One of the main attractions of this year's edition of the festival will be the "Marcin Swietlicki Benefit." In addition to the premiere of this author's newest volume titled WIERSZE WYPRANE / LAUNDERED VERSES, participants of the event will be among the first to view drawings by Swietlicki, an exhibition of which will be on view in the lobby of the Town Hall from September 4th to the 26th.
This year the Literary Bureau will also use the festival as a platform to present ten new books. Among them will be a series of first novels that have won broad acclaim: Tobiasz Melanowski's WYCIECZKI KRAJOZNAWCZE / TREKS THROUGH THE LAND, Krzysztof Gryka's GODZINY SZCZYTU / RUSH HOUR,
Bohdan Zadura's PTASIA GRYPA / BIRD'S FLU, and Tomasz Majeran's KOTY. PODRECZNIK UZYTKOWNIKA / CATS - A USER'S MANUAL.
For the second time in its seven-year history, the festival in Legnica will include a special event known as the "Rescue." Five authors have been selected to participate from among a group of 50 who expressed their desire to participate in LEGNICA PORT. Among them will be Boguslaw Kierc, editor of the works of poet Rafal Wojaczek, and the recent debut writer Klara Nowakowska.
The project known as "Pisac kazdy moze" / "Everyone Can Write" was designed to allow authors wishing to present themselves and their work at the festival to do so. From among this group, the public will select a poet who will join the five authors selected for the "Rescue" in an appearance on the main festival stage.
There will be no lack of foreign guests. Thanks to the Literary Bureau's cooperation with the British Council, Legnica will play host to two English-language authors of the "middle" generation, Stephen Romer (b. 1957) and Mark Ford (b. 1962).
Stephen Romer spent time in Poland towards the end of the 1980s, teaching English literature at the University of Lodz. It was this visit in our country that inspired him to write a series of more than a dozen poems that have gained significant popularity. He relocated to France several years ago and continues to reside in that country to this day. Recently an anthology of 20th century French poetry edited by Romer was published in Great Britain.
Mark Ford has already managed to gain monikers like "the American Philip Larkin" and "the English John Ashbery." He has thus far published two volumes of poetry and a monograph of Raymond Roussel. His poems, as translated by Piotr Sommer, appeared in the May-June, 2001 issue of "Literatura na Swiecie" / "World Literature."
"PORT LEGNICA is more than an annual event, it is a mark of poetical quality and a certain canon of presenting poetry. For example, I am interested in restoring poets' faith that they do not work for just a few critics and fellow poets." (A. Burszta, "Gazeta Wyborcza")
"Previously Fort, and now PORT LEGNICA - in the course of a few years this has become Poland's most interesting poetry event. Where did Fort-and-Port originate from? It just sort of appeared - from a very good idea, from the very good chemistry between the invited poets - Polish and foreign - and in a way, out of the surprise that the dictators of the literary establishment felt at the popularity of this festival organized by Artur Burszta in Legnica. Writers and the public can always expect a great deal of brisk sociability in Legnica, many meetings with authors, and concerts. But if these great events - which have featured such personalities as Krystyna Milobedzka, Douglas Dunn,
Bohdan Zadura, Michael Longley,
Ryszard Krynicki and Ciaran Carson - were all there was to it, regardless of its high class the festival would have had to remain an ephemerid. Every year, however, Fort-and-Port issues a fireworks of excellent poetic books. Many publishing giants envy Artur Burszta these books. The giants either don't publish poetry at all or, if they do, they publish things that are, err... more sedate. Meanwhile, besides the writers listed above, very many Polish and foreign poets currently displaying a rather powerful linguistic energy have entrusted their books to PORT. And, I don't know where else apart from PORT you could meet Tomasz Majeran and
Tadeusz Pioro, Jacek Gutorow and Jerzy Jarniewicz,
Andrzej Sosnowski and Marta Podgornik, Craig Raine and
Adam Wiedemann, Mariusz Grzebalski and Petr Vasa,
Zbigniew Machej and
Marcin Sendecki,
Krzysztof Siwczyk and Anna Podczaszy, Julia Fiedorczuk and Darek Foks, Wojciech Bonowicz and Eugeniusz Tkaczyszyn-Dycki, Andrzej Niewiadomski and Marcin Hamkala,
Tomasz Rozycki and - I'm sure I have shamefully overlooked at least several more names. Meet them in the flesh and in their books. All of them together, and even one at a time."
Piotr SommerBiuro Literackie Port Legnica
ul. Ksiezycowa 1/10, 59-220 Legnica
tel. (+48 76) 854 45 55
www.biuroliterackie.pl