Dialogue Among Civilizations Through Poetry Year 2001. First Edition. Maison Franceise. Oxford Transcript of Presentation of Event and Guest: Erminia Passannanti

Dialogue Among Civilizations through Poetry 

Oxford - 2001

Good evening and welcome to Dialogue Among Civilizations through Poetry.

I would like to thank you all for attending this event, which is part of the United Nations' celebration of the Year of Dialogue.

As one of the International Readings Coordinators, I am thrilled about what we are creating here as a poetic force around the world.

This is a very special program. Over the coming week, hundreds of poets will be reading across the planet. It is deeply moving to think that while we are gathered here for this poetry reading, 240 other poetry events are taking place in over 100 cities worldwide—from Antarctica to Žilina; in cities as diverse as Beijing, Moscow, Belgrade, Reykjavik, Las Vegas, Calcutta, Naples, Mexico City, Sydney, and Barbados. Indeed, at this very moment, Eric Simonson is ascending Mount Everest, the highest mountain in the world, where, upon reaching the summit, his group will read a poem.

So, what is this all about? Our program is based on the idea of communication among people from different cultural heritages. It offers poets and readers of diverse backgrounds an opportunity to exchange ideas on ethics, politics, and poetics. It also reinforces the role of the poet as a medium for transmitting both new and old cultural traditions—those of their own as well as others. This is particularly relevant for the many poets among us tonight who engage in translating ancient and foreign poetry. A key poetry reading, which I consider an essential part of this major event, already took place this afternoon at Borders Bookshop, where renowned translators such as Peter Dale and Brian Cole, among others, read their versions of Dante, Laforgue, Corbière, and Neruda.

This evening, I have the pleasure of hosting a remarkable gathering of European poets: Tom Paulin and Bernard O’Donoghue from Northern Ireland; Lucille Deslignères from Paris; Stephanos Papadopoulos from Athens; Peter Dale from London; and myself from Salerno, Italy.

I wish to thank them for accepting my invitation to contribute to this event. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Boyd Roberts, Principal of St. Clare’s College, who has graciously sponsored this event and provided the wine. As a distinguished international college, St. Clare’s has been fostering dialogue and understanding among different cultures for over 50 years. Additionally, I extend my sincere gratitude to the Maison Française, in particular to its Director, Professor Sergent, and his secretary, Clare Stevenson, for generously providing this wonderful setting for our event tonight.

Poetry has never wielded the same power as theatre in shaping opinion and challenging social, religious, and political norms. However, we can be optimistic about its future, particularly with the advent of the Internet, which provides easy access to a vast number of online poetry magazines in multiple languages. Notably, the poems of all the poets reading worldwide for our program will be collected in an online anthology edited by Rattapallax Press of New York and the United Nations Society of Writers, Fictionopolis.

This evening is devoted primarily to poets and poetry. However, I had the idea of inviting a philosopher to speak as well. Now, since Plato, the relationship between philosophers and poets has been somewhat fraught—after all, Plato sought to expel poets from his ideal republic. Therefore, it is with some trepidation that I invite Brian Clack to speak to us. Brian is the author of several significant works on the philosophy of Wittgenstein, including An Introduction to Wittgenstein’s Philosophy of Religion. I have asked him to share some thoughts on the nature of dialogue among civilizations, its possibilities, and its value. Please welcome Brian Clack.

(Brian Clack speaks for 15 minutes.)

Thank you very much, Brian. Your reflections go to the very heart of what we are doing here this evening, and they will give us much to think about.

We now turn to our first poet. Bernard O’Donoghue lectures at Wadham College, Oxford. He is a Whitbread Prize winner, the author of important critical studies on Shakespeare, and has published Seamus Heaney and the Language of Poetry (1995). His most recent collection, Here Not There, was published in 1999. Please welcome one of the most important poets writing in Britain today—Bernard O’Donoghue.

(Bernard reads.)

Thank you, Bernard; that was beautiful. Our next poet is Lucille Deslignères (Deliner), a French poet based in Oxford. She has contributed to the anthology Island City, and her first collection, Noir, Blanc, Rouge, will be published later this year. Lucille, over to you.

(Lucille reads.)

Many thanks, Lucille, for your spirited reading. Next, I would like to welcome Peter Dale. Peter is a poet and literary translator of, among others, Dante, Laforgue, and Corbière. For 21 years, he was editor of the literary quarterly Agenda, and his own verse publications include Mortal Fire, One Another, and Edge to Edge. Please welcome Peter Dale.

INTERVAL WITH MICHELLE NG.

We now have the privilege of hearing a talented young musician, Michelle Ng from Hong Kong, who is studying for a D.Phil. in Legal Philosophy at Wolfson College, Oxford. She is one of the few musicians proficient in playing the ancient harp, otherwise known as the guzheng (phonetically: guscieng). Please give a warm welcome to Michelle Ng, who will perform two pieces for us.

(Michelle plays.)

Thank you, Michelle, for offering us this beautiful and magical music. Following this, I will recite two poems from my second collection, Macchina, translated by Michael Pickering and Alan Marshfield, as well as two unpublished self-translations.

(Poems are read.)

Thank you very much. Our next poet is Stephanos Papadopoulos, a Greek-American poet who has published in major literary periodicals on both sides of the Atlantic. His first collection, Lost Days, will be published shortly. Please welcome Stephanos Papadopoulos.

(Stephanos reads.)

Thank you, Stephanos, for the beautiful themes in your work.

I now have the pleasure of introducing our final poet for the evening, Tom Paulin. Tom is Senior Lecturer in English at Hertford College, Oxford. He is the author of numerous critical studies on English literature and many poetry collections, including The Strange Museum, Liberty Tree, and Walking a Line. He is also a regular critic on BBC2’s Late Review. His most recent poetry collection is The Wind Dog.

(Tom reads.)

That was a wonderful and stimulating way to conclude our evening. Thank you very much, Tom.

All that remains is for me to say a heartfelt thank you to all those who have contributed to this evening. Please note that you are welcome to talk with our poets over a glass of wine.

Once again, thank you all for coming and supporting this worldwide poetry reading for peace. Let us continue working towards the idea of dialogue.

Goodnight.