Meetings with poets during the Miłosz Festival

Lectures, concerts and workshops – the Miłosz Festival allows us to taste the language of poetry in many dimensions; however, it is the direct contact between the reader and the creator, that is the domain of the festival in Krakow. The meetings range from small and intimate to grand scale ones – this year the evenings with poets will take place in the beautiful Tempel Synagogue and St Martin’s Church.

The relationship between the poet and the reader is the core of Miłosz Festival, which originated from the tradition of meetings of the poets of the East and West. The festival gives opportunity to ask about artistic inspirations, but it is also an occasion to listen to poets reading their own creations. On the first day of the Festival (the 9th of June), the Evening in the Synagogue will feature the following poets: Breyten Breytenbach, Eugeniusz Tkaczyszyn-Dycki, Ashur Etwebi, Jerzy Kronhold, Piotr Matywiecki, Agnieszka Mirahina, Przemysław Owczarek, Tadeusz Pióro, Joanna Roszak and Olga Sedakova. Jerzy Illg will be the host of the exceptional meeting.

On the next day (the 10th of June), the participants of the Festival will see new poetic confrontations. Krzysztof Siwczyk will ask Ashur Etwebi about the struggle between the poetry and regime and connections between medicine and literature. Olga Sedakova will describe to Adam Pomorski, how her poems combine metaphysics with everyday life. Agnieszka Mirahina, Bartłomiej Majzel, Tadeusz Pióro and Przemysław Owczarek will tell Anna Kałuża, how they understand Poems in travel. The second day of the festival will end with a poetry evening in the St Martin’s Church, during which Kacper Bartczak, Stefan Hertmans, Barbara Klicka, Aldona Kopkiewicz, Bartłomiej Majzel, Michael Ondaatje, Piotr Przybyła and Julia Szychowiak will read their poems. The meeting will be conducted by Wojciech Bonowicz and Marcin Oleś, an outstanding bass player will enrich it with his music.

On Saturday, the 11th of June Breyten Breytenbach will meet with readers. The discussion with this exceptional South African author will be conducted by Jerzy Koch. Stefan Hertmans – one of the most renowned Dutch poets, known in Poland for his book War and Turpentine will discuss with Sławomir Paszkiet. Paweł Kaczmarski will ask poets about the sound of Poems from not so far beyond – Barbara Klicka, Aldona Kopkiewicz, Piotr Przybyła and Kacper Bartczak will try to answer that question. On the same day, Hatif Janabi will talk with Adonis about the complicated identity of a poet, torn between Arabic and Western culture.

The final day of the Miłosz Festival (the 12th of June) will start off with a meeting with this year’s laureates of Wisława Szymborska Award. Right after, Bronisław Maj will remember the late Zdzisław Jaskuła – translator, poet and director of Teatr Nowy in Łódź. Sława Lisiecka – the author’s wife and translator, as well as Krzysztof Siwczyk, Jerzy Jamiewicz and Joanna Orska will share their memories of the author.

On the same day, Agata Hołobut will ask Michael Ondaatje about the influence of multicultural roots on his poetry. Polish poets – Jerzy Kronhold, Piotr Matywiecki, Joanna Roszak and Julia Szychowiak will discuss the Poems in words and silence with Marta Koronkiewicz. Eugeniusz Tkaczyszyn-Dycki will talk with Paweł Matywiecki about his newest book, Nie dam ci siebie w żadnej postaci / I will not give myself to you in any form (Lokator 2016), which will premiere during the festival.

The City of Krakow, Krakow Festival Office and the City of Literature Foundation invite everyone to travel with poets along the trails drawn by lines of poems and pages of collections.

More information about the Festival can be found at: www.miloszfestival.pl