Many come to evil; many others search for a different way to be. Animated by the work of Caravaggio, Hendrik Slegtenhorst’s poems inquire, what is a pursuit of right action?

Caravaggio, the murderous, brilliant 16th-century painter, depicted the decapitation of John the Baptist at the moment the act is botched: jugular severed, head attached, the saint in agony – an exemplification of humanity’s predilections.

Early on, Slegtenhorst accepted Somerset Maugham’s admonition of the error of adopting a course of action thought to be right, even though we knew it could not bring us happiness, ever.

This is the central theme to Caravaggio’s Dagger, a distillation of poems from several earlier books that measures aspects of the author’s own life and awareness as a distinct individual animated by Canada and culture and guided by integrity and reason.

A lover of culture and the arts, Hendrik Slegtenhorst feels these elements are the manifestation and foundation of societies. Hendrik’s passion for culture is best illustrated in his continuing association with the arts, especially music and literature. Jointly artistic as well as business and politically minded, Hendrik’s commitments have extended across executive management of local government and heritage institutions, board directorships in community development, senior management in higher education, corporate appointments at transnationals, extensive participation in cultural and artistic organizations, and to his activities as a professional writer. His pursuits have taken him across Canada, as well in the United States, Europe, and Africa.Hendrik’s poetry in Carravaggio’s Dagger placed him as a finalist in the Sharon Drummond Chapbook Prize in 2013. Hendrik now devotes his time to writing. He lives in Edmonton, Alberta, with his equally peripatetic wife.

Hendrik Slegtenhorst's profile page

• Short-listed, Sharon Drummond Chapbook Prize