Black & BLUE takes on the traditional pamphlet form that does its ancestors proud
The pamphlet, as a literary medium, has a complex and fascinating history, with a reputation for being the agent of provocative news, whether it was spreading slanderous accusations about the French royal family leading up to the Revolution, or propagating ideologies such as communism in the Soviet Union. Only more recently has it developed a tamer nature, now often associated with product advertisements or quick snapshots of various topics, from organizations to travel destinations. Recently however, this apparently forgotten medium has found its way into the realm of literature, bringing its history along with it.
Small presses are key to an emerging writer. They serve as an entry point in what might be an otherwise intimidating writing community. Where larger publications often tend to look more at your CV and how strong your reputation is, a small press is made up of a group of enthusiastic individuals who love what they’re doing, and can often be the first home of many writers’ work. As a result, it is common to find new, experimental, and downright unusual writing in any such small press. In this case, the one in mind is the Black & BLUE writing collective from the UK.
The Divine Discontent pamphlet series is the third such series from Black & BLUE, but served as my first encounter with literary pamphlets. Consisting of 17 individual pieces, these pamphlets comprise everything from short, formal essays and prose poems to thoughts and general ideas on various topics. Above all, they are a perfect example of the pamphlet’s historical past bleeding into the ever-changing realm of the writer. There is an unmistakable presence of authority in each one, an unshakable voice that, just like its historical cousins, wishes to open the reader’s eyes—only this time to let in the unexpected and unapologetically honest.
The first pamphlet, Babby Jart, sets the tone of the pamphlet series, pointing out aspects of our personal lives that we have come to overlook, mostly due to their routine nature. It explores the risks of social media, which can pacify our actions and make it easy to wonder from a distance about current issues instead of actively engaging and advocating for current events. The fifth pamphlet, Humanism / An Instruction Manual, is memorable in its call for the reader to “dream of the lost cultural phenomenon of engagement with other people.” It calls on readers to evaluate their relationship with technology, which is not a negative relationship, but one that needs examining. The topic demands that individuals re-engage with human interaction.
After self-evaluation, the next step is taking a look at daily routines, where the individual must interact with their external environments. In pamphlet four, entitled Work, the content explores how our internal selves must interact with social environments. The pamphlet frames the coexistence of these two spheres, showing how the societal environment often imposes on personal space. As a result, personal ambitions are often pushed aside when societal conventions overpower the individual. Pamphlet ten explores the theme of the contention between the public and private spheres further by focusing on the historical figure Antonin Artaud, avant-garde dramatist and writer, who said that “a lunatic is someone that society does not wish to hear but wants to prevent from uttering certain unbearable truths.” The pamphlet specifically discusses the role of censorship, which is still very relevant to today’s society, as people often censor themselves in order to be socially acceptable.
Modern-day pamphlets do not contain provocative illustrations that scandalize politics or insult ideologies. Instead, they have sharpened their tactics and taken on a new course, churning up known but dismissed problems on notions of the self and society. In this sense, the Divine Discontent is a “subtle manifesto”, its attention focused on presenting issues that have existed for decades, even centuries now, but in a new fashion. This new form of writing is slowly gaining popularity, and for the curious and engaged reader, the medium provides a reading experience that allows the participant to engage with various issues, whether historical, societal, or personal, through a new, contemporary form of writing and reading. Black & BLUE is currently one of the few examples of this new writing style, which makes it the best possible place to start exploring this new terrain as it becomes a dominant force in the field.
