Kiira Korpi wrote a work that is lame from the point of view of poetry, but that does not make her a bad person, writes Iltalehti editor Sara Valavaara.
Kiira Korve’s poetry book received bad reviews. Pete Anikari
Fresh from Kiira Korve, who became famous as a figure skater Just jump! -poetry received a crushing verdict in Helsingin Sanomat. The critic was written by the editor of HS Arttu Seppänen titled his text as follows: “Kiira Korve’s poetry book is miserable, and its publication is downright irresponsible”.
In the criticism, it is well justified from a literary point of view why Korpi, as an author, is not the only one to blame for the book’s poor nourishment for the soul. Otava, the publisher of the book, is to blame.
To the reader, the poems feel like jokes or unfinished thoughts. It’s sad, because Korpi must have gone through a lot of difficult emotions while writing the work. If the texts have helped their author move forward in the divorce process, that’s just great. However, why the book has been published is embarrassing for all parties involved.
It is clear that the book has been published in the hope that it will be a box office magnet. And Lukukerto will certainly get it, when everyone wants to know “is it really that bad”.
It’s also a selling point, but with Finnish literature apparently in its throes, it’s quite questionable.
The feeling experienced is often the strongest for its bearer. That’s why the most difficult aspect of art is the objective placement of one’s own dependent feeling in the presented form. Korvi’s poems show that the texts are personal and tell about moments that seem to linger as such only in the author’s own notes.
The work stumbled on the fact that it has not been possible to examine one’s own feelings universally and objectively. The end result appears as naive and circular sentences, which the reader does not get a proper grasp of. That’s a shame too, because the topics covered would certainly be universal.
However, the most important thing to remember in the midst of criticism is that criticizing a work of art and personally lynching the author on social media are two different things.
Throughout time, magazines have written criticisms, which often have a rather stinging tone. Criticism is challenging as a type of text, because a credible critic must always be able to show reasons why a work is good or bad. At least it shouldn’t have anything to do with the author’s personal merits.
Criticism is not a phenomenon of the social age, but the name is already based on an ancient Greek word Critic, which means capable of evaluating. In criticism, the work under review, food or clothing item is compared to previous works by the same author, as well as to other authors and works in its subcategory.
Korpi wrote a lame work from the point of view of literature and poetry, but that does not make him a bad person – on the contrary. He did what most of us fear above all else: to be seen with our own feelings and weaknesses.
Internet commentators tend to forget that the critics’ opinion is not the absolute truth or a justification for bashing people. Based on Korvi’s own Instagram commentary, the poems have really resonated with their readers, and the gravel sounds are left behind.
Korpi, who was successful as a figure skater, may not be Pentti Saarikoski or Saima Harmajan level, but he opened his heart with the help of the text and apparently discovered new aspects of himself. It’s honestly a great thing.
However, Otava should have known how to hit the brakes and state that not everyone even needs to be a poet.