Søren Ulrik Thomsen

Søren Ulrik Thomsen (born in 1956) is a Danish poet. His debut was "City Slang", 1981.

Life

Søren Ulrik Thomsen was born in 1956 in Kalundborg. He grew up in Store-Heddinge, Stevns, south of Copenhagen, where he went to school together with another Danish poet, Jens Fink-Jensen from 1968 to 1972. In his childhood he was used to readings of literature and to sing evening songs, the sensations of the rhythm of language and poetry was in this way part of his early years. In school he grew familiar with the songs of B.S.Ingemann, a poet who has had significant influence on Thomsen's poetry. He moved with his family to Copenhagen at sixteen and became graduate in social studies and language. The meeting with Copenhagen was a force in his early poetry about the strangeness and loneliness of the big city. Søren Ulrik Thomsen studied science of literature at the University of Copenhagen, but made priority of the poetry writing rather than completing his degree. His debut was in the review Hvedekorn (wheatgrain) in 1977.

Publishing and style

His first collection of poetry was "City Slang" (1981). It is city poetry and is to do with human alienation in the space of the city, the Danish singer Lars H.U.G. added music/melodies to these poems in 1984 on an album of the same title, and thus brought the poets name out to a greater audience. Thomsen with the collections of poetry City Slang, "Ukendt under den samme måne" (1982) (unknown under the same moon) and "New poems" (1987) belonged to the group of 80s-poets, reacting against the political poets of the seventies. 80s generation, which also Michael Strunge was a part of focused on the body, sensations, and existential subjects in a tight, minimalistic language. Later Thomsen published "Hjemfalden" (1991), "Det skabtes vaklen" (1996) and "Det værste og det bedste", illustrated by Ib Spang Olsen, (2002). With these collections he moved away from the school of the 80s generation and appears as a poet with a truly individual expression. Søren Ulrik Thomsen is interested in great existential human conditions such as death and loneliness, creation and destruction. His poems in Hjemfalden are rhythmic arabesques, this comes through strongly in his public readings. He has also published two poetics, where he tries to define the essence of poetry and what happens in the process of creating a poem, "Mit lys brænder. Omrids af en ny poetik" (1985) and "En dans på gloser, essays" (1996). As a writer Søren Ulrik Thomsen also participates in the public debate, he has published a book of essays with Frederik Stjernfeldt, "Kritik af den negative opbyggelighed". His books have always been offered a great deal of attention and he is seen as one of the most significant names in Danish contemporary poetry.