Harbor to harbor in the bookworm

A presentation in German and English in Strasbourg, France in the Bookworm, the English-American Bookshop is an intimate affair. The small bookshop however makes the poets get close to their listeners, who thus also lend their deepest attention. It was a warm revisiting of place and people.

It was the French presentation of Sounds of Harbour, by six poets and Felsenleiter, written by Fred Schywek. The bi-lingual experiment worked also between the German poems and its English translation. The listeners were, among others, deeply impressed by 'Wenn mann nichts hat'
When Fred read from Felsenleiter, there was absolute silence and concentration... Also acknowledgement of the quality of his writing.

es wird licht

ein lichter Wald

eine Rohre mit Abstand

von Wand zu Wand

von Baum zu Baum

in dieser Nacht

ist alles möglich

Oh,

es wird licht hier.
*

it’s becoming light

a light forest

a tube with distance

from wall to wall

from tree to tree

in this night

all is possible

Oh.

it’s becoming light here.

***

Furthermore, the anthology 'Love in Holland and Flanders' was presented and poems were offered from 'Werkwoorden, Werkworte, Workbook' 
With one of the poems, the owner of the shop burst into tears, asked the text and had mailed it to the other end of the world by the end of the poetry evening:

Early morn

when summer

breaks

into autumn

The first

I saw

   was Thee

The first I

   felt

   smelt

the first

I became

   was we

*

All this was the last event in the year of Ruhrgebiet 2010, European Capital of Culture , organized by Fred Schywek. Yet expect more poetic action next year.

Flußschiffahrt

 Strasbourg: The Bookworm, Wednesday November 24, 2010, rue de Pâques.  You are invited!

 In the framework of Ruhr area 2010, European Capital of Culture an independent, original translation project was started by Fred Schywek under the name Flußschiffahrt. Fred Schywek, poet, publisher and translator in this project into German and Annmarie Sauer, poet and translator into Dutch and  English present a midway revue of poetry that will or has found it's place in Flußschiffahrt. They will read from two anthologies Hafenklänge Havenklanken Sounds of Harbour and  Die Liebe in Holland und Flandern De Liefde in Holland en Vlaanderen Love in Holland and Flanders. The Sounds of Harbour consists of poetry by six poets from 4 countries fascinated by ports and water, each dealing in a highly personal way with the subject. From light haerted to historic, from longing to loss, you'll find it in this elegant volume. One poem is written by all six poets under the name Charles Kléber. The book about love has one poem in three languages by nine poetesses from yes Holland and Flanders.

Two other books will also be presented: Felsenleiter by Fred Schywek, with a first performance of some of his poetry in English as a preview to the later publication of the bilingual Rock Stairs Felsenleiter. The poetry is personal and political, critical and tender. Schywek's style is powerful by its originality and will make you feel and think. He also questions language itself. Quite a ride!

Werkwoorden Werkworte Workbook is the last book by Annmarie Sauer, she made it as a farewell present to her colleagues. You find a lot places in Europe and Africa, personal musings inspired by a view or a word while working for the European Parliament, without ever writing about the Parliament itself. She wanted to show her colleagues their world through her eyes. Mainly written in Dutch and English but also some German.

Both poets are good performers and do think about how to present poetry in a multilingual setting. They are looking forward to this European safe haven in Strasbourg and hope to talk to you all after the reading.  

This is their last performance in 2010 Ruhr area Capital of European Culture year.

You can read about the three day Festival they organized at www.Dichtkunst.eu

and Salon12b.blogspot.com

Two musicians, one a poet

Here the incredible duo enjoyed by all: Lucienne Stassaert, the Grande Dame of Poetry reading from the cycle: Long enough.
It is a heart wrenching end of love situation, sharply formulated, merciless in its honesty.

One of Lucienne's poetry's strong points is the rhythm. She played even in the Queen Elizabeth competition. When proofreading a translation of her work, she will try out the cadence of the new coat for her feelings and thoughts.

Here she plays with her friend Jean Demey.

  pictures: © Bram Goots


Jean  does grand improvisations.
That is how we met. He has a feel for the moods and the color of the words. His playing with Lucienne's words was in different shades of blues. in the past  he performed with poets as Paul Snoek, Hugo Raes, Willem Roggeman, Cees Buddingh and Gust Gils,

*

Lang genoeg

I

Lang genoeg quatre-mains gespeeld

zonder één keer op te kijken,

na te gaan zoals Orfeus

of mijn lief al dan niet nog bestond.

Lang genoeg bij hoge noten

een bas gemist bij het samenspel

om de toonloze stilten te wegen

vóór en na de kleine dood.

Jodelen kon. En zich te pletter ademen

zoals minnaars op het hoogst van de min

in volle vlam uit het licht vallen

en in den blinde uit elkaar.

Tot op een zeker zwart-wit moment,

juist afgesteld en gekadreerd,

de waarheid als een inmaakbom

van verrot fruit aan scherven sprong:

Hij speelde al jaren niet meer mee.

*

Long enough

I

Played a duet long enough

without looking up once,

checking as Orpheus
whether or not my lover still existed.

Long enough with high notes
missed a bass in this ensemble
to weigh the toneless silences
before and after la petite mort.

Yodelling possible. Breathing oneself to pieces
as lovers at the height of ardour
in full flame fall out of the light
blindly fall apart.

Till a certain black/white moment,
correctly focused and framed,
the truth like a preserving bottle bomb
of rotten fruit exploding in shards:

He hadn’t played along for years.

