Also on www.boloji.com

One can also read Three Contemporary Indian Poets -  poetry as an expression of beauty and protest by Patrick Sammut on:

http://www.boloji.com/index.cfm?md=Content&sd=Articles&ArticleID=15161

AND:

My Songs, a Poetry Collection by Arbind Kumar Choudhary on:


http://www.boloji.com/index.cfm?md=Content&sd=Articles&ArticleID=15159

SHADOWS OF THE REAL by K.K. Srivastava (2012) – A comment

Shadows of the Real is a collection of 63 poems written by poet K.K. Srivastava who hails from Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh. His are poems which occupy either small spaces (tercets, five to ten-liners, a page or two) or wider spaces (nine, sixteen or 17 page poems). Concision occupies one end; on the other end there is a train of contemplation which takes the reader to the deepest of tunnels of thought.

One of the first elements that strike the reader of this collection is the fact that Srivastava’s poetry is very profound, philosophical on the one hand, human and critical on the other. From the beginning Srivastava discusses “ontological dilemmas” and describes life as an “abysmal continuum” and writes about humankind’s “schematic perceptions”; man lives hand in hand with illusions (“We survive in mirrors/ having lived beyond oblivion”, A Mirror), also in a “maze of false/ starts and imperfect endings” (Our Being Us). In his descriptions of what makes us human beings, thus our being, Srivastava has no half measures but uncovers both negative and positive aspects: he writes about “the possibility of our being us/ a mere, simple coincidence” and about our life made up of fragments. This creates in us a sense of “sizzling hollowness”, of “nothingness”, fatalism, and disillusionment. In Lonely Travellers Go Astray we read that:

“Everything someday,

sometime becomes standstill,

in a lampless cell

Everything, someday,

comes to a halt, a standstill,

establishing their equation

with time.”

But “Our being us” is also “a perpetual renewal”, “a continuous flux – a moving horizon”, thus “being and becoming” (see Our Being Us). The former is linked to the poet’s deep sense of awe when faced with life. Srivastava tries to fill in the gaps (“holes in the wall”) of life’s “missing parts” by his profound verse. This links perfectly with Sealed Remembrance where Srivastava admits that “Sometimes our lunacies are our brightest spots”.

Such thoughts are also expressed in Time’s Emptiness. Life lasts only one second and this thought again creates a sense of futility, an inner “abyss”. Once again it is poetry that tries to give meaning to life and breadth to the reader. Poetry is an “iridescent/ light of intellectual apogee”, even “mental asylum” (Mental Asylum and Poetry). Thus words become meaning, life itself; words have more permanence than memories and life itself. Time is given an identity, animated through various images: “you have lived here, there, everywhere/ sightlessly rejoicing your divine gaze;/ Your owlish glasses”; or “An unknown nymph guards us”; or “An infinite living force/ your stillness moves everything else/ your stillness stands still”. Like life, even time has a paradoxical nature.

Srivastava analyses life from within and without. The poet becomes “An interpreter” who “seeks to look and feel inside” (Time’s Emptiness). Reading his poetry is like walking on a tight rope: the reader has to be attentive all the time or else he loses balance. No solutions are offered, but a sense of understanding of life with its contradictions and betrayals:

“Reality owns everything but in

Transmuted form;

Another day swings between

Trauma of being and

Greater trauma of becoming;

In between we journey into

Fraglity of dreamless sleep: life.” (Our Being Us)

We understand that being in this world is finite, but becoming is infinite. One may thus speculate that Srivastava fights strongly against this sense of being in order to enjoy a better becoming. Being is thus transitory and becoming becomes a destination.

One of Srivastava’s favourite poetic mecchanisms is playing on words which have deep meanings. There are numerous examples: “its permanence makes a being a becoming/ and becoming a being”; “Doubts have details/ details doubts” (On Being Us); “action stirs dream/dream stirs action/[...]passion stirs desire/ desire stirs passion” (Time’s Emptiness); “We time placements just as/ we place timings” (Faces). Other poetic mechanisms are the anaphora: “or an enigmatic irrationality/ or a treacherous self/ or a mixture of all three”; alliteration: “Endowed with inertia/ the existence of being/ an exteriority to itself” (On Being Us); “Hang heavily/ leftovers of/ hardened hours” (Between Night and Morning); “Open to opposing possibilities” (Faces); personification: “Night has just left me/ morning wears an unwashed dress” (Between Night and Morning); “Lonely lamp listens and waits” (A Sketch Made in December) ; imagery: “From within/ waves of forgotten horizons/ look for invisible anchors” (From Within); paradoxes: “night has arrived/ another chance/ to drown myself/ into my wakefulness” (An Insomniac’s Dilemma); oxymoron: “shimmering tombs” (A Mirror); internal rhyme: “every vision, a revision” (Through Time).

