We Are Here

When his collection Grundstof, from which most of the poems in We Are Here hail, was published in 2004, it was welcomed in one of Denmark's most widely read newspapers Ekstra Bladet with these words: "Niels Hav is an economical writer. He only inconveniences the public when he has something important on his mind. Hav's aim is to give weight to every word and to cut to the bone. It's been ten years since his last book, but when he finally does publish what's on the page actually says something. Grundstof's words are saturated with experience and wisdom."

The English translations of his poems in We Are Here are no different: they address what Hav considers to be elemental about life, that undeniable essence without which everything makes little sense. His voice is direct and humorous, intelligent, lyrical and philosophical: a voice that takes into account the difficulties of staying close to the elemental. Hav is devoid of sly obfuscation; he is a poet unafraid of being clear. What could be more direct or elemental than the fact that We Are Here?