John Simmons & Harry Pearce
Screenprints; typeface American Typewriter
Late Fragments
Inspiration comes from art. I often write in Bloomsbury’s most inspiring space, the British Museum. Each time I seek out and read ‘Late Fragment’ by Raymond Carver (in Room 24, ‘Living and Dying’). Having read it countless times I wrote my own response to it – ‘The Carver of Fragments’ – mirroring some of Carver’s words and thoughts. Harry Pearce interpreted the two poems by reproducing them in a mirror effect. Harry, as a leading typographic designer, takes visual inspiration from the meaning and appearance of words. Using the natural transparency of the materials, the screenprinted words can be read in two directions, demonstrating Carver’s influence on my words in the way I described Carver’s poem to Harry – ‘simply beautiful’.
‘Late fragment’ © Raymond Carver, published by Harvill Press
‘The Carver of Fragments’ © John Simmons