JFRRJournal of Folklore Research Reviews2832-8132IU ScholarWorks38671Paulina Guerrero - Review of Margaret Yocom, Kin S Fur (All Kinds Of Fur): Erasure Poems and New Translation of a Tale from the Brothers GrimmPaulina GuerreroIndiana University2019Margaret YocomKin S Fur (All Kinds Of Fur): Erasure Poems and New Translation of a Tale from the Brothers Grimm
2018CumberlandDeerbrook Editions62 pages978-0-9991062-5-9 (soft cover)Reviewers retain copyright and grant JFRR the right of first publication with the review simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share or redistribute reviews with an acknowledgment of the review's original authorship and initial publication JFRR.A character of woman drawn.
Margaret Yocom’s erasure poetry of All Kinds of Fur is a haunting and
spell-binding journey inside and underneath one of the Grimm Brothers’ most
controversial tales. Known for its horrifying twist of a king who wants to marry his own
daughter, All Kinds of Fur has lived in various forms, versions, and
iterations. The central character, a young woman (who is called All Kinds of Fur),
trying to run away from the lust of her father, covers herself in a mantle made of
different kinds of pelts and covers herself in soot. She uses subterfuge and magic to
survive and remain hidden.
The erasure poetry imbedded within the translation of All Kinds of Fur
reveals and heightens the voice of the young girl in this story. In Yocom’s afterword at
the end of the book, Yocom states that she discovers that the girl calls herself “kind,”
meaning “child” in the German. Other translations had not used this word, and knowing
that All Kinds of Fur calls herself this, brings a stark and chilling acknowledgement of
the terrifying experience of being a child running away from an incestuous father-king.
The poetry reflects this inner terror, as throughout the book All Kinds of Fur’s voice
comes crashing out of the pages as a child running, hiding, harkening to the night, and
conveying to the reader her need for survival.
In reading the erasure, it also weaves through the pages like magical spells and
incantations, reminding the reader that this is a magical being indeed, casting and
shape-shifting to thwart those who seek to turn her into a child bride, or strangely,
erase her completely.
The book is a culmination of Yocom’s extensive work with All Kinds of
Fur, and the research, reflection, and creative writing process are clear
in this beautiful little booklet. The cover features a work by Anne Siems titled
Bear Girl, which is a perfect image to accompany the work
inside.
Yocom’s work illustrates some of the very best features that the discipline of folklore
has to offer in the research, re-visioning, re-imagining, and continued exploration of
fairy tales. Her writing in the afterword section states her process in writing erasure
and her choices regarding everything from points of research to the choices of fonts and
font color. This kind of nuance and detail is interesting and poignant for understanding
this little gem as a whole. Her work is a testament to how much can continue to unfold
using a feminist folkloristic lens in translations and interpretations of texts, and the
use of creative writing as a process of continuing textual conversations and perhaps, as
she states, even arguments.
Reading this small book about an old Grimm tale is a surprising experience—it is a little
bit like being handed a very cute present that ends up being a Molotov cocktail. The
best kind of folklore.
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[Review length: 476 words • Review posted on April 8, 2019]