Several poets from twelve countries, from three continents, will participate, between October 29 and 31, in the 11th edition of the "Poets in Transylvania" international poetry festival, the organizers inform on Friday, through a press release, inform agerpres.ro.
"This year's edition brings to Sibiu important poets of today's international literature, poets from 12 countries, from three continents: the United States of America, Ukraine, Canada, Mexico, Colombia, Belgium, Poland, Slovenia, Germany, Ireland, the Republic of Moldova and Romania. (...) The list of guests of this year's edition includes outstanding poets, laureates of prestigious international awards, successfully translated by well-known publishing houses from all over the world, who are constantly invited to international festivals dedicated to poetry, many of them holding important positions within international writers' organizations or conducting a rich research activity at the most important universities in the world. Thus, the guests of this edition teach at prestigious universities in the United States, Canada or Great Britain, led PEN Ukraine during the war of aggression of Russia, published at such prestigious publishing houses as Random House, Penguin, HarperCollins, Norton, Yale University Press, Bloodaxe, and received highly coveted awards such as that granted by American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Pulitzer, National Endowment for the Arts, Guggenheim or National Book Award," reads the press release.
A special moment in the programme of the festival will be marked by the meeting of poetry and visual arts on Thursday, when poets can draw on the wall at the "Radu Stanca" National Theatre in Sibiu, also called the Horizontal Newspaper. It is about the wall used as a "horizontal newspaper" on which Dan Perjovschi draws his reactions to public discussions, both national and international.
"There is always talk, rightly, about the disintegration of the social fabric, about individual atomization, about isolation, about the epidemic of loneliness that is responsible for planetary depression and, equally, for radicalization of all kinds. Poetry is one of the most effective technologies that the species has invented against loneliness. No one has built communities more effectively than poetry: from the ritual sacraments that bound the tribe to the nation building of the 19th century, poetry has catalyzed rapprochement with an extraordinary efficiency. The poetry festivals do precisely that: they are verbal technologies to build communities - and to drive away loneliness. They are proof that the other exists. And that his specific difference is wonderful. Come to 'Poets in Transylvania' - and you will be convinced," said writer Radu Vancu, the president of the festival.
As in the previous editions, the festival has three important specific sections: one for readings, intended for the general public, another for debates on the connection between the arts and social action, as well as a programme of meetings with writers intended primarily for the young public.
The section on Art and Social Action, carried out in the last editions in collaboration with PEN Romania, will be consolidated in the current edition by inviting the ex-president of PEN Ukraine, the renowned Ukrainian novelist Andrei Kurkov, laureate of the Medicis Prize this year, nominated for Booker International (from whose jury he was a part of), whose 20 novels have been translated into over 40 languages.
The topic of discussion will be "Art as a Witness. Literature and Music in Times of War." Along with Andrei Kurkov, Carolyn Forche, Oleksandr Krasovytskyy, Lloyd Schwartz will also participate in the discussion.
A series of related events, intended primarily for the young public - students, high school students, but also the general public, will take place at the ASTRA County Library. The first of these features Romanian poet Rita Chirian. The following events in this series bring Romanian poets Andrei Codrescu and Marin Malaicu-Hondrari in front of the public.
"Poets in Transylvania" - The International Poetry Festival from Sibiu is organized by the ASTRA Museum and the Transilvania magazine [Revista Transilvania - in Romanian], with help from the Sibiu City Hall and in partnership with the Sibiu-vased Lucian Blaga University.