Philosophy
My thinking has been shaped primarily by Nietzsche, Baudrillard, and Foucault.
Literature
Vsevolod Garshin’s Artists (Художники) instantly made him one of my favorite writers. In the Netherlands, Russian authors’ names are often tweaked—something I suspect is a product of peculiar anti-Russian propaganda.
Chekhov, of course, is indispensable.
I deeply admire the work of Babel and Platonov. These two, along with Garshin, form the core of my Russian literary influences—oh, wait, let’s not forget Venedikt Yerofeyev. That makes five.
Gombrowicz is another favorite, while Schulz resonates with me slightly less. I’ve explored other Polish writers, but they seem to touch me less profoundly.
I love Max Frisch’s novels and diaries, especially Der Brandstifter (The Arsonist). This narrative is part of his play Biedermann und die Brandstifter (The Fire Raisers), also known as The Arsonists or The Firebugs, first performed in 1958.
Milorad Pavić is another favorite—his Dictionary of the Khazars captivated me. I’ve read both the male and female editions!
Moby-Dick, naturally.
Lately, I’ve been delving into the essays of Sándor Csoóri and the writings of Roberto Bolaño—after ChatGPT pointed out similarities between us, which I took as a major compliment.
John Moriarty is another writer I greatly admire, especially his work Dreamtime.
This list may not seem extensive, but that’s because I don’t favor authors easily. When I do, I read all their works—so I’ve read everything by the authors mentioned above.
Poetry
My primary influences in poetry are:
- Novica Tadić
- Ottó Orbán
- Sándor Csoóri
- Yannis Ritsos
- Can Yücel
- Theodore Roethke
- Ferenc Juhász
Each of these poets has had a profound impact on my work. I have countless smaller influences, but listing them all would be unnecessary.
All of the above are my main framework. I don’t believe it is good or effective to have a framework that is much larger. It wouldn’t even be possible, in my case: this good old framework offered me exactly what
I needed to make the books I have made.
Most books I really love are so dense I can just keep reading them forever.
Martinus Benders, 04-03-2025