Sunday, March 16, 2008

Sidebar to Woman's World

Space, always at a premium. My article in today's Star about Graham Rawle's book Woman's World was to include the following sidebar, but was cut for space:

TO MAKE A DADAIST POEM
Take a newspaper.
Take some scissors.
Choose from this paper an article of the length you want to make your poem.
Cut out the article.
Next carefully cut out each of the words that makes up this article and put them all in a bag.
Shake Gently.
Next take out each cutting one after the other.
Copy conscientiously in the order in which they left the bag.
The poem will resemble you.
And there you are—an infinitely original author of charming sensibility, even though unappreciated by the vulgar herd.

by TRISTAN TZARA, from 'Dada Manifesto on Free Love and Bitter Love', (c1920)

My article can be found here (link).