Sotère Torregian, an American poet of Ethiopian, Arabic, Greek, Armenian, and Moorish ancestry, approaches the world with an open-armed embrace of distant and diverse phenomena. His surreal lyricism infuses observations of politics, popular culture, and the every- day with generosity, absurdity, and a spirit of adventure.
Reviews
Powell’s Books Blog, “My Favorite Poetry Books of the Past Year and a Half”
“On the Planet reminds readers that poets and their craft do not fade as easily as the movements they are divided. The poems are proof that experiments with words and image are like a journey in exile—without an end.”—The Los Angeles Review
“In Sotère Torregian, we have not simply one of the most unique poets of the New York School, but one of the most unique poets writing today. For I know no other poet who has so melded the quotidian impulse of Frank O’Hara . . . with the full tilt madness of authentic surrealism.”—The City Lights Booksellers & Publishers’ Blog
“Sotère Torregian’s On the Planet Without Visa has its lyricism and eats it too. . . . ‘Introduction to (MY) Théatres (AD 1966-2007)’ reveals a background interest that shows part of what makes this work so open and exact at the same time.”—Galatea Resurrects
“Sotère Torregian has a lot to say about current politics and culture, which he does with punchy, over-the-edge lyricism in On the Planet Without Visa: Seleceted Poetry and Other Writings.” —Library Journal
“One of our most radically original poets.” —Anne Waldman
“[Torregian's] poetry often moves at dazzling speed, connecting absurd but astonishingly concrete imagery that challenges a reader’s expectations of the poem.” —Dale Smith
Excerpt
From “A Sheet of Newsprint Goes Flying Past the Window”
Ah, Boreas!
do you bring news for those who have
ceased to dream; have you touched
her hair today
As she went forth from her door?
Unseen I sit here and look out. I have nowhere
to go today. But my poems invisibly
ride on this sheet of newsprint
as messengers