A Celebration of the Writings of Russian & Eastern European Poets

A Celebration of the Writings of Russian & Eastern European Poets 

A National Translation Month Program 

at the 

Cornelia Street Café

29 Cornelia Street, New York, NY 

Thursday, September 27th, 2018

Co-Hosts: Claudia Serea & Gordon Gilbert 

Opening Music by Edith Lettner, accompanied by Paul Freefall 

Introductions: Gordon Gilbert & Claudia Serea 

Readers

Claudia Serea - "Give me a body, you mountains," "Quiet," & "The soul of the village" by Lucian Blaga (Romanian, 1895-1961)

Basil Lvoff – "On the earth cruelly minuscule" by Robert Rozhdestvensky (Russian, 1932-94)
& “Sounds’ Summons” by Konstantin Balmont (Russian, 1867-1942)

Anoek Van Praag – “A New Friend” by Dejann Stojanovic (Serbian, 1959- )
& “A Mistake” by Vasko Popa (Serbian, 1922-1991)

Paul Sohar – “The Conscience of Trees” by Zoltán Böszörményi (Hungarian, 1951- )

Olga Rukovets – “untitled #6 ” & “untitled #97” by Lydia Chukovskaya (Russian, 1907-96)

Valery Oisteanu – “Passionnement” by Gherasim Luca (French/Romanian, 1913-94)

J. Lois Diamond – “A Cloud in Trousers – Part 1” by Vladimir Vladimirovich Mayakovsky (Russian, 1893-1930)

Lola Koundakjian – “New York, NY” by Zareh Khrakhouni (Turkish of Armenian descent – 1926-2015)

INTERMISSION

***** music by Edith Lettner with accompaniment by Paul Freefall ******

Natalie Rogers – “Wait for Me” by Konstantin Simonov (Russian, 1915-79)
Ptr Kozlovsky – “Building the Barricade” & “Thoughts of a Fourteen Year-old Nurse" by Anna Swir (Polish, 1909-84)

Larissa Shmailo - " … it's like a rain wall ... " by Alexander Skidan (Russian, 1965- )
& "June 25, 1939" by Arseny Tarkovsky (Russian, 1907-89)

Vladimir Druk – “Alef-Bet” translated by Lev Friedman, read in Russian by author, Vladimir Druk (Russian, 1957- )

Anna Halberstadt – “Lithuanian Sky” by Antanas Jonynas (Lithuanian, 1953- )
& “Fourth” by Kestutis Navakas (Lithuanian, 1964- )

Gordon Gilbert – “ ? ” & “ ? ” by Sergei Esenin (Russian, 1895-1925)

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Final Words: Gordon Gilbert

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Our special thanks to Robin Hirsch, proprietor & Josh Rebell, curator
for having provided us with the opportunity to produce this program.