i am blow-drying my lashes

Poems
Translation SampleSuhrkamp | Insel
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i am blow-drying my lashes / ich föhne mir meine wimpern
Poems

Winner of the debut prize of the Lyrikpreis Orphil 2024

Shortlisted for the debut prize of the Austrian Book Prize 2022

»no one is above things / we are all in the midst of it«

»interpersonal relationships are / my nemesis«

Everything begins with birth, but »no one comes into the world / and knows how things work«. But then the doctor says straight away that she is capable of great things, with which he means: hunger. And so her own body becomes an area of crisis and conflict from the very beginning. All the more so when later, in a toilet in Versailles, it suddenly bleeds for the first time. A place of love and pain, of longing and healing – the (primal) longing for a mother, perhaps,...

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Everything begins with birth, but »no one comes into the world / and knows how things work«. But then the doctor says straight away that she is capable of great things, with which he means: hunger. And so her own body becomes an area of crisis and conflict from the very beginning. All the more so when later, in a toilet in Versailles, it suddenly bleeds for the first time. A place of love and pain, of longing and healing – the (primal) longing for a mother, perhaps, »besides the one I have«.

In her debut, Sirka Elspaß strikes a unique note between pop and poetry, existential force and effortless ease. Emotional injuries, moments of loneliness and psychological crises are captured in crystal-clear, precise imagery. So beautiful and so sad, so heartrending and wise, because the author knows: »no one is above things / we are all in the midst of it«.

»Elspaß creates vivid, emotional images in order to critically question their conception at the same time. ... Language, tears, emotions, relationships are in flux. ... With Elspaß’s debut, the current poetic diversity has been enriched by an impressively independent voice.« Christian Metz, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung

»A tone that is as light as it is serious.« Jury of the Austrian Book Prize 2022

»Vulnerable, courageous, radically listening to what’s going on inside, this little volume is a true gem ...« Ronny Putzke, Kulturexpresso

»Sirka Elspaß has succeeded in creating a clever and refreshing debut that deserves attention.« Beate Tröger, Deutschlandfunk

»Sirka Elspaß is one of the great up-and-coming talents of modern poetry.« ORF

»With i am blow-drying my lashes, Sirka Elspaß has succeeded in creating an extraordinarily interesting and exciting debut, full of wise ideas and big feelings.« Jana Bohlmann, SR2
»Elspaß creates vivid, emotional images in order to critically question their conception at the same time. ... Language, tears, emotions, relationships are in flux. ... With Elspaß’s debut, the current poetic diversity has been enriched by an impressively independent voice.« Christian Metz, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung

»A tone that is as light as it is serious.« Jury of the Austrian Book Prize 2022...
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2022, 80 pages

Persons

Sirka Elspaß, born in Oberhausen in 1995, studied creative writing and cultural journalism in Hildesheim and language arts at the University of Applied Arts in Vienna (under Monika Rinck, among others). She was a prize-winner at the Treffen junger Autor:innen 2010 & 2012 and postpoetry-Nachwuchspreisträgerin 2013, she co-edited the magazine BELLA triste (no. 41-45) and has published her work in various magazines and anthologies, including STILL, Edit and Lyrik von Jetzt 3. The collection of poetry ich föhne mir meine wimpern is her debut.
Sirka Elspaß, born in Oberhausen in 1995, studied creative writing and cultural journalism in Hildesheim and language arts at the University of...

OTHER PUBLICATIONS

starve pray sob swim
Year of Publication: 2025
Sirka ElspaßYear of Publication: 2025
Feeling exhausted, hurt, unstable, seeking help – these are some of the existential feelings and emotional struggles that Sirka Elspaß addresses in her new collection of poems. From everyday observations, such as “how often don’t worry about it / appears in the thread”, to the guardian angel who throws in the towel and is no longer reachable, “has even turned off his voicemail.” The gaze falls on...

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07.03.2023
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