Translation has been such a profound way for me to channel Liliana Ursu’s suflet / soul, to journey into her memories, preoccupations, and observations so I can share her divine insights with more people. Collaborating closely with the author has deepened my understanding of her work. Liliana Ursu’s joy, wisdom, calm, clarity, and solace—all evident in this poem—are why she is one of Romania’s most beloved and renowned poets.
Adriana Oniță on "Only Yesterday" |
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Leeladhar Jagoori on Poetry in Hindi Literature
On his long overdue English-language debut, Leeladhar Jagoori talks about the background to his work. "In the 60s and 70s, poetry was about these haves and have nots. So in the 60s, and after, the topic of most poetry was want, lack, and the lives of those who were left behind, or left out, of society. More generally, you could say that back in those days, in the 70s, Hindi poetry was responding more to Indian violence and social chaos than Western points of reference."
via ASYMPTOTE |
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What Sparks Poetry:
Robert Pinsky on David Ferry's "Johnson on Pope"
"Tell all the truth but tell it slant—. The moment I begin saying to myself Emily Dickinson’s first line, my tongue flicks rapidly to the roof of my mouth for the first sound in the first word “Tell.” The same exact little movement happens at the end of the line’s last word, “slant.” In this pre-industrial, bodily way the reader becomes the poet’s instrument. In a way, it is as though they were one. But in another way, the bodily nature of the line enacts the double solitude: the reader’s body absolutely itself, utterly separate from the equally solitary poet who made the line: solitaria. Ferry’s poem is about the empathic loneliness Johnson’s prose suggests but cannot embody." |
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