It is often said that every techie has a hidden creative side. Is there any truth to this? Computer Science graduate Giscard Nazon certainly leads one to believe there is some truthfulness in that saying. An information technology professional for most of his life, Nazon has emerged with My Modern Woman an epic poem he self-published in 2012. The book’s subtitle is “For Men and Women”, which is appropriate, considering that men and women are complements of one another.
Nazon’s poem is full of well-chosen words: “There is fondness for darkness/When wretched candle lights/Battle from land to land/To become the headlight.” Further he writes: “My modern woman/I am honored and humbled/To be the man of her trust/The director that she chose.”
What inspired you to write your poem?
It came as a surprise to me. When I started writing it, I realized that a spiritual language was unfolding through it and it stood out from any pattern that could be found in my previous writings. I believe it was brought about as my worldview started to change following steps I had taken two years prior to redirect my spiritual life. [This] led me to a greater appreciation and understanding of the Christian faith. I believe my impulse then was to express through a character—My Modern Woman—my new understanding of and ability to recognize and relate to Biblical Christianity.
When did you start writing?
I started writing at the age of 18, during my last year of high school in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. My first poems were in French. I published two books that year. First, Naufrage en Haute Terre [Shipwreck on High Earth], which was only one poem that I released as a “single”—making an analogy to the music world—then Première Distance [First Distance], which was a collection of poems and various thoughts. It included the former publication and was thus considered the “album.” Then over the years, I began to write poems in English too and experiment with different writing styles leaning on greater freedom. But I did not write steadily, and also more rarely did I write in French. That went on for thirteen years until it came to the writing of My Modern Woman. I like to help people use technology efficiently and as issues arise, to bring a solution. I have also been a musician for a long time. I have been learning how to play the violin since I was a child, and for some time until in recent years, I have been composing and producing my music. That somehow spilled into my writing a little bit as I found myself using musical concepts, usually to mark a transition or bring emphasis on or around a certain word or thought. I found that to be an original way to bring my two creative engines together. I am also a keen observer of society, leaders, current events and their influence on society, and I strive to be a light to others in any capacity given to me. I am an endurer for Christ whom I now know and who knows me.
Anything, or anyone in particular who inspired My Modern Woman?
Yes, the book has two aspects. First – and that is how it started, it is a portrait of a woman. The first few and last few pages of the book depict that person and a context in which I, the author, relate to her. It is a created character that may present traits that I have observed or understood that a Christian woman ought to exhibit. The second aspect of the book was birthed from the first and even became the core of it. It was my road map as I became a Christian. It contains the foundations that I had to lay to gain a worldview befitting my conversion. It is made of a series of current topics, many that I was considering for the first time, and my inspiration or rather my call to duty by God, was to establish and express a Biblical stance on such topics.
What do you think of modern poetry?
I am curious to better understand modern developments in poetry, including the return perhaps to more traditional styles of writing. That has not been my focus of study, but in regards to My Modern Woman, I have been interested to identify it with a given genre. The writing is not conventional, which can be considered a characteristic of modern poetry, but at the same time there is also something formal about it, which is meant to be established by the enduring reader. Hence, the observation I made that the reading of my book has been a delight to some and a stumbling block to others. It seems to be a subjective matter what we can define as modern poetry, especially if the more recent trends have been a return towards more conventional styles of writing. But given that I did not make a style decision as I started to write my book, and the writing rather imposed its form, I am happy if it is considered modern and equally happy otherwise.
What’s next for you?
Next for me is to keep on writing. In fact, I will release an e-book this year. It will be a work in prose this time. The material is chiefly Christian and also written as to personally engage the reader to answer questions, ask questions and have an involved attitude towards the truth—that is, all that is accepted as truth.
Visit Giscard Nazon’s website HERE and learn more about his book HERE.
