Voices from Poland

With Poland being the guest nation at this year’s lit fest, a contingent of Polish poets flew in to take part in the event. hyderabadis got an opportunity to hear Polish poetry from famed poets like Dariusz Sosnicki, Julia Fiedorczuk and Jerzy Jarneiwicz. In an event moderated by Alexandra Buchler, the three poets shared the history of Nobel laureates in Polish literature, views on translations and the changing face of modern poetry.

Jerzy Jarneiwicz opined that the five Nobel laureates had caught the attention of the world for their content. “There were and are poets whose works weren’t translated and these poets are better if not equal to the Nobel laureates. Those poets recounted the horrors of history, which interested the world audience, and won them laurels. We in Poland call it poetry of witnessing. With the fall of communism this brand of poetry too disappeared,” he added.

Julia, a poet and a professor at University of Warsaw, differed with Jarneiwicz. According to her, “Though 10 million people speak Polish it is not a second language in any of the European countries. The Polish syntax is very complicated and makes translating the work even more difficult,” she opined.

Dariusz shared that young Polish poets are losing touch with traditional poetry. “Novelty is important, but one should be in touch with their roots. It is good that young poets are experimenting with form but at the expense of the traditional forms,” he added. The trio read original and translated works after the talk.