The poet also manages to give solidity, make tangible, abstract things such as the mind (“an amorphous collection/ of ruined realities,/ half-thought dreams”), decisions (“unreal stars/ on a dismal plain”), hopes (“Milky haze/ lingering, far off,/ shrouded mountains”), the day (“The day is like/ a rain coming in drops/ insufficient enough to swim/sink”), doubt, contemplation (“Something is always afoot/ knocks at the door”), melancholy (“Inconspicuous sense/ of worthlessness”), and success (“thin, long rope [...] an intriguing rope”), all these titles given to different poems. “Youth and old age” are “like next-door neighbours shunning each other” (Afternoon Musings).

Srivastava’s verse leaves the reader breathless as he/she comes face to face with harsh reality itself. All this is expressed in a clear language – which flows naturally and hand in hand with knowledge of us and what of lies around us - but with abyssal depths and levels of meaning. One can spend weeks pondering about lines such as the following: “Sagacious time – a hollow survivor”, or “Consciousness rips apart/ the dissolving streams of/ infinitum./ The wait continues...” (Time’s Emptiness). This kind of poetry is not only meaning to be uncovered, but also an inner experience and a search of what humankind truly is.

Love is another important theme in this collection. That Night is a poem about love, or about the need for the return of love. Night here comes to life as the poet is overwhelmed by memories of a mysterious “faceless woman”. Even in A Woman, love, sensuality, nature and finally, poetry itself, form one composition.

In Chanakya Puri of New Delhi the reader sees Srivastava as the observer of humankind – with its social class differences and opportunities - and other living creatures through time and space (Nehru park and Sarojini Nagar market). This is also an example of Srivastava’s socio-political verse in the widest of meanings:

“Empire,

dark, quite and unshakable

it give us songs

that have no note of

compassion, have no thoughts.”

Such world is a “headless world [that] has lost all its/ meanings”. Such meanings may be “discovered” every time humanity experiences a beggar’s death (A Beggar). Srivastava’s socio-political verse is strongly felt also in Faces where he writes about hypocrisy: “Our great strength;/ the still-life faces like/ skulls without jaws/ concealing deceitful jades in/ glamorous roles.”

Srivastava’s poems are not only works intended to be read and understood, but also compositions to be heard as each one has its music, its particular notes and sound. There is also the visual element: his verse creates beautiful cerebral images to watch and savour more than once because of their colours, shades and hues. There is beauty itself, even untimely wisdom, in Srivastava’s verse. There is poetry and beauty behind everyday happenings, many of which go unnoticed by the many (see Fog). Thus even small things acquire weight and meaning. At times these small things are placed in the foreground thanks to the acute eye of the poet. Through Srivastava’s eyes reality is described through a special lens which makes it look magical, profound at times mystical. Srivastava is the poet who has traveled long distances and feels that he has “nothing left to tell”. Is this knowledge that he has reached a final point, or that he has understood the essence of life? (Nothing Left To Tell)

This study can also be read on 

http://www.boloji.com/index.cfm?md=Content&sd=Articles&ArticleID=15155

PATRICK SAMMUT (Malta, November 2013)

Poems from Teresinka Pereira

That of Teresinka Pereira is beautiful poetry which speaks directly to the soul. She manages to concentrate so many thoughts and emotions in few lines. Poet and reader may be miles apart physically, but poetry makes them one whenever the latter reads it and lets it permeate him/her.

JUST POEMS

      

My poems come

from astonishment

but they are thoughts

thrilling with reason.

After I throw the verses

onto a white paper

my being rests in the shadow

while in my veins

the empty night flows

towards the dawn.

I desire to fly

to a distant place,

to visit friends with whom

I would look at the sad Moon

that dies alone

waiting for the Sun.

SHADOWS

      

The shadows

never mistaken!

They follow us

ready to take the

feet support

from the scaffold.

However, memory lasts,

and a kiss

in the past

resists all the reason

of time.

LEJLA F’ĠIEĦ KARMENU VASSALLO MILL-GĦAQDA POETI MALTIN

Nhar il-Ġimgħa, 18 ta’ Ottubru 2013, fis-6.30 pm, l-Għaqda Poeti Maltin tellgħet Lejla ta’ Poeżija f’ġieħ il-Poeta tan-Nirien, Karmenu Vassallo. Dan seħħ fir-Razzett tal-Markiż, Ċentru Nazzjonali tal-Kultura fil-Mosta, immexxi mill-Għaqda Filantropika Talent Mosti. Għal-lejla kienu preżenti tliet ulied ta’ Karmenu Vassallo, Oliver Paul, Nikol u Jane u familjari oħrajn. Il-President tal-Poeti Maltin, Charles Magro, fetaħ bid-diskors tiegħu u fakkar li Karmenu Vassallo hu fost il-poeti Romantiċi ewlenin. Fakkar ukoll li Karmenu Vassallo kien Membru Onorarju tal-Għaqda Poeti Maltin, fatt li kompla jgħolli l-prestiġju tal-Għaqda. Matul is-serata nqraw bijografija tal-Poeta, siltiet minn ittri li kienu ntbagħtu lilu minn kittieba u personalitajiet prominenti, u għadd ta’ poeżiji minn ġabriet differenti li Vassallo ppubblika, fosthom NIRIEN u TNEMNIM. Għas-serata kien preżenti Marcel Zammit Marmarà, studjuż u bijografu ta’ Vassallo, li tkellem dwar ir-relazzjoni tal-poeta mis-Siġġiewi mal-Poeta Nazzjonali, Dun Karm Psaila, u qara xi korrispondenza li kienet tgħaddi bejniethom. Tkellem ukoll dwar Vassallo ibnu Oliver Paul. Huwa fakkar f’kemm missieru kien perfezzjonista meta kien jikteb il-versi tiegħu u qara wkoll xi poeżiji tal-Poeta tan-Nirien. Kien hemm ukoll ħin għall-membri tal-Għaqda Poeti Maltin li qraw xi poeżiji ddedikati lil jew ispirati minn Karmenu Vassallo. Is-serata tmexxiet mill-PRO tal-Għaqda Poeti Maltin, Miriam Ellul, u l-intervalli mużikali ġew ipprovduti minn Ray Ellul. Wara kien hemm ukoll bibita li matulha dawk li attendew setgħu jitkellmu anki mal-familjari ta’ Karmenu Vassallo.

