The Creative stage
The long-distance literary workshop organised by the Vienna-based group, kollektiv sprachwechsel, offered writers working in languages other than their mother tongue a platform to discuss their reasons and motivation, the benefit of creative multilingualism and the difficulties they face while adapting to a new language and publishing their work.
In the second, creative stage, the participants shared with each other their new pieces of work (poetry and short form) written in English. The texts merge historical references and questions of contemporary society, deal with social and private issues, and synthesise a wide range of topics including identity, ancestry, integration and self-expression. Here, we show three short excerpts to give an impression of the many different approaches and designs.
“Kalle spoke about the maladjustment, the necrosis,
a plant inflicts on its own tissue when mosquitoes
spawn their leaves. Your wife must get tired
of explaining everything to you. The plants prefer to die
than serve some other creature.”
José Luis Rico – Rapids
“i want to translate
the yearning to go back places, spaces, faces
a feeling you are alien to your life
spent in this one city
from birth on
i was defined by movement”
Canan Marasligil – translation as a gesture of love (or remembrance)
|
Banco la sale chance, Réunion des pots ! Des poils, hop ! Aime ! Va ! Retire habits. Transpire. Change. |
Ban cola sale, chance, reunion, despots! Despoil shop! Aim, Eva! Retire habits, Transpire change. |
Lou Sarabadzic – Double lire
Förderung durch die Stadt Wien Kultur