International poetry meeting in Nicosia
POETS MICHALIS Ganas from Greece, Duska Vrhovac from Serbia and Mehmet Yashin from Cyprus are three of the eleven scribes from ten European countries taking part in the first of a series of prose events, entitled ‘In the beginning is the word’.
The events are part of the project Triptych: Poetry-Identity-Coexistence, being organised over the next two years in Nicosia, Stockholm, Paris and Athens. Over the coming weeks we will be publishing short works by some of the participants.
Michalis Ganas was born in Epirus in 1944. Since 1962 he has been living and working in Athens. He was a bookseller for 15 years, then went on to work as a literary editor and a screenwriter for the national television and radio. Between 1989-2005 he worked as a copywriter in an advertising agency. His poems have been translated to numerous languages and his lyrics set to music by well known Greek composers. In 1994 he received the State Award for Poetry for his book Paralogi.
“… I too of its stock
prey to memory plaything of love
sometimes armoured with voices and looks
sometimes a harvested plain
with no whisper of stalks…”
Duska Vrhovac, poet, journalist and literary translator was born in 1947. She studied World Literature and Theory of Literature at the University of Belgrade.
As an author, editor, screenplay writer, and interviewer she has produced and presented a wide range of significant and recognised documentary and artistic serials and talk-shows.
She has published 15 books of poetry and her poems were translated into English, Italian, Spanish, German, Russian, Turkish, Rumanian, Dutch, Polish, French, Albanian and Macedonian and are included in selected poetry editions of Serbia’s most significant poets abroad and at home.
She has received many awards for poetry and the Golden Medal of Cultural-Educational Association of Serbia for expanding culture.
“… Poets are invisible companions
in the silence of sense and absurdity
of all the visible and the invisible.
Poets are my only, true brothers…
Mehmet Yashin (Ya??n), was born in Nicosia in 1958. His books have played an important role in re-defining the literary traditions of Cyprus and Turkey. He is known as one of the leading figures in post-1974 Cypriot poetry and literature as well as post-1980s Turkish poetry and literature. He taught translation studies, creative writing and contemporary Turkish and Cypriot literatures at various universities in the UK and Cyprus. His work has been translated into more than 20 languages. He has published seven poetry collections, two novels, three essays and three anthologies/studies on Cypriot poetry in Istanbul. His poetry books were published in English, French, Italian, Dutch and Latvian languages.
“White space empty of the grandfather clock
Walnut table that has forgotten time
Fingerprints cleansed by dust
Keys long lost
Letterbox locked in rust
Old woman fast asleep, her teeth in a glass…”
In the beginning is the word
March 21, 2009. 7.30pm
Famagusta Gate, Nicosia
For more information call: 99-577006
