Our Man in Vienna

SRDAČNO POZIVAMO! / WIR LADEN HERZLICH EIN!

SR/MI, 01.06.2022. / 20:00

CENTAR.LITERATURA
Rušimo granice | Überwinden wir Grenzen | Breaking down Borders

Hrvatski centar| Kroatisches Zentrum – Schwindgasse 14, IV Beč / Wien

(Herausgeber: Petar Tyran und Herbert Kuhner).

Präsentation der dreisprachigen Anthologie zeitgenössischer Lyrik aus der alten kroatischen Diaspora „Rušimo granice | Überwinden wir Grenzen | Breaking down Borders“
Die Originaltexte lesen die Autor*innen selbst, die Übersetzungen Kornelia Mikula (Deutsch) und Herbert Kuhner (Englisch). Das Buch ist im Rahmen des Österreichischen PEN im Löcker Verlag, Wien 2022, erschienen.


Hawks and Nightingales/Ptici i slauji, edited by Tyran and Kuhner and published in 1983,
was the first collection of poetry by the Burgenland Croatian ethnic group in Austria.
This anthology established Burgenland Croatian poetry in Austria
and won an English readership for it.
Breaking Down Borders includes new poetry by Burgenland Croatians in Austria,
as well as poetry by authors in Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic
who write in the Burgenland Croatian dialect.
Borders successfully presents the spirit of a small ethnic group
that must struggle to maintain its cultural and lingual identity.
Poetry is the confirmation of language.

Lingual Music and Rhythm

Each language has its own music and rhythm.
It is the poet’s business to bring out
that music and rhythm in his lingual work.

It is the translator’s business to transfer
the music and rhythm of the poet’s language
into the lingual music and rhythm
that is innate in the translator’s language.

Poetry is the confirmation of language.

Translating the Poetry of the Burgenland Croatians

It is my singular honor to have translated the poetry
of the Burgenland Croatians into English.
This small lingual enclave is engaged in the laudable task
of attempting to preserve its language and culture by poetry,
which is the conformation of language. In view of the violence
and cruelty that dominates our world now, we must show
that we are committed to the cause of culture. This cause has
always been contrary to barbarism, but regretfully barbarism
always make a comeback both individually and communally
It is the task of the poet to counter the dominance of brutality
by a dedication to the word in its purest form. Telling it,
is a way of countering it.