I think we should just live

by Ekaterina Khlebnikova

This collection of poems by Ekaterina Khlebnikova comprises her most striking and remarkable works yet.

It opens with the poem “I am for just living” – her manifesto for life as she introduces herself to the reader. Later, she becomes more philosophical in “I am waiting for a change in the wind”, which is written in a variety of styles.

The beginning of “I was driving from the garden” reads like a love poem, before the verse takes an unexpected, ironic twist at the end, when we realize that the story is being told from the perspective of a little girl.

The poem “Do not run from your anger” can be read as a confession – an honest conversation between the author and the reader through analysis and acceptance of her flaws. The religious connotation of “God bless you” is juxtaposed with a biting, sobering statement calling for peace and awareness: “Who wants to die, who?”

There is a place in the collection for both topical satires (“The Brothel”) and for experimental poetry in “She takes me to the beach, explodes sparks”, which is narrated by a man.

This book includes the poems with which Ekaterina took first place in the Poetry category at the 2019 Open Eurasian Literary Festival in Brussels. These are “I bought everything according to the list and one more…” – a sketch of a relationship between a daughter and her father – and “Travel on your own”, where a metaphor about travel speaks about the path of life.

This collection reveals the creative horizons of Ekaterina Khlebnikova in different genres, themes, and forms.

Ekaterina Khlebnikova (b.1985) is a Russian poet. She began to write poetry while at school, and as a student she took part in various creative competitions. In 2019 Ekaterina won the Poetry category at the Open Eurasian Literary Festival in Brussels. In her work she experiments with style, genre, themes and poetic techniques; her poetry ranges from lyrics to philosophical reflections, and from mantras works to military ballads. In her verses Ekaterina Khlebnikova reflects the fates and stories of various people, exciting and touching the reader with the intricacies of her images and rhymes.