 Parti mill-pubbliku li attenda għas-serata Karmenu Vasallo

                                   Il-President tal-Għ.P.M., Charles Magro (xellug), u l-viċi-President,                                   Patrick Sammut (lemin) ma' wlied u familjari oħrajn ta' Karmenu Vassallo 

Iben Karmenu Vassallo, Oliver Paul, jaqra xi poeżiji ta' missieru.

Intervista mal-kittieb u poeta Għawdxi, Ġanninu Cremona

Ġanninu Cremona twieled fir-Rabat Għawdex fl-1926. Għallem f’diversi skejjel primarji ta’ Malta u Għawdex u kien ukoll surmast tal-Malti u tal-Istorja fil-Liċeo tar-Rabat Għawdex. Ħadem għal bosta snin fl-Oratorju Dun Bosco, fl-Azzjoni Kattolika, u anki fi ħdan is-Soċjetà Leone. Kiteb numru mdaqqas ta’ xogħlijiet għall-palk li bosta minnhom dehru fit-Teatru Aurora, fl-Oratorju Don Bosco u fl-Azzjoni Kattolika. Hu wkoll kittieb ta’ poeżiji u awtur tal-ġabriet  poetiċi Warda Sbejħa tar-Rebbiegħa (1998) u Weraq tar-Rand (2006). Illum hu membru onorarju tal-Għaqda Poeti Maltin.

1.               Meta u fejn twelidt? X’tifkiriet għandek tal-jiem bikrija ta’ ħajtek?

Jiena twelidt fit-28 ta’ Diċembru 1926, fir-Rabat Għawdex. Fil-jiem bikrin ta’ ħajti niftakar fis-snin tat-Tieni Gwerra Dinjija 1939-1945. Għalkemm Għawdex ma kienx milqut bħal Malta mill-bombi, kien milqut ukoll mill-ġuh u mill-biża’. Eluf ta’ refuġjati Maltin ġew Għawdex u l-Għawdxin laqgħuhom ġo djarhom. Dak iż-żmien kont immur l-iskola sekondarja u nofs l-għalliema u nofs it-tfal fil-klassijiet kienu Maltin.

Tifkiriet sbieħ għandi wkoll, speċjalment bħala tifel tal-Oratorju Dun Bosco. Kont dilettant tal-palk bħala attur u ktibt bosta xogħlijiet għall-palk. Kont ukoll player tal-futbol mat-tim tal-Oratorju. Barra minn hekk kelli u għad għandi d-delizzju tas-sajd u tal-kaċċa.

2.   Illum inti irtirat. F’liema postijiet ħdimt fl-imgħoddi u liema xogħol kien l-aktar għal qalbek?

Fl-1948 dħalt għal sena f’St. Michael’s Training College u bdejt ngħallem bħala għalliem fl-iskola primarja tal-Ħamrun. Wara ħames snin għamilt transfer għal Għawdex. Għallimt fl-iskejjel tan-Nadur, Ta’ Sannat u tar-Rabat u għamilt l-aħħar seba’ snin fl-iskola sekondarja tas-subien ngħallem il-Malti u l-istorja. It-tagħlim kien dejjem għal qalbi imma żgur li l-aħħar seba’ snin li kont ngħallem il-Malti u l-istorja ta’ Malta u tal-Ewropa kienu l-aktar impenjattivi u li tawni l-aktar sodisfazzjon.

3       X’jagħmel Ganninu Cremona illum fil-ħin ħieles tiegħu, apparti l-kitba?

Illum fl-età avvanzata tiegħi ma tantx nista’ nagħmel xogħol. Minn barra li ngħaddi ħafna ħin fil-qari, qiegħed ukoll nikteb sensiela ta’ radio-plays qosra biex jixxandru fuq ir-radju tal-komunità, li kull parroċċa f’Għawdex għandha wieħed. Jiena ilni għal bosta snin, wara li rtirajt mix-xogħol, membru u viċi-president tad-Direttorju tal-Azzjoni Kattolika. Sa ftit snin ilu kont nieħu ħsieb l-attivitajiet tal-palk billi nikteb u nipproduċi drammi u plays rikreattivi u kulturali. Jiena nieħu ħsieb il-kċina tad-dar tiegħi billi nixtri dak kollu li jkun hemm bżonn u nsajjar.

