The record cover shows the writer Ernst Jandl, his eyes wide open, reciting poetry. The LP’s title, him hanflang war das wort, echoes the first few words of the recording. These opening lines, drawn from the Bible, undergo gradual transformation through repeated recitation until, by the poem’s conclusion, the words entirely disintegrate into mere hiss. The LP was released by Wagenbach Verlag in Berlin in 1980.
Ernst Jandl’s work is commonly attributed to the genre of concrete poetry. He was associated with the Wiener Gruppe (Vienna Group), a collective of writers who attracted attention for their radical performances in the 1950s. Unlike his partner, Friederike Mayröcker, Jandl dedicated his artistic exploration to the use of language as material.
“The New Spoken Word Poems” on the record were mainly taken from the volume entitled die bearbeitung der mütze (the processing of the cap, 1978). The ADA collection contains most of Jandl’s books and some portfolio works as well as ten records. They are joint productions with colleagues such as Helmut Heißenbüttel, Franz Mon, Oskar Pastior, and Jandl’s partner Friederike Mayröcker.
Text: Patrick Wilden, Freelance Inventory Recording
Weitere Medien
- Material & Technik
- LP in Papierhülle in Pappcover
- Museum
- Archiv der Avantgarden
- Datierung
- Verlag Klaus Wagenbach, Berlin, 1980
- Inventarnummer
- AV 116