We begin the week here on My Poetic Side with a look at this year’s winner of the Goldsmith Prize. We also have an exhibition on the works of Octavio Paz which have been re-imagined and the poet Shams Langerudi who has been honoured by the University of Guilan.
Goldsmith Prize 2018 Won by Scottish Poet
On Wednesday last week the winner of this year’s Goldsmiths Prize was announced as Robin Robertson, the Scottish poet, for his novel “The Long Take”.
Robertson’s story, which is written in verse and prose, also includes an amount of cinematic language of film noir. It was published earlier this year, and shows a real change of direction from the usual poetry Robertson produces.
The Goldsmith Prize is awarded to a writer who “that breaks the mould or extends the possibilities of the novel form.” And carries a £10,000 prize.
Robertson, who is from Perthshire, central Scotland, has published a total of nine poetry collections. He has also worked as an editor for Penguin Books, Seeker and Warburg and also Jonathan Cape. This book has also been longlisted for the Man Booker Prize.
Octavio Paz’s Verses Re-imagined
In an exhibition that will be on display in New Delhi until 25th November 48 artists and graphic designers from Mexico and India have illustrated the poetry of Octavio Paz.
The exhibition is titled “Re-imagining Octavio Paz”, and features an interesting take on the work of the 1990 Literature Nobel laureate. It is taking place on the 50th anniversary of the poet’s departure from India in 1968 and 20 years after the poet died in 1998. As part of the exhibition, a book by Alberto Ruy Sanchez, the Mexican writer, will also be launched, and includes the writer’s thoughts on Paz.
Some of the art work on display is of a more challenging nature and the exhibition does carry a warning. Using one of the poet’s verses, which has been taken from his long poem Carta de Creencia (Letter of Testimony), has been designed creatively to show the confluence of night, bodies and blood. It reads “Blood: Music in the branches of the veins, touch: light in the night of the bodies”.
Striking visual imagery is also evident in the works inspired by “The Broken Waterjar”.
The idea for the collection on display in the exhibition was originally thought up in 2014 in Mexico at the time of the centenary of the poet’s birth anniversary. Some of the most outstanding Mexican designers have put together the art work.
Shams Langerudi Honoured by University of Guilan
The 68-year-old poet, Mohammad Shams Langerudi has been honoured for his lifetime of achievements in the field of poetry by the Guilan Research Centre at the Guilan University.
The ceremony took place on Saturday, when the poet gave a brief speech. He thanked all those people who read and have empathy for his poetry.
In addition to writing poetry, Langerudi is also the author of “An Analytic History of Persian Modern Poetry” which is an extensive work of research on the subject of contemporary Persian poetry.
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