Himself a poet of considerable elegance and wit, his tightly constructed poems (often haikus) are both humorous and profound, as his latest collection, Arse Poetica (Kwela), demonstates. It includes some of Ferguson’s delightful cartoons.
Describe yourself in a sentence.
An intellectual equivalent of a free-range chicken: curious, with an intense but short attention span.
Describe your book in a sentence.
A wry look at the underbelly of the artistic ego, a collection of absurd insights concerning poets and poetry.
Describe your ideal reader.
The one who gets the references and laughs at the jokes.
What was the originating idea for the book?
Over the last couple of decades I have written poems and done cartoons focusing on the para-
doxical position of the reclusive or Parnassian writer who shuns attention but nevertheless seeks fame.
Describe the process of writing and publishing the book.
The poems are mostly short and came often as blithe and funny ideas that just had to be jotted down. The final compilation of the manuscript was a result of years of intermittent contemplation on the act of writing and the idiosyncrasies of poets.
Name some writers who have inspired you, and tell us why or how.
My models and mentors have been writers who have managed to be both serious and amusing. First and foremost was Vladimir Nabokov, followed quickly by Samuel Beckett and latterly by poets such as Miroslav Holub, Gavin Ewart, Norman MacCaig. And, of course, that master South African poet, the late Douglas Livingstone.
What is the purpose of poetry?
To attempt to eff the ineffable.
Is there anything you wish to add?
Nothing in my latest collection applies to any poets reading this..