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Poet Edo Wallad experiments with 'Party Before the End of the World'
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Former punk vocalist-turned-poet Edo Wallad's first poetry book is an ode to restless nights and wild city living. (Comma Books/-)
E
do Wallad used to spend his time rocking out with his dance-punk band The Safari at dingy underground clubs around town, but ever since then, he has found another channel for his creativity: poetry.
In his first official poetry book, Pesta Sebelum Kiamat (Party Before the End of the World), Edo collected all the poems he had ever created since he began writing them in 2003 at the age of 26. The collection traces his growth as a poet who experimented with various styles and influences. His particular sensibilities consistently shine through however, with a mix of urban romanticism and the eclectic use of metaphors throughout.
To decide which of the many poems of his he would use, Edo settled on choosing those that fit under the theme of “nocturnal excess”.
“Nights that are identified with the nightlife, insomnia, and death – I try to conjure them up in a poetic yet realistic way,” he said.
“You can really trace my development through the writings, and how I began by basically just writing a stanza or a few words, and how I progressed to having my own style and technique, which grew alongside the poet-writing community I became involved in – and their influences both in method and in the forms of poems themselves,” Edo added, mentioning the Bungamatahari (Sunflower) collective in which aspiring and burgeoning poets congregate and share their works.
As he dove deeper into the local poetry community, Edo began publishing his pieces in various forms, including in the anthology Dian Sastro for President! #2: Reloaded, Antologi Puisi Bungamatahari (Bungamatahari Poem Anthology) and in the collection Lelaki Bercelana Kulot di Sebuah Pesta Pernikahan (A Man in Culottes at a Wedding Party).
