In today’s news round-up we bring you three stories; we look at the new collection of poetry from Maksy Rylsky that is due to be published shortly having been translated into English, the poet in Zimbabwe who wrote a poem about the General who was involved in the recent presidential coup and the Seamus Heaney International Visiting Poetry Fellow.
Publishers Print New Book of Poetry by Maksym Rylsky
Born in 1895, Maksym Rylsky was one of the most well received poets that the Ukraine produced during the 20th century. He was a master of both the long narrative style of poem and also modern sonnet as well as being closely linked to the Neoclassicist collection of poets who used the more traditional forms of meter and rhyme. In addition to all of this he was a keen linguist with a good knowledge of Polish, French, German and English.
Now Glagoslav Publications are to release a book of his poetry that has been translated into English. The book “The Selected Lyric Poetry of Maksym Rylsky” is a selected works edition made up almost entirely of poems from Rylsky’s earlier works, many of which were written during what were the darkest days of World War II for the Ukraine, the book also contains poems from other important periods of the poet’s life.
Poetry for the General
A few weeks ago, General Chiwenga led a military intervention in Zimbabwe, ousting the president Robert Mugabe and seeing President Emmerson Mnangagwa installed in his place. A Mutare based poet, Raymond Makuwa has written a poem in which he depicts the General as the Nehemiah of Zimbabwe who rescued the country from the corrupt power that it was struggling under.
Using biblical allusion and other literary devices the poet has attempted to bring to light what he sees as the issue of divine intervention and inevitable change.
Makuwaza is well known in literary circles and often referred to as Uncle Ray. He claims his poem is based on the bible story of the Governor Nehemiah, a man who had a key role in the rebuilding of Jerusalem, a feat he achieved in just 52 days. He uses his poem to draw a number of parallels between General Chiwenga and Nehemiah.
Seamus Heaney Visiting Poetry Fellow Announced
American poet Mark Doty who is perhaps most well known for the work that he wrote in answer to the epidemic of AIDS has been chosen to be the first Seamus Heaney
at Belfast’s Queen’s University.
The post which is worth £20,000 annually was created through an alliance between Queen’s and the Council of the Arts in Northern Ireland as part of their Seamus Heaney Legacy ten-year project will be given to a poet who has an international reputation.
Mark Doty should spend four weeks based at the
as part of the post which will begin in autumn 2018. He will also undertake a number of outreach projects in the local vicinity.
You must register to comment. Log in or Register.