4. Għalik il-kitba tal-poeżija ssir biss f’waqtiet ta’ kriżi u ta’ wġiegħ? Liema huma l-waqtiet li fihom tikteb l-aktar il-poeżija?

Le. Il-poeżia tiegħi ma niktibhiex f’waqtiet ta’ kriżi u ta’ wġiegħ. Jekk fit-tieni ktieb tiegħi għandi xi poeżiji li ktibt f’mumenti ta’ wġiegħ, bħall-mewt ta’ xi membru tal-familja, dan għamiltu bħala sinjal ta’ rispett u mħabba.

Il-poeżija tiegħi hija poeżija tal-burdati. Imma nistqarr li l-ewwel ispirazzjoni li ġagħlitni nikteb u nkompli fit-triq tal-għana, kienet il-Madonna. Il-parroċċa tiegħi, il-Katidral ta’ Għawdex, hija ddedikata lil Santa Marija u kien fl-entużjażmu li  ħassejt fil-festa tagħha fil-15 t’Awwissu tal-1947 li jiena ppubblikajt l-ewwel poeżija tiegħi. Minn dakinhar sal-lum ktibt madwar 50  poeżija b’tifħir lill-Madonna. Waqtiet oħra li l-aktar nebbħuni biex nikteb il-poeżija huma l-ġmiel tan-natura u s-skiet. Jiena ngħix f’nostalġija kontinwa għall-ħajja oriġinali ta’ tfuliti. M’inix kontra l-progress, imma jinkwetani ħafna meta dak li ħolqot in-natura jiġi mbiċċer u sfigurat minn id il-bniedem. Ħares lejn ix-Xlendi ta’ dari u x-Xlendi tal-lum. Isem biss għad fadallu.

5.         Għaliex tikteb il-poeżija? Temmen li tista’ tbiddel xi ħaġa fid-dinja tal-lum?

Id-Dinja tal-lum hija dinja ardita. Ma naħsibx li l-poeżija tista’ tbiddel xi ħaġa, imma tista’ tibqa’ tfakkarna f’dawk il-valuri sbieħ li tant kienu jgħożżu missirijietna u llum intilfu.

6.         X’qed isir u x’jista’ jsir biex leħen il-poeti Għawdxin jissemma iktar?

Il-leħen tal-Għawdxin minn dejjem kien u għadu leħen dgħajjef. Dgħajjef mhux fis-sens ta’ kwalità jew livell ta’ kitba, għaliex il-poeżija ta’ Ġorġ Pisani, ta’ Mary Meylak u oħrajn tal-lum m'huma xejn anqas minn ta’ poeti Maltin. Ir-raġuni hi li Għawdex hu żghir u l-poeżija tal-poeti tagħna aktarx li tibqa’ ddur biss mall-gżira tagħna. F’Għawdex m’għandniex dawk l-opportunitajiet ta’ pubbliċità u mezzi ta’ xandir li hemm f’Malta. L-Għaqda Poeti Maltin qed tgħin ħafna biex il-poezija tagħna jkollha aktar pubbliċità.

7.         Temmen li hemm rabta qawwija bejn il-ħajja tal-poeta u l-kontenut tal-versi tiegħu?

Jien hekk għandi naħseb.  Jekk nevalwa l-versi ta’ Ġorġ Pisani u ta’ Mary Meylak, m’għandix dubju li hemm rabta qawwija bejn il-ħajja tagħhom u l-versi li kitbu. Dan nista’ ngħidu wkoll, skont il-biografija tagħhom, għal Rużar Briffa, u Dun Karm Psaila. Jiena, fid-daħla tal-ktieb tiegħi ‘Weraq tar-Rand’ dan li ktibt, li l-poeżija tiegħi hija ritratt tiegħi, espressjoni tal-ħajja bl-emozzjonijiet, twemmin u karattru tiegħi.

8.            Kemm huma importanti Għawdex fil-poeżija tiegħek? Għall-artist u poeta tħoss li dan hu spazju li jillimita lil dak li jkun jew le?

Għawdex dejjem kien u għadu l-gżira li tispirani għall-poeżija. Din se ddum hekk sakemm xi ħadd ifettillu jgħaqqad b’xi mod lil Għawdex ma’ Malta. Imbagħad isem biss jibqagħlu. Fil-poeżija tiegħi lil Għawdex ktibt dan ;

‘Tbiddilx qoxortok biex tingħad b’modern

Jew ilsien ġensek biex jinħass sabih

Ibqa’ dak Għawdex ta’ dari kif kont,

gżira magħrufa għas-sliem u l-mistrieħ’.

