Photo: Courtesy of www.shram.kiev.ua
Polish literary greats go underground in Kiev after a meeting with poets Marzanna Bogumiła Kielar, Ryszard Krynicki and Wojciech Bonowicz at Kiev's Ye bookstore inaugurates a series of literary events on the 26th of September
During the "Poems on the Underground" campaign, the poetry of Czesław Miłosz and other Poles is introduced to the Ukrainian public on the capital's metro system. In Ukraine, the series will also feature poems by Zbigniew Herbert and Adam Zagajewski. Following this public space project, Spoke'n'Word - a festival of poetry slam performances and workshops - closes the Ukrainian series on the 8th of October.
The main goal of the "Wiersze w Metrze" / "Poems on the Underground" project is to popularise contemporary poetry through showcasing it on the underground and in urban spaces. The first three editions, which took part in Warsaw in 2008-2010, focused on modern European poetry. In 2011, within the framework of the Polish EU Presidency, contemporary Polish poets and their poetry will not only be present in Warsaw, but will also visit 8 cities outside Poland: London, Paris, Madrid, Kiev, Beijing, Tokyo, Brussels and Luxembourg.
Poetry exhibitions on the underground will be accompanied by meetings with authors, happenings, a haiku competition, Spoke’n’Word on Tour performance poetry festival, slam workshops and a promotional campaign.
The "Poems on the Underground" initiative was initiated by the Book Institute in Warsaw and British Council. The Warsaw edition was inspired by similar projects taking place in Dublin, Paris, New York, Barcelona, Stockholm, Stuttgart and Moscow, and above all Poems on the Underground, which has been regularly taking place in London since 1986.
The event also features the Ukranian edition of Spoke'n'Word, where renowned Polish spoken word performers are accompanied by local poetry stars and together they will be taking part in a poetry slam. Spoke’n’Word on tour also features performance poetry and slam poetry workshops conducted by Polish poets.
See more on Spoke'n'Word...
The campaign, taking place as part of the Polish EU Presidency, enjoys the Honorary Patronage of the Mayor of the Capital City of Warsaw, Ms Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Radosław Sikorski.
The campaign partners include: City of Warsaw Promotion Department, Adam Mickiewicz Institute, Polish Cultural Institute in London, Embassy of the Republic of Poland in London, Polish Cultural Institute in Paris, Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Paris, Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Madrid, Polish Cultural Institute in Kiev, Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Beijing, Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Tokyo, the European Commission and the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage.
Zbigniew Herbert was one of the most recognisable and most cherished Polish poets. During WWII he became a member of the Polish resistance and in the 1980s he was a poet of the Polish opposition. Miłosz, who emigrated from Poland and subsequently became an American citizen and a lecturer at University of California, Berkeley, translated Herbert’s and Zagajewski’s poems into English. Zagajewski, who also left Poland for Paris, is best known for his post-9/11 poem, "Try to Praise the Mutilated World". The underground of six different capitals (London, Kiev, Tokyo, Beijing, Paris and Madrid) have signed up to host the initiative over the six-month period of the Polish Presidency of the EU council. Julia Hartwig and Krystyna Miłobędzka are among other classics to be introduced. The initiative also features writings of the younger generation, such as Jacek Dehnel, Tomasz Różycki and Adam Zdrodowski.
Date: 26th of September - 8th of October, 2011
Location: inaugural meeting with poets at the Ye Bookstore Lysenka 3, Kiev, campaign continues on the underground system, at Shevchenko Park, and in Dynamo-Kiev
Organised by: Warsaw Destination Alliance
Project cofinanced by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland.
Source: Adam Mickiewicz Institute