Doctrine of the Orchid
In ‘Doctrine of the Orchid’ Jan Lauwereyns presents a wide-ranging and meticulously assembled selection of his poetry, from the earliest verses of 1991 to new work from 2024. The collection shows how his work consistently begins with close observation, grounded in the here and now, before generating meaning through language: ‘the taste of the sound of the heart’, as he wrote in his Poetry Day essay in 2011.
Welcome to a perilous adventure! – Tzum
As both a poet and a neuropsychologist, Lauwereyns has explored the relationship between seeing, thinking and longing ever since his debut. Science and poetry flow together in his work, as do Japan and the West. Running through it all is a keen attention to language and love.
Formally, his poetry is unrestrained and multifaceted; sparkling tankas and baroque sonnets in strict hexameters sit alongside narrative, sometimes nightmarish poetry, and lyrical essays that lend musicality to thought. Drawing on ten highly diverse collections, ‘Doctrine of the Orchid’ offers a kaleidoscopic yet remarkably coherent impression of a body of work that dares to be experimental while remaining profoundly engaged with the world and its peculiarities.
This poetry is extraordinarily varied, making it a pleasure to be able to witness its development as you turn the pages. – Meander Magazine
Beautiful lines, of a kind rarely encountered. You want to translate them straight into Latin so that they can compete with Horace. – Meander Magazine
One of the most original and fascinating oeuvres in our recent poetry – Mappalibri
