#204. Dimitris Lyacos’ POENA DAMNI

During the last week, I read Dimitris Lyacos’ Poena Damni trilogy. It’s published by Shoestring Press in a nice box set, and consists of three books, Z213: Exit, With the People Under the Bridge, and The First Death. This reading order is not the publication order, as The First Death was published first, and Z213: Exit last. It’s an interesting thing to note because, in the case of The First Death, I couldn’t help but feel like that was a bit of retconning was taking place. Of course, that’s an entirely personal thought, and not one presented by Lyacos, who talks about the work as a whole, one that has been a project for him for over thirty years. There are installations, dance, multimedia projects and more that relate to the Poena Damni project and that speak to a broad, sprawling work that I have only had the smallest of access through, thanks to translator Shorsha Sullivan and Shoestring Press.