L-ispazju żgħir ta’ Għawdex mhux biss ma jillimitax lill-artist jew lill-poeta, imma jixgħel l-immaġinazzjoni tagħhom. Għawdex huwa kartolina li b’daqqa t’għajn tara s-sbuħija kollha tiegħu. Ħafna poeti u artisti ħarsu lejn Għawdex bħala l-gżira ideali biex jesprimu l-immaġinazzjoni tagħhom. Anke l-istorja ta’ Għawdex minn żmien il-ħaġar sal-ġurnata tal-lum kienet l-ispirazzjoni għall-poeti u l-artisti. Ġorġ Pisani kiteb dwar il-Ġgantija ta’ Għawdex, u jien ktibt il-Ballata tal-Assedju ta’ Għawdex 1551. Din il-ballata hi l-isbaħ biċċa xogħol letterarja tiegħi. Jiena tajt stampa ċara ta’ dik il-ġrajja storika u doloruża li Għawdex sofra taht il-qilla tan-nofs qamar. Tajt stampa ċara tac-Cittadella fejn seħħet il-ġrajja. Illum ic-Cittadella hija attrazzjoni ewlenija li joffri Għawdex lil kull min iżuru. Hi monument dejjiemi li jolqot l-immaġinazzjoni tal-istoriċi, tal-poeti, tal-artisti u tal-arkeologi ta’ kull nazzjon.

10.       Xi rwol għandhom fit-tixrid tal-poeżija l-Għaqdiet u l-mezzi tax-xandir? Qed jaqdu dmirhom sewwa?

L-għaqdiet u l-mezzi tax-xandir għandhom rwol importanti ħafna. L-Għaqda Poeti Maltin qed tagħmel kull ma tista’ biex tkabbar l-interess fil-poeżija f’Malta u Għawdex. Din il-ħidma qed tkun suċċess mhux biss għall-poeti biex aktar jitħajru jiktbu, imma anki għal dawk li jħobbu jaqraw jew jisimgħu l-poeżiji. Dan jidher mill-attendenza li jkun hemm għal kull attività. Imma ma nistax ngħid li l-mezzi tax-xandir qed jaqdu dmirhom sewwa. Sew ix-xandir u sew il-gazzetti jagħtu ħafna spazju u ħafna importanza lill-programmi ta’ divertiment, imma ftit jew xejn lill-poeżija u l-letteratura. Il-qawl Malti jgħid li ‘L-għajta nofs il-biegħ’ u għalhekk tajjeb li jsir studju kif il-poeżija jista’ jkollha aktar leħen fil-mass-media.

LEJLA KARMENU VASSALLO mill-Għaqda Poeti Maltin

Patrick Sammut jintervista lil Maria Grech Ganado

1.     Liema huma dawk il-waqtiet, esperjenzi u ħwejjeġ li jispirawk?

Konversazzjoni, mixja waħdi fil-kampanja, biċċa mużika jew pittura,  il-qari, is-sinjifikat jew il-problemi tal-ħajja, l-imħabba jew in-nuqqas tagħha, eċċ. Kollox jista’ jispirani – però forsi l-iżjed hu   l-ħsieb dwar l-esperjenzi li l-bniedem jgħaddi minnhom, kemm   ħaddiehor kemm jiena stess. Jispirani ħafna l-kunċett taż-żmien. L-ilma jaffetwani ħafna – fil-baħar jew fil-banju, taħt id-doċċa,   inħossni iżjed riċettiva.

    2.     Liema huma l-pubblikazzjonijiet tiegħek u fiex jikkonsistu fil-qosor?

Bħala ġabriet għandi erba’ kotba bill-Malti: Iżda Mhux Biss, Skond Eva, Fil-Ħofra Bejn Spallejha u l-Monografija li ppubblikat l-Università. Bl-Ingliż, hemm Ribcage, Cracked Canvas u Memory Rape. Jikkonsistu lkoll minn poeżiji varji. Għandi ħafna poeżiji ppubblikati f’antoloġiji kemm Maltin kemm barranin, kif ukoll poeżiji tradotti f’xi 11-il lingwa differenti, jew poeżiji bl-Ingliż li rebħu xi kompetizzjonijiet. Għandi wkoll stejjer qsar pubblikati f’xi magażin kif ukoll online. Imbagħad hemm it-traduzzjonijiet għall-Ingliż ta’ poeżiji ta’ ħaddieħor ġo ma nafx kemm-il magażin jew antoloġija, kif ukoll xi artikli fil-gazzetti lokali. The Drunken Boat immexxi online minn Rebecca Seiferle, ippubblika ħarġa dwar il-poeżija Maltija li tiegħu kont l-editur.

    3.     Xi tgħid dwar l-għażla tal-forom metriċi u prosodiċi li tħaddem?

M’għandix wisq x’ngħid għax qatt ma naħdem b’forom tradizzjonali ħlief free verse. Nikteb poeżiji qsar, pjuttost liriċi u għar-ritmu niddependi fuq widnejja. Anzi, hemm drabi meta r-ritmu jiġi bħal biċċa mużika qabel il-kliem. Xi drabi nuża anki r-rima u nħobb ħafna r-rima interna. Iżjed nikteb spontanju milli mod ieħor. Hemm xi poeżiji li ndum nirrevidihom, l-iżjed wara ħafna żmien, imma s-soltu poeżija tiġini kważi kompjuta f’daqqa u jekk ma nniżżilhiex mill-ewwel, tintilef fl-arja.

