Tag Archives: poetry

News from #BulgarianLiteratureMonth

After the first third of Bulgarian Literature Month at the Global Literature in Libraries Initiative – editor/curator is yours truly -, I can say that it is a lot of work, but also a lot of fun. The correspondence with and reactions of contributors, readers, and even authors are so far very encouraging.

Here an overview regarding the published blog posts until now:

Bulgarian Literature Month – a short introduction
Promoting Bulgarian Literature in the Anglosphere: Interview with Milena Deleva, Managing Director of the Elizabeth Kostova Foundation
The Satire of Alek Popov (by Ellis Shuman)
Georgi Gospodinov’s Natural Novel (by Scott Bailey)
Albena Stambolova’s Everything Happens As It Does (by Jean Ping)
Blagovest Sendov: John Atanasoff – The Electronic Prometheus
“Our bitter beloved borderless Balkans”: Kapka Kassabova’s Border (by Dorian Stuber)
Bulgarian Poetry in English Translation: Anthologies – an overview 
Bulgarian Poetry in English Translation (II): the pre-1944 period
Bulgarian Poetry in English Translation (III/1): the period 1944-1989 – Konstantin Pavlov
Marina Konstantinova: The White Coast

Several of the blog posts have been re-blogged, shared or re-tweeted, some of our reviewers also spread the word, and this little piece by Scott Bailey made me smile (especially the headline of the article).

I am expecting some extremely interesting contributions in the upcoming days. Check it out and spread the word about #BulgarianLiteratureMonth – thank you!

© Thomas Hübner and mytwostotinki.com, 2014-8. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without expressed and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Thomas Hübner and mytwostotinki.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Vladislav Hristov: Germanii – jetzt auf deutsch

Der von mir aus dem Bulgarischen übersetzte Gedichtband von Vladislav Hristov ist jetzt auf dem Markt. Wir (die Verleger gemeinsam mit dem Autor) haben das Buch gerade aus der Druckerei in Sofia abgeholt – bald kann man es auch im deutschsprachigen Raum in den Buchhandlungen bestellen. Oder auch direkt bei uns, falls ihr es eilig habt  (In diesem Fall schickt mir hier einfach eine Nachricht.)

Image may contain: 3 people, people smiling, people standing

Von links nach rechts: Vladislav Hristov (Autor), Elitsa Osenska (Verlegerin), Thomas Hübner (Verleger und Übersetzer)

Photo: Stefan Bakarov

Image may contain: sky, ocean, outdoor and text

Vladislav Hristov: Germanii, Rhizome Verlag, Sofia (Übersetzer: Thomas Hübner); der geschmackvolle Einband stammt von Ivo Rafailov. 

Ein paar Stimmen zum Buch: 

Der renommierte bulgarische Dichter Ivan Teofilov schreibt:

“”Germanii” von Vladislav Hristov ist eine bemerkenswerte Lektüre. Diese Zusammenstellung von ausdrucksstarken Fragmenten zeigt eines der größten Probleme unserer bulgarischen Existenz – die Emigration. Keine andere Lektüre zum Thema Emigration hat mich so sehr angesprochen, wie dieses lapidare Drama. Die ungewöhnliche Intensität dieser Poesie, ihre Breite und Tiefe machen “Germanii” zu einem der bedeutendsten Werke unserer zeitgenössischen Dichtung.” 

Die Schriftstellerin und Literaturkritikerin Sylvia Choleva (Literaturredakteurin beim Bulgarischen Nationalen Radio):

“Meiner Meinung nach leistet der Gedichtband “Germanii” viel mehr als der Journalismus zum Thema Emigration. Er dringt direkt und zart in das zerrissene Herz junger Bulgaren von heute ein, die gezwungen sind, sich selbst und die Welt in den extremen und schwierigen Lebensbedingungen im Ausland zu erkennen. Dieses Buch zeigt, dass die Kombination von aktuellen Themen und hoher Poesie nicht nur möglich, sondern in diesem Fall auch hervorragend gelungen ist.”

Der Schriftsteller Palmi Ranchev – im deutschsprachigen Raum vor allem durch seinen Roman “Der Weg nach Sacramento”, Dittrich Verlag 2011, bekannt – schreibt zum Gedichtband “Germanii”:

“Nachdem du nur ein paar Gedichte gelesen hast, fängst du an die Welt mit den Augen von Vladislav Hristov zu sehen. In dieser Welt gibt es mehr Licht, deshalb fällt dir auf, was dir ansonsten entgeht, und du neigst dazu, in Fällen zu vergeben, in denen du sonst gnadenlos bist. Und während er Wahrheiten äußert, ohne große Hoffnung, aber auch ohne Angst, dass niemand sie hört, sind seine Worte nicht gewöhnlich. Sie kommen aus Tiefen, aus denen nur das echte poetische Gefühl sie hervorzubringen vermag.”

Eine kurze, aber interessante Besprechung von Buchbloggerin Lizzy Siddal findet sich auf ihrer Website “Lizzy’s Literary World“.  

