Patras World Poetry Festival 2021

4th “Patras World Poetry Festival 2021

13^th - 19^th of December

LIVE & ON LINE EVENTS

This year, the 4^th “Patras World Poetry Festival” boasts a variety of original literary events taking place between the 13^th and 19^th of December 2021, hosting a total of 70 poets from 20 different countries.

The occasion of a calendar year combining on one hand the memory of the Greek people’s fight for freedom, and on the other hand the contemporary experience of confinement, led us to this year’s thematic center: “CONFINEMENT-FREEDOM-HUMAN REVOLUTIONS”. We bring novel aims and ideas, along with a greater and more essential need for expression, synergy and communication.

For 2021, the festival’s programme will be extended from 4 days to 7, hosting a multitude of events for audiences and participants both Greek and foreign, raising the bar and aiming to establish a tradition of cultural celebration.

This year too, for its most part, the Festival will be held online, a blended programme combining physical and online activities as adjusted to Covid-19 regulations, in a shifting terrain of cultural events during the pandemic.

The events of the week’s programme will take place in three (3) different places in Patras, each one of them a space for hosting cultural events. The events will be broadcasted ONLINE on the website www.culturebook.gr including both main and side events:

Main Events:

15^th-18^th December 2021

Five (5) Online Poetry Meetings including Readings and Roundtables: There will be lecterns where the guest poets will be presented; their works will be read (in 2 languages). The guest poets will also participate in the roundtables and discuss topics revolving around poetry and criticism.

18^th December 2021

Online Award Ceremony for the Greek “Jean Moréas” Poetry Award for 2021: The annual ceremony for the “Jean Moréas” Awards for Greek poetic art and production in its entire spectrum.

16^th December 2021

Newcomer Poet Marathon: A night of presentations and readings of new poets, combining physical and online presence.

Parallel Events: (11^th -19^th of December 2021)

Festival Anthology: Limited trilingual book edition plus eBook.
Online shows:
#meet_the_poets: tributes and interviews online at the culturebook.gr channel.
#videopoetry: presentation of video-poetry online.
Poetry Set to Singing: music radio tributes to poetry set to singing.
Exhibitions:
Poetry exhibition: presenting the works of poetry
Book exhibition of Newcomer Poets: presenting poetry collection books from new poets; participation from established poets and publishing houses.
Art Exhibition: “CONFINEMENT-FREEDOM-HUMAN REVOLUTIONS”
Poetry Alley: Presentation of poets and poems (the ones participating in the festival) on a central pedestrian precinct of Patras.

During both the physical and the online events, there will be participation from internationally acclaimed academics, novelists, critics, and representatives of institutions.

The Patras World Poetry Festival 2021 is organized by the “Grafeion Poiiseos” Poetry Foundation, the literary website Culture Book (culturebook.gr), while it is annually held under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Tourism*. The festival’s events are supported by the Greek Library of London, the University of Western Macedonia, the Hellenic Open University and many other esteemed institutions, since the festival takes place under the aegis of the Hellenic Republic’s President.

The Patras World Poetry Festival is one of the largest literary institutions in Greece, certainly the largest of its whole region, and it has already drawn attention amongst esteemed festivals internationally. Every year, the city of Patras hosts important figures of world literature and offers a richness of events, including poetry readings, seminars and cultural activities. The festival’s vision is to promote Greek literary expression worldwide and turn this capital of Western Greece into a European center for literary studies. Through its actions, the festival communicates with various departments of Greek literary studies all over the world and it chronicles contemporary poetic expression.

A detailed programme will soon be posted on the festival’s website www.culturebook.gr.

Sincerely,

On behalf of the Scholarly Representatives

Kotopoulos H. Triantafyllos

Chair of the “Patras World Poetry Festival”

Skiathas D. Antonis

Chair of the “Grafeion Poiiseos” Poetry Fountation

---

EVENT MANAGER

Maria Alaniadi

Communication:

poetryfestival@culturebook.gr

grafeion.poihseos@culturebook.gr

Archival content available on www.culturebook.gr

Marija Dejanović, Croatia

Patras World Poetry Festival PWPF 2021 Participants

Κυριακή, 05 Δεκεμβρίου 2021

0 Σχόλια

Marija Dejanović, Croatia

The Poems

Aubade

Aubade is a buffalo
It unwraps its horns like a lotus
and water is dew, strewn with a faint
twist of the neck. This mist forms a thin
dense layer of fur that trails its spine
like a white deer trails traffic
when it is snowing
The white petals of a lotus

or
white blood cells, like pearl necklaces
which hang from roofs when it turns cold
Aubade rushes and races with its brief
darting haste
like the life of a white rabbit
and other white animals

Aubade: the only part of the scene that is brown

Everything else is white, wherever
the round rifle of the eye
beneath its thin frosty membrane
can perform the splits
Brown is only a tree with four roots
and two branches

