Vera Polozkova

Vera Polozkova was born in Moscow in 1986. She abandoned her studies of journalism at the Institute of Art, Culture and Literature at the University of Moscow three months before graduation. As a child already she began writing poems, which she published in her Internet blog and, thus, presented to a wider audience. The young Russian cultural scene also knows her by her blogger identity »vero4ka«. Her performances at poetry slams have gained her many fans. She also appeared in music videos and plays and wrote for the »Book Review-Magazin« (the Russian edition of »Cosmopolitan«) and for the magazines »Bill«, »Spark-Spark« and the »Shik-Magazin«. She worked at the contemporary art museum Art4.ru in Moscow until April, 2008.
In 2008 Vera Polozkova’s first collection of poems »Nepoemanie« was published, soon followed by the second anthology, »Photosynthese«. Critics claimed that her poetry had no formal structure. Yet, with the independent mindset of her art vero4ka represents a new generation of poets: wild, strong and also vulnerable, she reveals her intimate observations. The protagonists of her poems experience joy and optimism, but much more frequently pain, injustice and disappointment. Polozkova broaches for example the issue of the »Cult of Emptiness«, the tendency of people to immerse themselves in long periods of peace in glamour and excess. Furthermore, the poet repeatedly emphasized her unconventional view that the written text as such is boring. Only when complemented by a visual layer – enshrined in the performance of the poet, his appearance and habit, as well as his voice when reading – we can understand the author: »Poetry is more immediate, one has to take responsibility for one’s own words.« Vera Polozkova’s blog, which in March, 2010 had 16,000 registered readers, received the Neformat Prize, a Russian literature award, in 2009. She allows her readers a very personal approach to herself and her poetry: In the tradition of Soviet underground literature, the so-called Samizdat Literature, she hosts soirées of poetry at her home. She plans new projects based on the motto: »Don’t tell me that something is impossible. That to me is like a red rag. Then I’ll go out and prove the contrary.«

Vera Polozkova lives and works in Moscow.

Nepoemanie
Helicon Plus
St. Petersburg, 2008
Livebook
Moskau, 2010

Photosynthese
[Mit Olga Pavolga]
Livebook
Moskau, 2008

Znak Neravenstva

[Musikalbum]

2011

Ostocherchenie

Livebook
Moskau, 2013

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