Today’s poetry news roundup takes a look at the poet who will be appearing on one of the “7 Arts” collection of coins, the bust to the post Nasimi which has been unveiled in Moscow and the poets who will not be getting a blue plaque.
Guillaume Apollinaire to Feature on Poetry Coin in “7 Arts” Collection
In 2013, the Monnaie de Paris released the first in a series of 7 coins dedicated to the arts. This year’s coin, the 6th coin out of the 7 honours the discipline of poetry and will feature the poet Guillaume Apollinaire.
Born Guglielmo Apollinaris de Kostrowitzki in 1880 in Italy, he was the son of an Italian officer and a Polish émigrée, origins he took considerable pains to hide. He moved to Paris when he was 20, and here he led a rather bohemian lifestyle. Then, growing bored of this way of life, he moved again, this time to Germany and it was here that he became inspired to write poetry. His inspiration came from the wonders of nature that surrounded him and later an unsuccessful pursuit of a young Englishwoman who he had fallen in love with and who rejected him.
Returning once again to Paris, he became friends with many young painters who would also go on to be famous. He published a number of poetry collections over the years, dying at the age of 38 from Spanish influenza. He is considered to be one of the greatest 20th Century French poets.
The coins in the series have all been designed by Christian Lacroix, the famed fashion designer. Apollinaire’s coin marks the centenary year of his death. The background on the coin is inspired by one of the poet’s own pieces of work and the reverse features his portrait.
The final coin in the series will be dedicated to the discipline of painting. Previous years have honoured dance, music, architecture, cinema and sculpture.
Moscow Unveils Bust of Imadeddin Nasimi
The Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO) has unveiled a bust of Imadeddin Nasimi, the great Azerbaijani thinker and poet. The unveiling ceremony was held during the Nasimi Festival of Poetry, Arts and Spirituality that has been organised in a collaboration between the Azerbaijani Embassy in Russia and the Heydar Aliyev Foundation.
The unveiling of the bust has been seen as a symbolic step in relations between the two countries.
Nasimi played an important part in the development of literature in Azerbaijani.
Blue Plaque Poets Rejected
English Heritage have made their decision on the latest batch of iconic blue plaque tributes, and, whilst the list of those names who will be represented is impressive, a number of poets have failed to reach their stringent criteria.
That list includes Edith Cooper and Katherine Bradley, the aunt and niece who wrote under the pseudonym Michael Field. Their work, which was ground breaking, touched on female sexuality. Eva Gore-Booth the poet and women’s rights campaigner has also missed out on a blue plaque. Gore-Booth who was involved in the women’s suffrage movement was a friend of the poet WB Yeats.
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