I do not know why, but aubade

reminded me of the juggler
who waits for the traffic lights
to turn green. He then hurls
dusty tennis balls
ball by ball
like large, smooth walnuts
dum
If one were to drop on the road
it would roll beneath a car waiting for its mark
and ruin the day
This way, make no mistake
There is no mud on its hands

My love is
a hunter that aims
for the empty space between two horns

(translated by Hana Samaržija)

Εωθινό

Το εωθινό είναι βίσονας
Ξεδιπλώνει τα κέρατά του σαν λωτός
και το νερό είναι πάχνη, σκορπισμένη με ελαφριά
στροφή του λαιμού. Αυτή η αχλή συγκεντρώνεται σ' ένα λεπτό
πυκνό τρίχωμα που ακολουθεί τη ραχοκοκαλιά
σαν λευκό ελάφι που ακολουθεί την κίνηση στους δρόμους
όταν χιονίζει
Τα λευκά πέταλα του λωτού
ή
λευκά αιμοσφαίρια, σαν μαργαριταρένια περιδέραια
που κρέμονται απ' τις στέγες όταν πέφτει παγωνιά
Η ανάσα του εωθινού ορμάει βολίδα με συνοπτική
σαν βέλος βιασύνη
σαν τη ζωή λευκού κούνελου
και άλλων λευκών ζώων

Εωθινό: είναι το μόνο σημείο της εικόνας που είναι καστανό
Όλα τα άλλα είναι παντού λευκά
όπου η μικρή καραμπίνα του ματιού
καλυμμένη με λεπτή μεμβράνη δρόσου
μπορεί να ακροβατήσει
Το καστανό είναι το μόνο δέντρο με τέσσερις ρίζες
και δυο κλαδιά

Δεν ξέρω γιατί, το εωθινό
μου θύμισε ζογκλέρ
που περιμένει στα φανάρια
το πράσινο για τους πεζούς. Μετά αρχίζει να εκσφενδονίζει
σκονισμένα μπαλάκια του τένις
ένα ένα
σαν μεγάλα, λεία καρύδια
ντουπ
Αν κάποιο έπεφτε στο βρεγμένο δρόμο
θα κυλούσε κάτω από αυτοκίνητο έτοιμο να ξεκινήσει
και θα κατέστρεφε τη μέρα
Αλλά μ' αυτόν τον τρόπο δεν γίνεται λάθος
Δε μένει λάσπη στα χέρια

Ο έρωτάς μου είναι
κυνηγός που σημαδεύει
το κενό ανάμεσα σε δυο κέρατα

(translated by Memi Katsoni)

Aubade

Aubade je bizon
Rastvara svoje rogove kao lopoč
a voda je rosa ishlapjela uslijed pokreta vrata
prema gore. Ta izmaglica skuplja se u uskom
uzdignutom sloju krzna koje prati kralježnicu
kao bijeli jelen cestovni promet
kad pada snijeg
Bijele latice lotosa

ili
bijela krvna zrnca kao niske od bisera
koje vise sa krovova kad je hladno
Aubade-dah zaleti se i pojuri svojim kratkim
strelovitim letom
moguće kao život bijelog zeca
i ostalih bijelih životinja

Aubade: jedino je on u cijelom prizoru smeđ

Sve je ostalo bijelo, svugdje
gdje god malena puška oka
presvučenog tankom mrazovom opnom
može načiniti trapez
Jedino je smeđe stablo s četiri korijena
i sa dvije grane

Ne znam zašto, aubade

me podsjetio na žonglera
koji čeka da se na pješačkom prijelazu
pojavi zeleno svjetlo. Zatim počne bacati u zrak
prašnjave teniske lopte
kuglu po kuglu
nalik na velike, pretjerano pravilne orahe
tup
Kad bi bar jedna ispala na mokru cestu
otkotrljala bi se pod haube auta
koji čekaju znak da krenu
i dan bi bio osiromašen

Ovako, nema greške
Nema blata na rukama

Moja je ljubav
lovac koji nišani
u prazan prostor između rogova

* * *

Tracing Straight Lines

Yellow inertia of arrival
of fruits, apples, pears
sprouted from a stone that was dug in like a heel
swam out of water

All fruit is yellow
and appears only in hints
thickness of noon approaches us like a tame train
regularly, with delicate deviations
and warns us to be careful
with mild smiles
clean surfaces, and heated steel hearts
ready to smother snakes with shovels
and to seek them under every stone

She has fireproof hands, and
hides them in the oven like a snake hides its legs
stretches her neck, scalp and chin tracing straight lines
and searches the sky for scars
coming out the backs of planes

She can't burn herself on me
she can't learn my name
Our irises are fixed within eyelashes
that calibrate like flower buds
buds of May
escorting heads and tails

I'm so happy to have you
you stole a part of the car so nobody could drive it
and now you are hitchhiking, wondering
whether it was worth it

Your grassy tongue hides lies
sweet, summery slights that enable you to love me

When you melt my name in your mouth
I'd swear it's not my name
When your mouth kisses my cheek
I'd swear it's not my cheek

