MESSENGER INTERVIEW: Co(n)temporary

What can be called contemporary literature? And indeed, who is the one to answer that question? Read how the authors arrive at that question and what it has to do with the Lions Club in Tekirdağ, on the way from Istanbul to Thessaloniki.

2016-07-07 08:38
Martin Glaz Serup
I’m tired and happy after yesterday’s reading – and especially after the fab boat trip. Dancing in the evening on the deck of the boat in between two continents – I really digged that.

2016-07-07 08:38
Jörg Piringer
oh yeah

2016-07-07 08:38
Pauliina Haasjoki
yes I digged that too. We were pampered here

2016-07-07 14:38
Julia Schiefer
How was your reading in Istanbul?

2016-07-07 14:39
Julia Schiefer
From a political or aesthetic stance, I mean. In Istanbul there were between 12 and 17 authors from different countries reading on both sides of the Bosphorus – the division couldn’t be more graspable geographically. In light of recent events in Turkey and the possibility of Europe falling apart according to the newspaper – how did you perceive the event?

2016-07-08 09:10
Jörg Piringer
in the reading these topics didn’t come up that much but in personal talks with artists this was a huge thing, of course. also while walking and taxiing through the city

2016-07-08 09:14
Pauliina Haasjoki
I agree. Also, for instance Eirikur’s long satirical poem about the attitudes of people in northern European countries towards refugees resonated differently when read close to the borders of Europe, but that is not, I guess, something you would want to pin down.

2016-07-08 09:14
Jörg Piringer
(statement confirmed by martin as well)

2016-07-08 09:17
Jörg Piringer
but overall i think these topics were overshadowed by talks about the polticial situation in turkey. like the questionable influence of the president on everything.
that concerned the people we talked with most i think

2016-07-08 09:26
Αγγέλα Καϊμακλιώτη – Angela Kaimaklioti 
Well for me it’s a little bit different. I used to be a refugee myself, back in 1974… So for me the different stations on the road were more emotional.
My thoughts about being on that point of the globe were more philosophical. 🙂 Please let me share a text with you:
Istanbul [istimˈboli(n)]

I felt that the flight from Athens to Istanbul was really short. Thick, white clouds were blocking the view to the horizon, growing the anticipation and the thrill I felt to discover the city of myths, legends, history and grandeur! The plane sank into the clouds for landing and a mysterious Istanbul greeted us with unexpected rain; redemptive rain to wash out fears and sorrows, a good omen for what was ahead. The colorful city of cities, the oriental aromas, the spicy flavors, reminded nothing of the frenzy successive terrorist attacks of the previous days.
“Do not go! Are you not afraid?”, my friends insisted as I announced my participation in the literary routes. “But I will go! And I will not be the only one! Writers from all over Europe come together to declare clearly and publicly the message: At a time of division and separatism in that people are starting to live in fear of one another, it becomes even more important to come to celebrate the beauty, the freedom and the solidarity that the arts can offer for a better world!”

Istanbul [istimˈboli(n)] there where the West meets the East in harmony!

2016-07-08 09:36
Pauliina Haasjoki
Thank you, Angela.

2016-07-08 09:38
Αγγέλα Καϊμακλιώτη – Angela Kaimaklioti 
Sorry for possible mistakes in the text!

2016-07-08 10:55
Jörg Piringer
we are all non-native-speakers/writers of English. and mistakes are poetic devices anyway!

2016-07-08 10:56
Αγγέλα Καϊμακλιώτη – Angela Kaimaklioti 
emoji

2016-07-08 21:29
Julia Schiefer
@Angela: Thank you so much for sharing this, I think we all appreciate it.

2016-07-08 21:30
Julia Schiefer
Where are you right now and did your perception of something which could be called “European literature” change? Has meeting locals and authors alike given you possible inspiration for your future writing?

2016-07-09 10:01
Jörg Piringer
i never actually thought of myself as being part of “european literature”. but talking about poetics and hearing poetry in different languages and exchanging about linguistics and just havin’ fun together changes me and my writing, of course.

2016-07-09 10:09
Pauliina Haasjoki
Yes, it would be interesting to know what people mean when they talk about European literature (not that I hear that term used that often). Whether it’s the sum total of national literatures or if it’s the literature that is somehow seen to transcend national boundaries, and how. But I don’t think we’ve moved onto that level so much here, it’s been more about locality and the currents of poetical thought, the affinities that are poetical and philosophical (which might be affected by things specefic to that locality).

2016-07-09 10:12
Martin Glaz Serup
As far as exchange is concerned, I’ve personally gotten a lot out of talking with Greek and Turkish writers about literature, art and politics OUTSIDE of the readings. Real exchange often takes place after the readings or presentations – the poems are often only a point of departure for a conversation. Like literature, which is, in my view, very much a social practice as such.

2016-07-09 10:17
Martin Glaz Serup
Yesterday we had a reading salon within the group of writers who have been travelling together (from Turkey, Cyprus, Finland, Austria, Iceland, Denmark). We spent a few hours sitting around a table and presenting our own work and discussing it in the group in turn, which was also very much about poetics etc.. For me that was a really giving and interesting exchange, which also resulted in a discussion about ‘European literature’; is there a difference between the North and the South regarding form and content and understanding of what Poetry is or can be, and how much have we, when we get down to it, actually read of each other’s literatures?!

