By Edy Poppy
Translated by May-Brit Akerholt
ISBN: 9781628976281
Publication Date: 10/7/2025
Icy, intricate, and unflinching, Edy Poppy’s Coming. Apart. captures the zeniths and nadirs of the human experience.
With the stark, poetic voice that garnered her collection Anatomy. Monotony. cult status in Norway and abroad, the writer–performance artist offers a vision of sexuality and alienation unlike any other.
Coming. Apart. is Poppy’s first collection of short fiction, and her second to be published in English. Beautifully translated from the original Norwegian by Dr. May-Brit Akerholt, her stories explore moments of labyrinthine intimacy with a cold intensity that proves impossible to forget.
Praise
“Edy Poppy is a courageous writer who dares to transgress the limits most of us set for ourselves. But she does it so playfully and with such elegance that the reader can’t resist coming along to explore forbidden realms. Anatomy. Monotony. has become a cult classic in many circles, and I see no reason why Coming. Apart. should not have the same impact.” —Elle
“Fantastic!” —Chris Kraus, author of I Love Dick
“There is a riveting, devil-may-care impulse in Poppy’s use of language and in her perspective. Sheexplores mood nuances and emotional variations in the magnetic field between euphoric highs and pathetic lows.” —Nora Simonhjell, Morgenbladet
“Coming. Apart. is a knife-edge book that confirms that women have taken over the writing of interesting short stories.” —Vidar Kvalshaug, Aftenposten
“The words flow with velvety smoothness, softly and lightly in spite of their gravity. Delightful!” —Anita Hartviksen Ravn, Rana Blad
“Poppy maintains her ability to push boundaries with ease, drawing us into seven stories about love, separation, morbid sexuality, and emotional turmoil.” —Lonningspils
“In Coming. Apart. Edy Poppy unflinchingly strips bare the messiness of connection and lust, power imbalances, and the agonizing tension between freedom and constraint—boldly exposing humankind’s darkest desires and traumas, and exploring territory many wouldn’t dare to think, let alone put to paper. It is a mettlesome and provocative collection of short stories that refuses to be ignored.” —Tupelo Quarterly
Biographical Information
Edy Poppy (b. 1975), grew up on a farm in Bø, Telemark, Norway. She moved to Montpellier when she was 17, and spent several years in France before moving to London where she worked with art, fashion, film and writing. In 2005 she published her first novel Anatomy.Monotony., which was translated into Italian, Finnish, German, Polish and English. It won the contest for best love story by Gyldendal. Poppy has lived in Berlin, Buenos Aires, Lipari, Reykjavik, and Rio, and now calls Australia home.
May-Brit Akerholt’s published translations of Norwegian works include plays, novels, and poetry collections by writers such as Henrik Ibsen, Jon Fosse, and Ruth Lillegraven. She lives in Australia, where she is a recipient of a fellowship from the Theatre Board of Australia Council.