    4.     Għal min taħseb jappellaw il-versi tiegħek?

Naħseb għal dawk li jħobbu l-ideat metafiżiċi, il-metafori u l-mużika ta’ poeżiji. Imbagħad hemm in-nisa li jgħiduli li nesprimi dak li jħossu huma. Dalaħħar skoprejt li anki liż-żgħażagħ jappellaw, avolja hemm min isibhom kumplikati meta jridu jistujawhom bilfors għal xi eżami. U minħabba dal-fatt jiddispjaċini ħafna għax nixtieq li jistgħu jagħtu biss pjaċir L.

    5.     Temmen li inti bħala poeta mara tittratta xejriet mill-ħajja tal-bniedem (bħall-imħabba u l-erotiżmu, il-qasam soċjali, ir-relazzjoni bejn il-‘jien’ u l-‘int’) b’sensittività jew minn perspettiva differenti milli kieku kont poeta raġel? Kif tirreaġixxi għal dan?  

Nittama li iva. Imma ma nħobbx nissejjaħ femminista għax ma jogħġbunix it-tags. Kull ma nagħmel hu li nittratta esperjenzi ġenwini ta’ persuna li nzertat kienet mara f’soċjetà għadha patrijarkali. Anki l-esperjenzi ta’ ħaddieħor, ovvja li jgħaddu (jiġu ffiltrati) minn għajnejn u qalb ta’ mara. Ħafna jaħsbu li l-poeżija Iżda Mhux Biss tista’ titqies bħala l-manifest tal-kitba tiegħi.

    6.     Naf li inti waħda minn dawk li fhimt bl-importanza li vrusek jiġu tradotti għal ilsna barranin. X’vantaġġi hemm wara dan?

Il-vantagg li l-poezija Maltija tinxtered ma’ pajjiżi oħra, le? U li aħna l-kittieba niltaqgħu ma’ kittieba u nżuru pajjiżi barranin. B’hekk jespandu l-ispirazzjoni, l-ideat u l-perspettivi tagħna. Għandna bżonn ukoll stimuli ġodda dejjem biex l-ispirtu ma jgħajjix. 

    7.     Hemm min jgħid li huwa apprezzat bħala poeta aktar barra minn Malta milli f’pajjiżu? X’inhi l-esperjenza tiegħek f’dan ir-rigward?

Naqbel mija fil-mija. Meta nżur xi festival jew konferenza barra minn Malta niltaqa’ ma’ interess u rispett li rari nsibhom f’Malta. U dan mhux għax inkun lok fejn kull min hemm hu anki hu jew hi kittieb, għax jiġu ħafna nies jisimgħu u jieħdu interess fil-kitba, il-lingwa u l-pajjiż ta’ ħaddieħor.

    8.     X’jista’ jsir biex  il-poeta u l-poeżija jingħataw spinta ’l quddiem f’pajjiżna? U l-poeta mara fiex tinsab?

Malta wkoll għadna festival tal-letteratura mtella’ mill-Inizjamed li għalih jiġu kittieba barranin. Kull sena dal-festival qed jikber u qed tiżdied l-udjenza. Inizjamed ukoll bdiet korsijiet tal-kitba li qed jiġbdu ż-żgħażagħ. Qed ikun hawn iżjed kotba li jiġu pplubbikati, avolja l-poeżija ma ssib lil ħadd li lest ħa jippubblikaha għax ma tinbigħx wisq. Però, b’You Tube u iġjed u iġjed b’Facebook, wieħed għandu l-opportunità jaqsam il-poeżiji tiegħu u jirċievi l-ġudizzju tal-oħrajn. Il-poeta mara għandha l-istess status ta’ raġel f’dan il-qasam – anzi naħseb li hawn iżjed nisa qed jiktbu tajjeb bħalissa. Nittama li dal-interess jikber biżżejjed biex ’il quddiem jippubblikaw anki kotba mhux self-published biss.

    9.     X’tagħmel Maria Grech Ganado meta ma tkunx okkupata bil-poeżija u l-kitba? Proġetti għall-ġejjieni?

Illum mhux wisq għax għalaqt is-70 u mhux dejjem niflaħ. Naqra ħafna, nimxi fil-kampanja, nisma’ l-mużika u nieħu ħsieb tiegħi nnifsi u d-dar. Però, meta kont iżgħar rabbejt familja, kont ngħallem fid-dipartimenti tal-Ingliż fl-università, il-Junior College u anki skejjel sekondarji. Attwalment, kelli ħajja mżewqa mhux ħażin, eż. studjajt fl-Universitajiet ta’ Cambridge u Heidelberg fi żmien li rari kienu jkomplu jistudjaw it-tfajliet Maltin. Kont nirreċta. Kont inħobb niddiskuti. F’ħaġa waħda qatt ma tbiddilt u qatt ma jien se ninbidel – ngħaddi ħafna żmien niċċassa u noħlom.

