New Swedish Voices 1
Iman Mohammed’s debut poetry I don’t know. Mohamm
ed’s poem is collection, Behind the Tree Backs (‘Bakom trädet ryggar’, 2018), begins with war or at least with violence: ‘Brain tissue unwillingly ornamenting the greenery: hortensia, ambra tree, hibiscus, dahlia. Milk teeth of hegemony.’ Which war, which violence? Which hegemony, whose domination? 13 less overtly narrative than many poems by her peers. ‘Ambra tree’ at least rules out Malmö, Mohammed’s current home. Much of the strongest debut poetry in Swedish connects to experiences of migration and offers testimonies of exclusion and racism. Judith Kiro’s smart, playful O (2019), inspired in part by Shakepeare’s tragic play Othello, deals New Swedish Voices