Es stehen noch ein paar Besprechungsexemplare bereit; bei konkretem Interesse bitte eine kurze Nachricht an mich.

© Thomas Hübner and mytwostotinki.com, 2014-8. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without expressed and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Thomas Hübner and mytwostotinki.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

 


New Social Poetry from Bulgaria

There are not really a lot of poetry collections or anthologies by Bulgarian authors available in English. Therefore I take the opportunity to let those readers with an interest in poetry, or in Bulgarian literature, know that these days a new anthology with poetry by contemporary authors from Bulgaria has seen the light.  

New Social Poetry: The Anthology, translated by Christopher Buxton, is comprised of texts by a wide range of authors, some of them well-known in Bulgaria since decades, some of them very young and at the beginning of their poetic journey. The following authors participate in the anthology:  Zlatomir Zlatanov, Alexander Nikolov, Ani Ilkov, Atanas Petrov, Vania Valkova, Ventsislav Arnaoudov, Violeta Zlatareva, Vladimir Sabourín, Gancho Petrishki, Dilyana Parvanova, Ileana Stoyanova, Kiril Vassilev, Kristina Krumova, Marco Vidal, Michaela Angelova, Nikolaj Bojkov, Nikolay Fenerski, Plamena Girginova, Rositsa Bakalova, Ruzha Velcheva, Teodora Taneva, Thomas Hübner, Christina Vassileva. The title of the anthology refers to a literary movement that was founded 2016 in Sofia, and to the literary journal of the same name.  

I should mention in this context that the initiator of New Social Poetry, Vladimir Sabourin, recently published a book that deals with the origins of this literary movement: Towards a New Social Poetry: Aesthetico-political Theses (also translated by Christopher Buxton), an interesting and controversial essay, whose core, the Manifesto for New Social Poetry created quite an uproar in literary circles in Bulgaria, mainly because it was considered as a frontal attack against the literary establishment in Bulgaria and a type of literature that the author refers to as “lifestyle literature”. 

Alexander Nikolov, Atanas Petrov, Vania Valkova, Ivan Marinov, Kristina Krumova,  Ventsislav Arnaoudov, Vladimir Sabourín, Nikolay Fenerski, Christina Vassileva (eds.): New Social Poetry: The Anthology, translated by Christopher Buxton, CreateSpace 2018

Vladimir Sabourin: Towards a New Social Poetry: Aesthetico-political Theses,      translated by Christopher Buxton, CreateSpace 2018 

Both books are available at Amazon in printed form, the latter also as e-book. 

© Thomas Hübner and mytwostotinki.com, 2014-8. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without expressed and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Thomas Hübner and mytwostotinki.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

 


fünf gedichte / пет стихотворения

In die Septemberausgabe der bulgarischen Literaturzeitschrift “Нова социална поезия”(Neue Soziale Poesie) wurden fünf meiner Gedichte aufgenommen, in der ausgezeichneten Übersetzung des Dichters und Literaturwissenschaftlers Vladimir Sabourin, der für diese Ausgabe auch Texte von Heiner Müller übersetzt hat. Herzlichen Dank, lieber Vladimir!

В Септемврийския брой на сп. “Нова социална поезия” има пет стихотворения от мен, в превод на Vladimir Sabourin на кого съм много благодарен за публикуването и отличния превод. 

© Thomas Hübner and mytwostotinki.com, 2014-7. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without expressed and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Thomas Hübner and mytwostotinki.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Wie man in Berlin mit dem Poetik-Preisträger Eugen Gomringer umgeht

Berlin ist eine bemerkenswerte Stadt. Eine Stadt, in der man seit vielen Jahren unter Vernichtung von Milliarden an Steuermitteln vergeblich versucht, einen Flughafen zu bauen. Eine Stadt auch, in der es eine Hochschule gibt, die den Dichter Eugen Gomringer erst mit einem Poetik-Preis auszeichnet und die danach das so ausgezeichnete Gedicht von der Fassade der Hochschulfassade, wo es zu lesen war, wieder entfernen lässt, und zwar mit einer geradezu absurden, den Preisträger und sein Werk verhöhnenden Begründung.

Wenn die Leute vom Asta der Alice-Salomon-Hochschule repräsentativ für ihre Kommilitonen sind, muss man leider befürchten, dass da eine Generation verklemmter und bornierter Spiessbürger an deutschen Unis heranwächst, die sich in ihrer Dummheit und Selbstgefälligkeit nur schwer ertragen lässt. Hauptqualifikation: Unfähigkeit, verständig lesen zu können in Kombination mit pseudomoralischer Überheblichkeit. Früher hiess das “gesundes Volksempfinden”, und es war nichts anderes als die Diktatur derjenigen, die sich immer und überall beleidigt und provoziert fühlten – durch die Intelligenteren, besser Ausgebildeten, Erfolgreicheren, Schöneren, Weltgewandteren, Begabteren. 

“Nichts gibt so sehr das Gefühl der Unendlichkeit als wie Dummheit.” (Ödön von Horvath) 

© Thomas Hübner and mytwostotinki.com, 2014-7. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without expressed and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Thomas Hübner and mytwostotinki.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Snowy landscape with R.W.

