Collected Works in Four Volumes

Fifteen years after his early death, it is time to discover the entire œuvre of Thomas Kling. The provocatively-sensitive Thomas Kling of contemporary classics such as the volumes of poetry flavour enhancers and Long-distance Trading. The arbiter of traditions and fearless polemic Thomas Kling in the poetological self-placement Itinerar and in the seminal collection of essays Messenger Substances.

But also a Thomas Kling for whom the closeness to visual arts is an occasion for writing from the beginning, who writes film reviews for the daily press off the cuff, who penetrates landscapes from the Vinschgau to the Lower Rhine and deals with European literature from Petrarca to Inger Christensen in reviews with meticulous precision and enthusiasm. A work of breath-taking beauty and power of observation, inspired by a wild humour.

This edition of the works in four volumes joins the texts of all the books and bibliophilic editions on roughly 2,000 pages the great German poet, who died in 2005 aged 47, ever published, as well as widely unknown poems and essays written since 1977 and a selection of hitherto unpublished works recovered from the Thomas Kling Archive.

»Kling‘s importance, however, is by no means limited to his ambivalently captivating poetry […] Besides Kling’s undoubtedly mostly exceptional poems, which make up three quarters of the collected works, the many hitherto unpublished essays as well as reviews of books and movies are a substantial and funny treasure trove whose great impact also reveals Kling’s […] salty humour.« Friederike Reents, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung

»Even 15 years after his death Thomas Kling is ›still the fiercest‹ most eloquent poet of his generation« Michael Braun, Der Tagesspiegel

»The collected works edited by Marcel Beyer are a literary event of greatest importance, they are the climax of Kling’s canonisation for now and at the same time, one hopes, the beginning of a new phase of his reception.« Richard Kämmerlings, DIE WELT

»With this splendid edition of the collective works, at the very latest, it is certain: Kling is part of the canon.« Martin Oehlen, Frankfurter Rundschau

»With this edition of the collected works in four volumes it is now possible to discover Thomas Kling’s œuvre like never before, to appreciate his extraordinary historic depth and retrace his powerful influence on the German-language literature of the last decades.« Samuel Hamen, Deutschlandfunk

»Kling‘s words are meant to take an effect, they are meant to be an event. The fact that this is the case to this day is also owed to the tireless dedication on part of Büchner Prize laureate Marcel Beyer. As editor of the collected works he makes a tremendous contribution to the continued reception of Kling’s poetry. This is where it is capture in its vitality for eternity.« Björn Hayer, WDR

»... a great essayist, reviewer, critic, translator, curator.« Beate Tröger, SWR