Mikael Diedrich Gripentrog is a German-Finnish poet. Gripentrog discovered his own style as a poet about 7 years ago, and has since written over 150 poems. Writing mostly in English, Gripentrog has written two unpublished collections of poetry, mostly based on Christian imagery, which finds its expression in the tradition of song. Gripentrog also writes cantatas and libretti, drawing on both the styles of popular music and comic opera. He has also composed many of his texts into songs. Gripentrog dreams of a career as a professional poet and of publishing his own collection of poetry as a book.
OAF festival will feature extracts from Gripentrog’s 2023 collections “Setting Your Ears To Music the Composer Is Written” and “My Heart Set To Breathe Its Beats To Rhythm For To Sing It”. A recurring theme in the poems is the idea of God as composer, writing us in song.
Curators’ comments: “Gripentrog has a completely original literary world of his own, delightfully full of unashamed metaphysical reflection. Gripentrog’s poetry probes the fundamental questions of existence and builds its world on mythology. Gripentrog’s poems are impossible to locate in any precise period of time or geographical location.”
