New Swedish Books, autumn 2020 1
New Swedish Books 36 On time, tonight Gay themes
are an intrinsic component of Kristofer Folkhammar’s writing. They permeate his poetry and novels – most recently in the hilarious The Schoolmaster Games. But never has the subject found such musicality as in his new poetry collection On Time, Tonight, accompanied by Leif Holmstrand’s expressive illustrations. The aural quality is already inherent in the title’s alliteration. It is a rhythm that the poems not only describe but also demonstrate. They often rhyme. There is a ‘we’ and a ‘you’. The ‘you’ is to be enticed – led into temptation. Yet in the pulse of the night, where the promiscuity of the gay world may be glimpsed, there are also signs of illness and contagion. Danger lurks alongside temptation. The poems are delightful, disgusting, awful and beautiful. They work equally well as listened to or to take the poems into your mouth. Jenny Högström’s choice Kristofer Folkhammar Selected works Isak och Billy 2011 När han kysste mig förlorade jag allt 2012 Magisterlekarna. Sodomitisk melodram 2015 Poetry, 79 p. Kristofer Folkhammar Publisher Bokförlaget Lejd Rights Kristofer Folkhammar kristofer.folkhammar@gmail.com Photo: Samuel AD Martín