(translated by Hana Samaržija)

Χαράζοντας ευθείες γραμμές

Η κίτρινη αδράνεια της άφιξης
φρούτων, μήλων κι αχλαδιών
που βλασταίνουν από πέτρα μπηγμένη βαθιά σαν τακούνι
βγήκε κολυμπώντας απ' το νερό

Όλα τα φρούτα είναι κίτρινα
κι εμφανίζονται μόνο σαν νύξεις
η πυκνότητα του μεσημεριού μας πλησιάζει σαν τιθασευμένο τρένο
συστηματικά, με λεπτές αποκλίσεις

και μας συμβουλεύει να είμαστε προσεκτικοί
με ελαφρά χαμόγελα
καθαρές επιφάνειες και θερμαινόμενες ατσάλινες καρδιές
έτοιμοι να λιώσουμε φίδια με φτυάρια
και να τα ξετρυπώσουμε κάτω από κάθε πέτρα

Εκείνη έχει χέρια πυρίμαχα και
τα κρύβει στο φούρνο όπως το φίδι κρύβει τα πόδια του
τεντώνει το λαιμό της, κρανίο και πιγούνι μια ευθεία
και εξετάζει τον ουρανό για ουλές
από τις ράχες των αεροπλάνων

Δεν μπορεί να χαράξει πάνω μου τα πύρινα σημάδια της
δεν μπορεί να μάθει το όνομά μου
Οι ίριδες μας ορίζονται από βλεφαρίδες
που βαθμονομούν σαν μπουμπούκια
μπουμπούκια του Μαΐου
όταν συνοδεύουν κορόνα και γράμματα

Είμαι τόσο ευτυχισμένη που σ' έχω
έκλεψες ένα κομμάτι από το αυτοκίνητο
κι έτσι κανείς δεν μπορεί να το οδηγήσει
και τώρα κάνεις οτοστόπ κι αναρωτιέσαι
αν άξιζε τον κόπο

Η γρασιδένια γλώσσα σου κρύβει ψέμματα
γλυκές καλοκαιρινές προσβολές που σε βοηθούν να μ' αγαπήσεις

Όταν λιώνεις το όνομά μου στο στόμα σου
θα 'παιρνα όρκο πως δεν είναι το όνομά μου
Όταν το στόμα σου φιλάει το μάγουλό μου
θα 'παιρνα όρκο πως δεν είναι το μάγουλό μου

(Translated by Memi Katsoni)

Pravilne linije

Žuta tromost dolaska
plodova drveća, jabuka, krušaka
izniknula je iz kamena ukopanog kao peta
isplivala iz vode

Svo je voće žuto
i pojavljuje se samo u naznakama
debljina podneva prilazi nam kao pitomi vlak
redovito, s blagim odstupanjima
i upozorava nas da moramo biti oprezni
blago nasmiješeni
čiste površine i metalnog, zagrijanog srca
spremni da motikom zatučemo bjelouške
i u pretrazi prevrnemo svaki kamen

Ona ima vatrostalne ruke
skriva ih u pećnici kao zmija noge
isteže vrat, tjeme i bradu slijedeći pravilne linije
prati na nebu male ožiljke
ispuštene iz stražnjice aviona

Ne može se na mene opeći
ne može mi saznati ime
Zjenice su nam fiksirane, uokvirene trepavicama
koje kalibriraju kao pupoljci
pupoljci svibanjski
pogledom ispraćaju noge i glave

Tako sam sretna što te imam
ukrala si dio auta samo da ga ne može nitko voziti
i sad autostopiraš, misleći
što li mi je sve to trebalo

Travnati ti jezik skriva laži
slatke, ljetne preinake kako bi me više voljela

Kad u ustima topiš moje ime
zaklela bih se da je to neko drugo ime
Kad mi ustima ljubiš obraz
zaklela bih se
da to nije moj obraz

The Poet

Marija Dejanović (1992) is a poet and a playwright. She studied Comparative literature and Pedagogy (University of Zagreb). She lives between Zagreb, Croatia, and Larissa, Greece. She has published three poetry books: 2018 - Etika kruha i konja (Goran award for young poets; Kvirin award for young poets);
2019 – Središnji god (Zdravko Pucak award for young poets); 2021 – Dobrota razdvaja dan i noć (shortlisted for the biggest Croatian award for poetry, Tin Ujević), and a theatre play Ne moramo više govoriti, svi su otišli (Marin Držić award for the year 2020 by the Croatian Ministry of Culture). Single poems by the author were awarded the first place Milo Bošković award (2021) and the second place DiBiase Poetry Contest award (2021). A trilingual selection of her latest poetry Ορατο Οστο was published in Greece (2020, Κύκλος Ποιητών). Translated poems by the author were published in around 15 world languages. She is a member of the Croatian Writers' Society, Croatian PEN Centre, and international poets' and festivals' platform Versopolis. She's one of the editors of Tema magazine and assistant director of Πανθεσσαλικό Φεστιβάλ Ποίησης.