Personal Experience in Contemporary Slovenian and American Poetry

Abstract

In this article I proceed from the understanding of lyric poetry as a subjective literary type that enables the presentation of personal experiences, i.e. emotions, thoughts and sensory perceptions. A comparison between Slovenian and American poetry after World War II shows that the confessional mode in both has remained a constant to this day, with the lyrical self in the American space receiving harsher and constant criticism. The division into conventional (mainstream) and experimental poetry, until recently characteristic of American literary-historical reviews, has not been established in Slovenia, since experimental poetry has not developed its literary system here. However, the term hybrid poetry, an American attempt to transcend the binary model, can still be used for some Slovenian poems. As an example of a poem that follows a romantic or lyrical model, I analyze Jure Jakob’s poem “Hunger.” As an American example of hybridity, I present Catherine Wagner’s poem “Exercise 34 (1/3/02 PM)” and compare it to Ana Pepelnik’s “Tehno.” Both are a fusion of confession and unconventional style. When asked why the confession of personal experience plays an important role in contemporary Slovenian and American poetry, I respond with the suggestion that we recognize it as a universal and historically conditioned poetic tool.