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Where outlaw verse meets cosmic thirst.

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An interview with M.H.H.Benders

Recently your latest book ‘O Kolle Klokkespin/Zeefjesdans came out. However, you made it clear that you won’t submit it to any review sites or the media. Why on earth would a writer or poet chose that particular stance?

Why would I need more reviews than I already have? Give my reviews to the young people, they need that sort of attention. I already have all the reviews I would ever need. Seriously, think about it: why should a poet ‘prove’ himself eternally with reviews? Who or what are you proving yourself to?

Well, isn’t the idea that by scoring positive reviews you make people curious who will then buy your books?

I am fifty now. If by now I failed to create my own readership then I have failed as a writer. But the truth is I know what I sell and I know that I am in fact one of the better selling poets of the Netherlands. And I know what ‘reviews’ cause: zilch. You can get reviews on amateur sites like Tzum or Meander and they won’t cause even a single sold copy. 

That’s odd. So positive reviews dont cause sales in the Netherlands?

None whatsoever. It’s because people get torpeded with such fake positivity all day for the last 20 years. If  1000 books appear and they cause 3000 positive reviews, where in reality there should be ONE positive review – then you have a toxic wasteland of false positivity that in my opinion is political.

Political? Why?

Smoke curtains are always political. There are forces that are out to destroy literature and intelligence in general, and this is a particularily brilliant way of going about it. Drench everything in fake positivity and no one will read anything anymore. 

Isn’t that…a paranoid conspiracy theory? One could well attribute this decline into mediocrity by a general decline of human intelligence caused by polluted food, microplastics, and pollution in general?

If it would be natural there wouldnt have been emitted works from the oeuvre of Slauerhoff.

Say what?

Certain works that were deemed ‘too political’ were emitted from the collected Works of Slauerhoff by political influence on so-called established publishers. 

That’s cold, hard censorship!

It indeed is, and it’s structural censorship here in the Netherlands. The mediocre-left has struck some sort of deal with conservative religious forces and together they ‘domanite’ the canon by all means necissary. It’s quite a disgusting sight. 

So what can readers do who are curious about your works?

You can buy them, and if you have never read my works, buy them on blind faith. There is something beautiful about buying stuff on blind faith. Nobody cares about toxic positivity or selfpromotion – they have us all cornered where they want us, eternally promoting ourselves on social media, without any effect at all. 

Don’t buy into that. Listen to your inner voice, start feeding yourself real things, create your own space. instead of being the filler of someone elses profits. 

Thank you Mr Benders for this short interview.

Thank you too. And don’t forget: donate my reviews to the youngsters. And breathe! Breathe as much as you possibly can!

Castles Get Kicked in the Bricks each Summer

Let’s face it: some backpacks just carry your stuff. This one tells your entire life philosophy in one ridiculous, multilingual joke. Imagine strolling into a museum, a bus stop, or your ex's new wedding—with a bag that declares, in ten languages, that castles are always the losers of summer.

Why? Because deep down, you know:

  • Tourists always win.
  • History has a sense of humor.
  • And you, my friend, are not carrying your lunch in just any nylon sack—you’re carrying it in a medieval meltdown on your shoulders.

This backpack says:

  • “I’ve been to four castles, hated three, and got kicked out of one for asking where the dragons were.”
  • “I appreciate heritage sites, but I also think they could use a bit more slapstick.”
  • “I’m cute, I’m moopish, and I will absolutely picnic on your parapet.”

It’s absurd.
It’s philosophical.
It holds snacks.

In short, it’s not just a backpack—it’s a mobile monument to glorious collapse.

And honestly? That’s what summer’s all about.

Philosophy thirts

Feeling surveilled? Alienated by modernity? Accidentally started explaining biopolitics at brunch again? Then it’s time to proudly declare your loyalties (and your exhaustion) with our iconic “I’m with Fuckold” shirt.

This tee is for those who’ve:

  • Said “power is everywhere” in a non-BDSM context.
  • Tried to explain Discipline and Punish to their cat.
  • Secretly suspect the panopticon is just their neighbour with binoculars.

Wearing this shirt is a cry of love, rebellion, and post-structural despair. It says:
“Yes, I’ve read Foucault. No, I will not be okay.”

Stay tuned for more philosophical shirts and backpacks, as we at Benders are working on an entire collection that will make even the ghost of Hegel raise an eyebrow.

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