In “Solaris korrigert”, a lyrical "I" tells the reader about their life in “Stavgersand” in the year 2480. Considering TOIL’s interest in aesthetic representations of oil, the poem’s pervasive grease motif – which connects the I, its robot workers, and the former oil industry – is particularly interesting. However, the remnants of the North Sea oil industry are evident on multiple levels, including linguistically: The poem’s future language appears as a blend of the languages from around the North Sea, with Ekofisk as the center.
The conversation mainly revolved around the original title poem “Solaris korrigert” (which could be translated to “Solaris Corrected” in English), discussing its poetic exploration of what it means to be a sensory aware human in a highly technologized society, post-oil motifs, and the poem’s ambiguous ending. During the event, which took place at the venue Blå in Oslo with a full house, there was also time for further reflections on literature and poetry. Furthermore, the audience had the pleasure of hearing Rimbereid read excerpts from the title poem “Solaris korrigert”.
Simen V. Gonsholt, a journalist from Vagant, reported on the anniversary celebration, noting that the room was filled with “cheering,” “awe and joy,” and “embraces.” “In any case, it felt, on a Tuesday evening in September 2024, as if we were still in the Rimbereid era,” he summarized. The full article can be read here: Vagant – Jubileumsfeiring på Blå.
For those who missed the event, the conversation has been made available as a podcast (in Norwegian): Litteratur på Blå - Solaris korrigert 20 år.
A big thank you to Øyvind Rimbereid for taking the time to participate in this event, and to everyone who attended. For many of us, this was one of the literary highlights of the year. Thank you also to Litteratur på Blå for the collaboration.
PS: Sandal has previously presented the poem to an international audience of scholars at the Petrocultures Conference in Los Angeles, with the presentation: «Embodied Experiences of the Post-Oil ‘Siddy’ in Øyvind Rimbereid’s ‘Solaris Corrected’» (2024).