Orissa

Cult minimalist poetry from Sweden, originally published in 1999. Any further description would be doing the work a disservice, so you’ll have to trust us on this one.

“... a despair so sincere that it becomes comforting.” - Vi Läser

First published in 1999, Orissa is the only collection Ola Julén released in his lifetime and it has since become a cult classic of contemporary Scandinavian poetry. Stark, intimate, and unflinching, Julén’s voice is unlike any other: a raw distillation of despair, tenderness, and emotional candour that shuns literary ornament in favour of unguarded truth. A profound meditation on grief, silence, and the limits of language, Orissa remains shockingly relevant, continuing to resonate with new generations of readers and writers. This long-awaited English edition marks the arrival of a singular and uncompromising voice in world poetry.