Nacht der Poesie II

Lesung I internationales literaturfestival berlin

In a digital night of readings, Ana Luísa Amaral, Homero Aridjis, Forrest Gander, Moon Chung-hee present their poems.

Homero Aridjis [Mexico], former President of PEN International and guest of the ilb in 2001, is one of the most important poets in his country. His life is reflected through his poetry, in which his memories are closely linked to his birthplace in Contepec. Through writing, he advocates for a cause that is important to him: the protection of the environment, nature, and animals. As Nobel Prize for Literature-winner Seamus Heaney put it: »Homero Aridjis’s poems open a door into the light. «

Ana Luísa Amaral[P] made her debut in 1990 with the poetry »Minha Senhora de Quê«. Her poetic style is reminiscent of both Wisława Szymborska and Emily Dickinson, of whom Amaral is the Portuguese-language translator. They represent a critical examination of male-dominated literary traditions. »Amaral has a remarkable gift for making the personal universal and the universal intimate.« [Paris Review Daily]

In Forrest Gander’s [USA] poems, the lyric I continually deals with the physical presence of the outside world. He received the Pulitzer Prize for »Be With« in 2019. »Gander’s verses have a shattering, symphonic quality, but he uses poetry to locate and dislocate at once, pushing against the borders of meaning or pitching his camp where language estranges itself from sense.« [NYT]

Jacek Dehnel [PL] was nominated for the Wisława Szymborska Prize in 2014 for his poetry collection »Języki obce«. In his often ironic and paradoxical poems, he plays with various linguistic conventions and forms. »[The main strength] lies in the language – in its wealth and expressiveness, which Dehnel achieves with the help of many original associations and comparisons.« [FAZ]

Moon Chung-hee is a Southkorean poet. 14 of her poetry books have been translated into 10 languages. Moon is a recipient of numerous prestigious awards both in Korea and overseas, including the Contemporary Literature Prize in Korea, and most notably the Cikada Prize, the Swedish literary award founded for East Asian poets, in 2010. Characterized by an underlying tone of melancholy, her poems embody her views towards life and its transience.

The event will be held in multiple languages. It has been pre-recorded. Please register in advance under presse(at)literaturfestival.com. We ask for the full names, address and phone number of all visitors.

Literatures of the World
Host Hans Jürgen Balmes
Admission free

Wir bitten um Anmeldung unter presse(at)literaturfestival.com unter Angabe des vollständigen Namens, der Anschrift und Telefonnummer der Besucher*innen.