DAY FIVE was was dominated by Austro-Hungarian participation.
The activities for the day opened with Viktor Horvath and Svetla Kyoseva – poet and translator, a Hungarian author and a Bulgarian translator. “My Tank” – the book they presented didn‘t sound with the same voice to everyone. The reactions to the novel were at the both poles – some were annoyed, others laughed. People with nostalgia for communism were annoyed, they felt that something wasn’t not quite right in the pathetic tone, and those laughing were the ones who felt the irony in it. “My Tank” takes place in 1968. and remembers of the events that took place in the Czech Republic at that time. Through the eyes of a young man, Moscow and the Kremlin are almost the roof of the world, an emanation of all which is great. As a translator for Janos Kader, the character is in the company of the leaders of the socialist camp. And then the show starts. The vocabulary of party leaders from the socialist sides takes us back to the times of clichés, the pattern and the reluctance of people to talk about the bad things or the happenings in life. From a façade point of view, life is more than good. Viktor Horvath calls this language “newspaper language” and admits that he has gathered words with full handfuls of old newspapers that have helped him immensely since. The author as a translator and the translator as author is a topic that is of great interest to people who make foreign literature accessible. In this sense, Svetla Kyoseva extracted one hundred percent of the irony of the admired young hero and the vocabulary of each of the party and state leaders.
This year, Austrian Peter Handke won the Nobel Prize for Literature. It is not unrealistic that one day the alpine country will again fight for it and then its carrier might be Elias Hirschl. Born in 1994, at the age of 25, he has the wisdom of a man who has lived twice as much on earth. He has published 4 novels so far. By the time that number turns four, which may be soon, he plans to release another one. But it is not quantity that matters. It is important to have insight into things that some people fall short of, others never. Elias Hirschl’s wisdom is in his nature. The richness of his language comes from reading. He reads Austrian authors, but increasingly turns to the world. As for the author’s verbal equilibrium, I offer an example from the novel “One Hundred Black Sewing Machines”: “This is not a bond that can be managed by man, but one which controls him. This is not a bond that two people maintain, but one between them. It causes both parties to stop loving each other, and in the name of love, they start to hate each other. ” Cool, right ?!
In another, quite different style, was the next reading. Sophie Reyer is a multifaceted talent with interests in fiction and poetry, theater and music. “Veza” is a novel in the process of writing, in which everything is in motion. The title is in motion as well. Veza is Elias Canetti’s first wife. She is a writer, author of two novels, also stories, but always remains in the shadow of the future Nobel laureate. His infidelities and love affairs have legends of their own. It is alleged that their marriage was for the purpose of leaving Austria, which began to persecute the Jews after the outbreak of World War II. Veza’s real name is Venetiana Calderon. Sophie Reyer offered the audience the text about the birth of Venetiana and the love that her parents welcome her with. Sophie Reyer is a workaholic who, when gets bored with something, immediately changes the genre. Most often with lyrics
Professor Vladimir Sabourin has collected the best of two nationalities, and this uniqueness in origin has no doubt led to his uniqueness as an author. His debut book is from the 90s of the last century and is called “Sex shop“. Over the years he has published more, mostly poetic ones. Translation is his other passion, which came to be as he re-read Bertolt Brecht. An author who in his school years Sabourin found boring. One day he rediscovered the works of Brecht, at the library of the newly opened Goethe Institute, to fall in love with his works forever. In 2016, he created the “New Social Poetry” movement, which had nothing to do with the old and the nomenclature during the time of socialism.
Together with the poet and multimedia designer Vanya Valkova, the two presented their “Manifesto of the New Social Poetry“. The views of the new social poets about what is beautiful are that its purpose is only to sell and the ugly in contrast is authentic and true. And let no one be fooled that current social poetry is focused on people’s poverty and afflictions. Its messages are quite different and anyone interested can look for the magazine of the same name first, and then go further with the books.
This was all from the 12th International Literature Festival in Ruse.
Goodbye and see you all next year at the same time!