Interview with Patrick Sammut on Diogen Pro Culture magazine

Please click on the following link for the interview:

http://www.diogenpro.com/interview-patrick-sammut.html

Many thanks to poet and editor Sabahudin Hadzialic and author Tatjan Debeljacki.

Lejla ta' Poeżija - 100 Thousand Poets for Change

A poem by TERESINKA PEREIRA

9-11-2001

 

The symbol of courage

that stays firm

in our souls since

the terrorist attack in New York

is not hatred,

It is not vengeance,

It is not the bombing

of innocent people

in other countries,

It is not the pride of being

citizens of the most rich

and powerful country

in the world.

It is the conviction that

only hope for justice,

and belief in equality and

universal solidarity

work in opposition

to patriotic hate.

Someday we will make

simple humanitarian love

our first welcome wish

to all dissidents of our

politics of power.

LEJLA TA’ POEZIJA MILL-GĦAQDA POETI MALTIN, FIR-RABAT, GĦAWDEX

Il-poeti, kantanti u mużiċisti li pparteċipaw waqt is-serata

Il-President tal-GħPM, Charles Magro

Nhar is-Sibt, 31 ta’ Awwissu, l-Għaqda Poeti Maltin tellgħet Lejla ta’ Poeżija u Mużika fil-Ministeru għal Għawdex, fir-Rabat. Is-serata kienet preseduta mill-Ministru għal Għawdex, l-Onor. Anton Refalo. Waqt id-diskors tiegħu l-president tal-Għ.P.M., Charles Magro, qal ukoll li attendenza sabiħa bħal dik tagħmel kuraġġ lill-kumitat bies jerġgħu jittellgħu serati simili fil-ġżira ta’ Għawdex. L-attendenza kienet tajba ħafna u dan seħħ anki bis-saħħa tal-għajnuna  tal-kittieb, poeta u rappreżentant għal Għawdex tal-Għaqda Poeti Maltin, Charles Bezzina. Inqraw poeżiji bil-Malti u bl-Ingliż, minn poeti ta’ ġenerazzjonijiet differenti, fosthom ta’ membri onorarji tal-Għ.P.M. bħall-Kelinu Vella Haber, il-Kan. Joe Mejlak, Ġanninu Cremona u l-mibki Marċell Mizzi. Ħadu sehem ukoll il-kantanti Josephine Marie Grima u Rosabel Pavia, il-kitarrist Joe Engerer, u l-flawtista, Charlene Portelli. Waqt is-serata ngħataw ukoll mill-president tal-GħPM plakek ta' tifkira lill-Ministru, lil Charles Bezzina u lill-kantanti u mużicisti li pparteċipaw. Il-kittieb u poeta Għawdxi Charles Bezzina ta lill-Ministru għal Għawdex għadd ta’ kotba minn tiegħu bħala tifkira tal-okkażjoni. Mexxiet il-Lejla, Miriam Ellul. Wara kien hemm ukoll riċeviment żgħir.

Il-pubbliku li attenda għas-serata, inkluż l-Onor. Ministru għal Għawdex, Anton Refalo

                               

Lucilla Maclaren Spillane’s ANOTHER SEEING & OTHER POEMS

Matador PRINT AND EBOOK    www.troubador.co.uk

Lucilla Maclaren Spillane’s collection draws on personal experience. The sixty poems in Lucilla Maclaren Spillane’s collection are written with a keen eye for detail and draw on her wide range of experiences in several countries. Some of the poems deal with disabilities, including the author’s own epilepsy. “I hope that my poems will provoke thought on the broader implications of disability, on the way others respond to it, and the effect it can have on a person’s life and that of their relatives and friends,” says Lucilla. “In poetry we can put into words our most acute thoughts and feelings and can express them in a concise form. There are many people who sincerely believe they will never enjoy poetry and I hope that, in publishing this collection, I may be able to enlighten them and help them to recognize, appreciate and enjoy what I regard as true poetry””

Lucilla Maclaren Spillane was born in Oxford, England, of Scottish parentage and now lives in Malta and Ireland. Her poetry has been described as “simple, effective and sometimes extremely beautiful.” Her poem, “A Child in Freedom Square,” won first prize in the 2009 Petersham Festival Poetry Competition. Another Seeing is her first book of poetry.

Written in traditional form and with an ear for harmony, her poems are memorable and easy to read. They range from the deep understanding she shows in “Another Seeing” for the child and the blind man depicted on the cover of the book, through the beauty of “The Lake” in Wisconsin, “The Fountain” in Oxford and “Street Lamps” in Malta to the stark humanity of “The Beggar,” “The Widow” and “A Lonely New Year.” “Lift Off” re-creates the tension of a Space Shuttle launch; “Dragon” reveals the secret fears of a child with epilepsy; “No Time to Die” the redemption of an alcoholic; “Sunday Bells” the frustrations of the writing process; whilst “Haggis Night” vividly depicts the fabled Hogmanay Hunt for Haggis in the Highlands of Scotland.

