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Cornelis van der Wal to the international poetry festival Transpoesie

In September the eleventh edition of the Transpoesie Poetry Festival will be held in Brussel. Cornelis van der Wal will represent Fryslân this year, following in the footsteps of Janneke Spoelstra (2018), Elmar Kuiper (2019) and Nyk de Vries (2020). Cornelis van der Wal shall give a performance on 26 September, the European Day of Languages.

A jury consisting of Alex Riemersma (advisor language policy at Provinsje Fryslân and lector at NHL Stenden), Janneke Spoelstra (Fryske Akademy) and Ammerins Moss-de Boer (it Skriuwersboun) selected the poem of Cornelis van der Wal, ‘Snow is an act of resistance’, out of the six entries. His submission was characterised by the jury as a melodic poem that expressed the theme in a topical and expressive manner. It describes the loneliness, coldness yet necessity of resistance and protest with words that provoke all your senses and reveal new ideas to ponder about every time you read it.

Cornelis van der Wal (Ljouwert, 28 Januari 1956) is a Frisian writer and poet. Hy has published seven poetry collections. He won the Fedde Schurerprize with his first collection In nêst jonge magneten in 1993. In 2019 six of his poems were translated and published in the renowned Danish magazine Hvedekorn.

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February 2021

Aggie van der Meer was the RIXT poet of the  month February 2021. You can read her original Frisian poems of that month here. The translation of one of them – ‘The geat Xi Jinping’ – is published here.

Source: Pixabay

The Great Xi Jinping

they greet
they bow
then demand to speak first

he, Xi, perplexed
his power, awarded to him
his strong hand and purpose
will not be taken away by no one
was there any other way open
to them, to him
was there another choice?

he won’t bow down
lest he becomes afraid
his wrath will guard him

now that he knows of their mistake
he’ll save them

the first word,
he will say
remains my due
as is the last

in their silent defence
already threatening
they know that his fear
will force him to imprint
his law, his will and thoughts
on their lips
in their heads

no day when they can forget
no night it won’t hound them
no way out to be found
not for them, nor for him
the last word, he says, has been said

let the world know.

© Aggie van der Meer
Trans. Trevor M. Scarse

 

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Picture Poems with Anne Feddema and Syds Wiersma

For the project Picture Poems, four new poems were published in February. Two poems, of Syds Wiersma and Anne Feddema, are the English translations  ‘Pentecoste with Escher‘ and ‘Disruptive Creation of a Poetic Cinema’

screenshot of ‘Disruptive Creation of a Poetic Cinema’

Picture Poems makes (Frisian) poetry accessible to a wider audience. Based on the belief that moving images can increase more interest in poetry, various (young) filmmakers are asked to film these poems. This way, said poetry is given a new life — with respect to the original. It is an iniative of Tresoar, LF2018 and Metafoor Media.

Previously, Frisian poems of RIXT-poets were adapted by Picture Poems. These are the video’s ‘Der net mear is as dat‘ of Aggie van der Meer, ‘De Reizger’ of Cornelis van der Wal and also  ‘Buenos Aires’ of our chosen patroness of the poet pack, Rixt.