reader into a thinker and to add a little mystery: "My writing is focused with a goal in mind; using spacing, capital letters, punctuation marks, spelling, etc. to accomplish this."

Fire Griffin's Afrikaans poetry is a type of satire, only leading her readers through "the valley of the shadow of death" and Hades - not leaving them there! She distorts fables and fairy tales to reflect reality's twists. Her English poems are spiritual with a hint of mythology. She keeps a dream diary as a source of inspiration.

They already have a second anthology in mind.



LitNet: 09 February 2005

Did you enjoy this article? Have your say! Send your comments to webvoet@litnet.co.za, and become a part of our interactive opinion page.

back    /     to the top


© Kopiereg in die ontwerp en inhoud van hierdie webruimte behoort aan LitNet, uitgesluit die kopiereg in bydraes wat berus by die outeurs wat sodanige bydraes verskaf. LitNet streef na die plasing van oorspronklike materiaal en na die oop en onbeperkte uitruil van idees en menings. Die menings van bydraers tot hierdie werftuiste is dus hul eie en weerspieël nie noodwendig die mening van die redaksie en bestuur van LitNet nie. LitNet kan ongelukkig ook nie waarborg dat hierdie diens ononderbroke of foutloos sal wees nie en gebruikers wat steun op inligting wat hier verskaf word, doen dit op hul eie risiko. Media24, M-Web, Ligitprops 3042 BK en die bestuur en redaksie van LitNet aanvaar derhalwe geen aanspreeklikheid vir enige regstreekse of onregstreekse verlies of skade wat uit sodanige bydraes of die verskaffing van hierdie diens spruit nie. LitNet is ’n onafhanklike joernaal op die Internet, en word as gesamentlike onderneming deur Ligitprops 3042 BK en Media24 bedryf.