how the first sparks became visible

A preview of the English translation of Simone's poetry debut published by The Emma Press at the start of 2021

I.

I was born in a forest

I was born and someone trained a light on me
on the birthing cloth behind me, my silhouette appeared

My silhouette opened her mouth and said
‘I exist because your body exists
Cronus devouring his children
as bloodthirsty as Goya painted him
a body become unrecognisable
greedy and chaotic
not rooted in the earth’
this was all I had to go on

I heard panting and laughter: concrete, specific sounds
my silhouette was a silhouette without specific characteristics
my silhouette was mine in an incomprehensible way
she acted on my behalf, she was only there when I looked
she existed only on the cloth

Concrete, specific sounds
I wanted to be incorporated into a system of ticks and crosses
I wanted virtual, sexual, depoliticised pleasure, inside
with my chin on the edge of the desk, on the back seat of a Tesla
removed from the menu, yes
inside

I.

Ik ben in een bos geboren

Ik ben geboren en er werd een lamp op mij gericht
op het geboortedoek achter mij verscheen mijn silhouet

Mijn silhouet deed haar mond open, ze zei:
‘Ik besta omdat jouw lichaam bestaat
Kronos die zijn kinderen verorberde
bloeddorstig als Goya hem afbeeldde op doek met olie
een onherkenbaar geworden lichaam
gulzig en chaotisch
zonder wortels in de aarde’
daar moest ik het mee doen

Ik hoorde gehijg en gelach: concrete, specifieke geluiden
mijn silhouet was een silhouet zonder specifieke kenmerken
mijn silhouet was op een onbegrijpelijke manier van mij
zij handelde voor mij, zij was er alleen als ik keek
zij bestond alleen op het doek

Concrete, specifieke geluiden
ik wilde opgenomen worden in een systeem van vinkjes en kruisjes
ik wilde virtueel, seksueel en van politiek ontdaan genot, ingesloten worden
met mijn kin op de rand van het bureau, op de achterbank van een Tesla
uit het keuzemenu verwijderd worden, ja
ingesloten worden

—

how the first sparks became visible

Simone Atangana Bekono’s poems are vivid and arresting, with the feeling of letters or diary entries. In nine breath-taking streams of consciousness, the poet explores race, gender and sexuality, addressing the social stigmatization of race and gender and invoking empathy and human connection in a voice that is both confident and innovative. Translated from Dutch by David Colmer, and published with the support of the Dutch Foundation for Literature. Buy how the first sparks became visible at The Emma Press or order it from your local book store.

‘[how the first sparks became visible] is a raw, confessional and at times unsettling exploration of identity. how the first sparks became visible is an exceptional debut collection that demands to be seen as an individual.’ – The Indiependent

Simone Atangana Bekono was born in 1991 and studied at Creative Writing ArtEZ, graduating in 2016 with hoe de eerste vonken zichtbaar waren, a collection of poems and letters which includes the poems featured in how the first sparks became visible. This book was republished in a commercial edition by Wintertuin Uitgeverij in collaboration with Lebowski Publishers and went on to win the Poëziedebuutprijs Aan Zee, a prize for the best Dutch-language poetry debut. In the same year, Atangana Bekono also won the prestigious Charlotte Köhler Stipendium for new Dutch writers. Her first novel, Confrontaties (read a preview in Dutch), was published in Autumn 2020 by Lebowski Publishers.