The Transformations of Mr. Hadlíz

Poetry. Art. MR. HADLIZ is a combination of poetry, prose, and art. The twelve pictures that form the cycle were created by “froissage,” a method invented by Novak of interpreting crumpled paper. This work by the deceased Czech Surrealist is evidence of his remarkable versatility in phonetic and visual poetry. “Novak ranks among the great solitary figures of Czech art”–Jiri Valoch. “Among these lines the artist hunts down hidden images”–Jo Ann Lewis. “It is clear to the poet’s eyes that it’s impossible to separate imagination from reality, because the former is just a more beautiful side of the other, its hidden projection behind the external shape of things… Novak] removes all that is superfluous…to let out the shining miracle trapped inside”–Edouard Jaguer.