Rose Vandewalle here in the studio when we recorded the poems included in the different anthologies we are working on. Her she is reading her poems from Love in Holland and Flanders. She reads in a fragile, faltering voice which renders all the emotion that went into the writing of the poem. During the evening at the Permeke library she read Always at the bottom of the steep stairs

So today I post another of her love poems.
Wanneer ik zijn kamer betreed
valt op hoe overstuur hij is
zijn ogen schichtige vissen in een vijver

hij kan me niet meer thuisbrengen
geeft na enig aarzelen toe dat dit
de heerlijkste dag is van zijn leven

nu ik hem kom bevrijden
en hij reikt me zijn pols
waarrond de band met identificatie

dat het oorlog is, verkondigt hij
en hij met eigen ogen heeft gezien
hoe mensen om zich heen

gebrandmerkt en afgevoerd werden
tranen van angst slaan om
in tranen van vreugde
*
Wenn ich seine Kammer betrete
fällts auf wie durcheinander er ist
seine Augen kopfscheue Fische in einem Teich

er kann mich nicht mehr nach Haus bringen
gibt nach einigem Schwanken zu daß dies
der herrlichste Tag seines Lebens

jetzt da ich komme ihn zu befreien
und er reicht mir seine Hand
worum das Band mit der Identifikation

daß es Krieg ist, verkündigt er
und er mit Augen gesehen hat
wie Menschen um ihn herum

gebrandmarkt und abgeführt werden
Tränen von Angst schlagen um
in Tränen aus Freude
*
When I enter his room
it's obvious how disturbed he is
his eyes shy fishes in a pond

he can not place me
admits after a few hesitations that this
is the most delightful day of his life

now I come to liberate him
and he offers me his wrist
around it his identification strip

that it is war, he declares
and that his own eyes have seen
how people around him

were branded and deported
tears of fear turn into
tears of joy

Three day Festival is over

This the official handing over picture of three books: The Anthology Die Liebe in Holland and Flanders,Liefde in Holland en Vlaanderen, Love in Holland and Flanders, Felsenleiter by Fred Schywek and Werkworte, Werkwoorden, workbook by Annmarie Sauer.

The Small festival of European poetry is over. The last night in the library went as well as the night in den Hopsack , last Thursday. The preparation for this festival took eight month of work, planning and thinking for the two organizers. The choice of poetry, the projection of translations in Dutch, German and English, the different ways of presenting the poetry, all was appreciated by the audience. As one of camera operator said, we offered something for the eye and the ear, had different duets who read together indifferent ways, simultaneous, whispering, interspersed lines.... One singer full of emotion and presence and one enjoying the acoustics and ringing out... People had been encouraged to do something with the presentation and many rose to the challenge performing with a base guitar, singing a tear-jerking harbor song with a guitar as the frivolous ending. One poem was danced... People were curious at what would happen next.So all was well. The picture above is Fred Schywek reading with Frank De Vos an Anti War Blues... In the next days I'll thank each poet and performer with a text and/or a picture. Five languages were used in the course of the night...

Love in Holland and Flanders

 Today is the great day of  the Festival. Part of it, the third part is about 'Love' The poetesses will read poems  from the book Love in Holland and Flanders. It is the official international presentation of the book tonight. Yesterday in the studio 4 of the poetess read their complete contribution to the project. it went smoothly and the music with Lucienne Stassaerts poems sounds great. We'll have to see what we do with the material when it is complete. Many projects and thoughts.

3 pm building the stage, sound check and lights, working technical issues  for projections.
4 pm: general rehearsal...
7 pm: door s open to the public
8 pm: start with the song: Le poète a toujours raison...

Love in Holland and Flanders

This is the cover of Love in Holland and Flanders, a small edition with 9 poetesses and each one poem. Of course it is a tri-lingual publication. Since today it is available in Germany.

In  www.surf.to/program  for the Small Festival of European Poetry you click on the left side on 'Aktuelle Anthologie***
Die Liebe in Holland and Flandern.

Now follows a poem by Catharina Boer from this anthology.
EVENBEELD

In zo’n zwarte montycoat,
mijn haar woei uit een
capuchon, schooltas woog
als lood, gaat ze graatmager

op hoge wankelhakken.
Staat daar. Staart, mascaraveeg
traan of regen, in schrale
maandagnamiddag en wacht.

Met oordop, boek en liefdes-
verzen even zat, wacht ze.
tot hij komt, haar overkomt
en wat dan nog te dromen overblijft.

Zo haal ik haar in. Leen haar
mijn oud verhaal. Opdat zij
leest, herschrijft.
*
Ebenbild

In so einem Dufflecoat
mein Haar weht aus einer
Kapuze, Schultasche wog
wie Blei, geht sie grätenmager

auf hohen Wackelhacken.
Steht da. Starrend, Wimperntuschenschmiere
Tränen oder Regen, in Dürrheit
Montagnachmittag und wartet.

Mit Ohrenstöpseln, Buch und Liebes
Versen fast voll, wartet sie.
Bis er kommt, sie überkommt
und was dann noch zu träumen über bleibt.

So hole ich sie ein. Leihe ihr
meine alte Geschichte. Auf daß sie
liest, wieder neu schreibt.
*
LIKENESS

In one of those black Monty coats
my hair blown loose from a
hood, schoolbag heavy
as lead, she thin like a stick

on high wobbly heels.
Stands there. Stares, smudge of mascara
tear or rain, on a bleak
Monday afternoon and waits.

With earplug, book and love
poetry, a moment filled, she waits.
till he comes, overcomes her
and what then is still left to dream.

So I catch up with her. Lend her
my old story. So that she
reads, rewrites.
*