The Electric Universe

Daniel Kemp’s debut poetry collection, The Electric Universe, delivers at once a contemplative and urgent reflection upon the many transitions the poet has had to navigate in his search for meaning in a seemingly meaningless world. It delves into the poet’s relationship with place and his fascination with the nature of reality, all whilst grappling with his own anxiety of influence as he attempts to give voice to the imaginative possibilities revealed to him by his literary idol, Wallace Stevens. Inspired by Kemp’s relationship with the place of his birth, Cape Town, specifically a suburb of the city called Bellville, and his eventual relocation to the Canadian Prairies, as well as his concerns around the dawning of the Anthropocene, The Electric Universe is a vital and compelling meditation on what it means to be alive in the first half of the 21st century.