2016-07-09 10:47
Αγγέλα Καϊμακλιώτη – Angela Kaimaklioti 
I am happy that our meeting allowed us to discuss about the significance of philosophy in writing poetry, and we all tried to come to a conclusion about whether poetry can make a difference. For me poetry is one of the survival strategies, a healing procedure. When we share our thoughts on language, reading or writing poetry, we learn something about ourselves.

2016-07-11 08:54
Julia Schiefer
“European literature” is indeed something I only hear from time to time and especially for those literatures that are underrepresented here in Germany – the division not only divides “North” and “South” but is also evident between “West” and “East”. I wonder if such a term is possible when taking also the linguistic borders into account. We never get to know all of the others literatures but it could be an agenda to strengthen solidarity and unity among European countries to introduce such a concept as “European literature”.

2016-07-11 09:47
Julia Schiefer
I guess you are all on your way home, most of you on your own, or else expanding your journey a little bit. After this week of intense exchange, readings every day and meeting so many people traveling along the coast of Turkey to Greece, I would like to ask you what was the most noteworthy experience or reflection during the trip.

2016-07-11 09:51
Julia Schiefer
And maybe also about the reading at the Lions Club in Tekirdağ, Turkey?

2016-07-11 10:07
Jörg Piringer
to the european literature topic: i think i consider myself as a european citizen but for literature i work/think in a wider scope (world?). or in my various literary genres like conceptual poetry, sound poetry, popsong…

2016-07-11 10:17
Jörg Piringer
to the lions club topic: i personally would have preferred to perform in contexts that would have been more connected to independent/youth-culture than this high-culture/business like settings. i guess that’s what was the main difference to the two evenings we had in greece, where i could feel that a more meaningful exchange in terms of artistic practise and political approaches was going on.
i dont want to talk badly about the events in turkey, i have great memories, but its more about the audience and contexts i want to speak to and perform in. there i felt much more connected in greece. and i dont think its because of cultural differences.

2016-07-11 11:12
Pauliina Haasjoki
Yes, definitely not because of cultural differences between Turkey and Greece, but maybe between cultures of giving meaning to literature and exchange – which in the Lions club setting seemed to be oriented towards gaining something specific, not questioning or widening things or being surprised.

2016-07-11 11:33
Pauliina Haasjoki
But that’s just on the level of formalities. The people present will all have had their private experiences that were meaningful and might be new, and I’m glad of that.

2016-07-12 10:41
Julia Schiefer
I see and I understand your point, thanks Angela. @Jörg and to all: Maybe those are the ears which are supposed to be read to, and in turn the ones which are destined to listen to what contemporary literature is about – even though there is less dialogue. Or do you prefer peer-to-peer involvement? And if yes, why?

2016-07-12 11:01
Jörg Piringer
i would support what pauliina said. the most remarkable statements pointing in this direction were some young audience members who after hearing Eirukur’s sound poems about historic dictators asked him when he would write one about Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. and some also voiced their disappointment that there was no time for a q&a-session in order to discuss politics. but i just would have wanted to get more involved in a more independent scene but of course that’s my own preference.

2016-07-12 11:19
Martin Glaz Serup
Also – if people were to truely ‘listen to what modern poetry is about’ (to quote Julia), it would make sense if each poet travelling from afar – or local, it doesn’t matter – had more than a few minutes to present their work, more as a Body of work. I really missed Real readings – like 10-15 minutes – which would’ve have meant of course there should have been fewer. Quality over quantity.

2016-07-12 11:39
Pauliina Haasjoki
I wouldn’t want to be patronizing about our poetry being more contemporary than somebody else’s, either. Translating can be difficult, as can facilitating situations where people find shared vocabulary to talk about poetics (and politics) – so it is not easy to come by a situation in which different contemporarities can be compared. It seemed like this could have happened in, for instance, Tekirdag, but we had no time for it.

2016-07-12 11:41
Jörg Piringer
i support pauliina- it’s not a contest of who is more contemporary or more experimental (how to judge that anyway?)

2016-07-12 11:45
Martin Glaz Serup
No, and Real Exchange takes a bit more than listening to one or two poems per person, I would say.

2016-07-12 11:46
Pauliina Haasjoki
This is all of course hindsight. I have no alternative route or schedule to propose to get from Istanbul to Thessaloniki with more time for reading and discussion, and I’m glad we got to see all those places

2016-07-12 11:47
Jörg Piringer
agreeeee

2016-07-12 12:01
Αγγέλα Καϊμακλιώτη – Angela Kaimaklioti 
the most noteworthy experience or reflection during the trip was meeting the people. Listening to their stories, feeling their aura… Poetry is a way of living anyway… Now I continue my trip at Pelion Greece, a magical place up in the mountains… Writing about all those experiences at Istanbul. The colors, the voices, the smiles, the songs we shared…

2016-07-12 11:56
Julia Schiefer
Thanks again Angela. I can picture you in vivid colors.

Guys, I am sad that it’s over :/ but we have to stop at some point ;). Thank you so much, there were some true and deep insights into the journey in that interview

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