Betekintés
Hogy sikerült a projekt, ki hogy látta belülről? Az alábbiakban a költőink válaszolnak pár kérdésre az itt-létükkel kapcsolatban.
In what ways do you think the program was inspirational to you?
Antonio Rivero Taravillo
Travel is always inspirational for me, but in this case the beauty of Balatonfüred and
the area in general has proved to be an inspiration for a handful of poems.
Guy Helminger
Meeting other poets is always inspiring. The same goes for a new landscape, new
literature. Such programs are a form of learning about culture.
Gérard Cartier
When writing my poems, I was mostly inspired by the Translators' House (all those books in all languages!) and by the beautiful landscape of Lake Balaton. And landscapes, encounters and literary discoveries often have a delayed effect, giving rise weeks later to a poem or a chapter of a novel of which one had no idea before...
Ija Kiva
I arrived in Hungary in such an exhausted state of mind that the trip itself was a good occasion for an emotional reset. The opportunity to walk every day to Lake Balaton, traveling with the team of the residence and other poets around the country - all this gave a lot of new impressions and emotions.
What experiences did you have?
Antonio Rivero Taravillo
I interacted with pupils in three schools and got to know more about Hungary.
Guy Helminger
I didn't know much about Hungarian literature, culture and the land. Now I know
more. And I hope I was able to give something back in the schools we were teaching
in classes.
Gérard Cartier
The experiences that marked me were first of all to meet the 5 other poets and the organisers of the event. Secondly, the writing workshops with the French and Italian classes, that I found very interesting: I hope that these workshops have been useful to the students of both schools.
Ija Kiva
It was very interesting for me to listen to what other resident poets were talking about, both during informal communication and during official events, to find out what topics they work with in poetry. So, for example, in Ukrainian poetry there is no such direction as ecoposition (Yvonne works with this), and no one occupies the sound of poetry in our country like Jaan Malin. It was also very interesting to participate in an acoustic performance of his texts in a cave. And of course, acquaintance with the Hungarian culture.
What positive impressions did you have?
Antonio Rivero Taravillo
The kindness of all involved. I, not the most sociable of persons, have enjoyed
an atmosphere of creative friendship with my colleagues and the Hungarian
translators.
Guy Helminger
In fact, I don't have any negative impressions at all. Writing means: You must have
time to think about new impressions. Accordingly, the program was a good mix of
school visits, short trips to the countryside, lectures, and time to work.
Gérard Cartier
I really liked the atmosphere that reigned among the group of poets, favoured by the
principle of accommodation, which obliged us to meet regularly, while allowing the
independence necessary to write. And, of course, I loved the visits in the region, which
is magnificent, the Balaton Lake, the monuments of Veszprem, the abbeys, the caves,
etc. and the cuisine and... the Hungarian wines (it was a great discovery, even if I
regret not having tasted the famous Tokay!)
Ija Kiva
Usually, in order to write, I need silence and loneliness, so in the residence I watched
and heard more, walked and tried to synchronize with the new reality for me and its
people. This was my first trip to Hungary. But when I returned, I immediately wrote
several texts. Although I usually write one text every 1-3 months.
This type of residence, with such a rich program of meetings, conversations and trips
of a cultural and tourist nature, has become something new for me. And it's interesting as an experience.
In a sense, this residence looked as if I had become a child again and turned out to be
with other people on a deserted island. Well, almost deserted :)
Do you already know what kind of poems you are going to write?
Antonio Rivero Taravillo
I've already written seven, most of them about places and one about the House itself.
Guy Helminger
Yes, I even started to write some. These are poems that could only come into being
because I saw the landscape, the lake here, and because we were on the road together.
They are poems about the colors of Lake Balaton, connected with the history or the
everyday life of Hungary, poems about a trip to Zamárdi, Siófok and back, poems
about sitting together with other poets at the harbor of Balatonfüred, etc.
Gérard Cartier
I have written 5 poems while I was in Balatonfüred. They need perhaps to be slightly
revised, but I prefer to wait a bit (one week or so) in order to forget them and to have a
fresh look afterwards. If I can, I shall write a last one.
Ija Kiva
In short, the text is about how hard it is to leave and return home, to Ukraine, during a
full-scale war. The memory of everything that Ukrainians had to endure over the past
9 years makes us heavy as a stone, depriving any trip abroad of charm and joy. And
the reason for the text was the swallows, which I saw on the Hungarian-Ukrainian
border, my bus stood there for quite a long time, and it seemed to me that these
swallows are workers at the border point, and it depends on them that they will let my
bus through the border (between peace and war) or not.