The notes to the poems contained within this volume give added depth and interest to the poems, explaining how and where they were inspired and what it was that prompted her to write each of them. The afterword explores her influences, philosophy and beliefs with regard to poetry.

PUBLICATION DATE 1st Sept 2013                          ISBN 9781783060696 (9781783068982 ebook)

Price: £9.99/€11.49  

TROUBADOR, 9 Priory Business Park, Wistow Road, Kibworth, Leics. LE8 0RX, UK

The book can be bought from Amazon and leading bookstores and as an eBook on Kindle.

Queries to Dr M G Spillane email Another-Seeing@outlook.com Phone: 00-356-2784-2788  

PRE-PUBLICATION REVIEWS

Barry Spurr, Professor of Poetry and Poetics, The University of Sydney: ‘Lucilla Maclaren Spillane has a wide-ranging lyrical voice, expressing rare sensitivity to the natural world and its creatures and changing moods, and the perceptive human being's response to them. Her poems are well-crafted and often arresting. Another Seeing will have wide appeal to lovers of the well-tuned poetic voice'.

Simon. C. Fysh BA (Hons), Conwy, North Wales: Lucilla’s poems are ‘…wide in scope. She has a natural way with the written word which cannot be learnt... It’s a gift. She shows real sympathy with nature and the human condition in general [and] her social comment has a timeless quality. Overall, a wonderful collection.’*

John E. Hallwas, Professor Emeritus of English Literature, Western Illinois University: ‘Lucilla’s poetry ‘invites re-reading and prompts readers to appreciate more intensely their own experience in both the social realm and the natural world. She has the courage to share her own experience of disability and struggle due to epilepsy,’*

Dr. Simon Mercieca, University of Malta: ‘True poets are those who are capable of transmitting hidden sensations in simple words. Lucilla succeeds in conveying not just her ingrained feelings but also her most secretive thoughts. [Her] poems are 'up front,' recounting the depth and reality of day-to-day struggle of existence … a love for the simple things of nature within the complex humility of human behaviour.’*

Andrew J. M. Maund, MA (Cantab), MPhil, Education Advisor to The Housman Society and Head of English, The King’s School, Worcester: ‘This collection ‘echoes the complex mix of influences and hardships that formed Lucilla Maclaren Spillane’s literary education. The range of poetic styles, registers and tones … is extraordinary and every page is a new delight.’*

Mrs. Celine Hollowell, Northampton: ‘I find [Lucilla’s poetry] has words with meaning and I take great comfort from it. She uses simple words, easy to understand, but with great depth.’

Dr. Lilias Fraser, Edinburgh: ‘I enjoyed reading Lucilla’s poems and like to think that I can hear in them the sort of spare, lyrical tone that bewitches me in Housman or later in Ian Hamilton Finlay. They are poems with a seductive, unsettling and timeless musicality.’

Marie Benoit, Malta Independent, Malta, 25 March, 2012: ‘Lucilla Maclaren Spillane …writes poems which are simple, effective and often extremely beautiful.’*

Dr. Alia Shuaib, Writer and Poet, Media and Publishing Limited, Kuwait: ‘Lucilla’s poems have ‘...a soft and sensitive sense …The language is sweet, colorful, and sensitive. They … touch your soul, and reach deep into your secrets and most intimate corners: a beautiful work indeed.’*

Dr. David Mervin, University of Warwick (author of the Guardian obituary for Roger Duclaud Williams, whose coping with blindness inspired the poem): ‘…the poem, “Another seeing,” movingly evokes the spirit of my dear friend.’

* Indicates that a full review or press piece can be seen at http://www.troubador.co.uk/book_info.asp?bookid=2295 

The title poem, to which the image on the cover relates, is:

Another Seeing   

  

“The leaves are red,”

                the child said,

                               “and yellow and gold and brown.”

The blind man smiled

                and spoke to the child,

                               “I hear them falling down….

I know their damp smell,

                I know it well,

                               Autumn brings me joys.

I hear the wind hushing them,  

                as we walk, crushing them,

                               and I love their gentle noise.

In this wooded place,

              feel them touch your face,

                                a leaf river flowing.

As quietly we stand,

                 use your ears, nose and hand,

                                 know another seeing and knowing.”

A note by Lucilla Maclaren Spillane herself:

1: “Another Seeing” (Petersham, 2009; Malta, 2012) was inspired by the late Dr. Roger Duclaud-Williams at the University of Warwick. He had been blind from the age of eighteen months and I was amazed at the way in which he had overcome this, treating it as an inconvenience, rather than as a disability. He had read Law at Oxford and then, armed only with his white stick, he had roamed the USA on Greyhound buses. When I met him, he was totally at ease, a constructive conversationalist with a puckish sense of humour. He moved around the Warwick campus at will and without a stick or dog and functioned in the Department of Politics as a highly regarded academic, renowned by both his fellow academics and by his students. On reading the poem, Dr David Mervin, author of the Guardian “Other People” obituary for him (23 July, 2012), commented:”Poetry is not really my thing, but this one movingly evokes the spirit of my dear friend.”