Snowy landscape with R.W.
 
The photo, black and white
At first glance apparently nothing special on it
For a Christmas day in the mountains
A snow landscape
Which you probably crossed despite your age
With powerful space-grabbing steps
The railing
To which you probably did not hold on
The firm and secure imprints of your winter boots
Which were the only luxury you have ever had
Well-earned after years of work
While washing the tables in the asylum for the insane 
And while sticking bags
A more useful occupation than writing books
(Your last one found exactly seventeen buyers)
Like the characters from your works
You had the madness already left behind
And you had been healed
As the hat was rolling from your head
And came to lie next to your body
In the snow 
(My translation of a poem originally published in German)
© Thomas Hübner and mytwostotinki.com, 2014-7. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without expressed and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Thomas Hübner and mytwostotinki.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Visiting a painter’s studio

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to visit the painter Dmitrie Peicev (Димитър Пейчев) in his studio in Chisinau. Peicev was born 1943 in Burgugi, a Bulgarian village in the Budzhak region, the part of Bessarabia that belongs now to Ukraine (Odesa oblast). He received his artistic education in Chisinau and Moscow. The influence of the French impressionists, Courbet and of his teacher (and father-in-law) Mihai Grecu is visible in many of his paintings, although Peicev has his own distinctive style.

Peicev is also a poet. He has published three collections of poetry in his native language in Bulgaria. A fourth collection is in preparation. Many of his poems circle around childhood memories from his beloved Budzhak.

It was supposed to be a friendly, short visit; but we ended up (supported by some Moldovan wine) to discuss for about six hours a big variety of topics from the world of art, poetry, and life in general. For me it was particularly interesting to learn about the life of the Bulgarian minority in the region and their history and culture. And of course it was an opportunity to see quite a number of his artworks, mainly from recent years; portraits, landscapes, still lives.

Although the artist, a very humble person, who didn’t say anything bad about anyone during our meeting, has done a lot of efforts to keep his Bulgarian identity and to keep the Bulgarian community in the region together, I had the feeling that his experiences in Bulgaria were a bit mixed (to say it friendly). While he has some close friends in Bulgaria and spoke very fondly of his visits there, he is not very well known in Bulgaria, and a big exhibition tour years ago ended in a disaster for the artist: most of his 80 paintings exhibited there were stolen, and his experiences with Bulgarian art galleries (and the customs) were not of the kind that make him very eager to exhibit again in Bulgaria. Still, I hope that one day we will see a big exhibition of his artworks in Bulgaria.

The friendly artist suggested to paint my portrait; although vanity is usually not one of my sins, I am considering it…

I truly enjoyed to meet such an interesting person! My special thanks goes to my friend Kate Baklitskaya, who not only introduced me to the artist, but who was also brave enough to listen for the biggest part of the visit to our conversation in Bulgarian.

Some works of Dmitrie Peicev:

© Thomas Hübner and mytwostotinki.com, 2014-7. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without expressed and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Thomas Hübner and mytwostotinki.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
© Dmitrie Peicev and National Museum of Art Moldova, Chisinau, 2010-2017

Another case of the “Emperor’s new clothes”

Even a well-meaning reader can hardly consider this book as something else as an immature and narcissistic collection of clichés and of not very cleverly disguised and recycled “findings” from the works of other poets (and songwriters). I feel pity for the young author. If his aim was to make himself a name as a poet, then he was obviously ill-advised to get this rather embarrassing book published at all.

I wouldn’t have bothered to comment on this book if it wasn’t for the extreme media hype around it and its author in his home country. Another case of the “Emperor’s new clothes” in my opinion.

Нощта е действие

Илиян Любомиров: Нощта е действие (Iliyan Lyobumirov: Noshtta e dejstvie), Janet-45, Plovdiv 2014

© Thomas Hübner and mytwostotinki.com, 2014-7. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without  expressed and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Thomas Hübner and mytwostotinki.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

A Business Trip to Sweden

“Since he had to go on a business trip to Sweden anyway, he decided to use this opportunity to finally get rid of some rather annoying obligation, and to pick up that silly medal from those pedantic academics who were permanently pestering him on the phone and via the media…”

© Thomas Hübner and mytwostotinki.com, 2014-7. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without expressed and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Thomas Hübner and mytwostotinki.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Vasil Praskov: feiertage

feiertage

am 1. mai
lesen die anarchisten tschechow

die dame führt ihr hündchen vor
trägt einen beutel für die scheisse

am 1. juni bringe ich mich um

———————————-

празници

на 1 май
анархистите четат чехов

дамата извежда кученцето
носи пликче за лайната

на 1 юни се самоубивам

 

Übersetzung aus dem Bulgarischen von Thomas Hübner

Васил Прасков. Слабини

Vasil Praskov: Slabini (Васил Прасков: Слабини), Pergament, Sofia 2015

© Thomas Hübner and mytwostotinki.com, 2014-7. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without expressed and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Thomas Hübner and mytwostotinki.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.