In this batch of literary dispatches from around the world at Asymptote, we cover literary conferences, recent publications, and rankings of writers in translation! From a gathering dedicated to the late iconic Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish, a new Disney+ series revolving around the life of a boy in Scandinavia, and a collection of contemporary women’s poetry in Macedonia, read on to learn more!
Carol Khoury, Editor-at-Large for Palestine and the Palestinians, reporting from Palestine
Last weekend, the A. M. Qattan Foundation and its partners revived the memory of the late iconic Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish with more fervor than anyone has done since his death and burial in 2008. In collaboration with Chaire Mahmoud Darwich, Bozar, and Mahmoud Darwish Foundation, a three-day conference titled “Mahmoud Darwish: The Narrative of the Past and the Present,” was held in Ramallah and on Zoom, with twenty speakers discussing nearly as many topics related to the poet’s works and life.
It was indeed a very interactive conference, as many of the speakers and a majority of the audience knew Darwish personally. With lots of biographical anecdotes shared by panellists and attendants alike, Darwish’s designation as iconic was undoubtedly attested. It felt as if every single person knew every single detail of Darwish’s works and life. I wondered how long Darwish’s ‘response’ would have been if he were to attend the conference! He probably would have needed another three days to dot the i’s and cross the t’s! But, that wouldn’t have been too troublesome for Darwish; the relationship between him and his audience had always been one of tension. People loved him, his poems, and particularly his orations and readings. But it was such an overwhelming and imposing love that he himself had to write in 1969, “Save Us from this Cruel Love!”
The topic of this relationship was certainly one that was heavily discussed over the course of the conference, largely revolving around the question: Who had the last say? As much as Darwish esteemed his audience’s preferences, especially at poetry readings, he also believed that it was his mission to influence—or rather, hoist—the general poetic taste. Today, fourteen years into his absence, we (and Darwish) know now who has the final say. His audience made an icon of him, not only through him as a person, but most importantly through their choices of which poems and lines they would remember. The most iconic line would arguably be: On this earth what is worth living.
The readings of the conference papers, in the original languages in which they were presented (Arabic, English, and French), are now available to watch on al-Qattan’s Facebook page. The conference’s website includes the rest of the details (in Arabic only), including the speakers’ bios.
Eva Wissting, Editor-at-Large, reporting from Sweden
Last week, the literary news website Boktugg presented the results of an inquiry into contemporary Swedish writers whose works have been translated into more than thirty languages. Often, the world famous children’s book author Astrid Lindgren (1907–2002), best known for Pippi Longstocking, is at the top of such “Most Translated Swedish Author” rankings, while Selma Lagerlöf (1858–1940)—who in 1909 became the first female recipient of the Nobel Prize in Literature, and in 1914 became the first female member of the Swedish Academy—is considered the Swedish writer with the most translations published during her lifetime. Boktugg’s list, with its contemporary approach, brings new names to the top.
The list covers genres from crime fiction to novels and children’s books. At the top, with translations into forty-eight languages, is Thomas Erikson, a communications and leadership coach most known for his nonfiction book Surrounded by Idiots, in English translation by Martin Pender and Rod Bradbury. Erikson is followed by fiction writer Fredrik Backman, with translations into forty-six languages. Backman is best known for titles like Anxious People (English translation by Neil Smith) and A Man Called Ove (English translation by Henning Koch). In third place, with translations into forty-three languages, is the queen of Swedish noir, Camilla Läckberg.
Mikael Niemi’s historical crime fiction To Cook A Bear, another Swedish book that has been translated into multiple languages (including English by Deborah Bragan-Turner), has also received significant attention lately. Disney+ recently announced that they are creating their first Swedish-language series based on Niemi’s novel. Revolving around the life of the Sami boy Jussi, To Cook A Bear is set in the far north of Scandinavia in the year 1852 and deftly weaves in historical events and figures—including the main character’s mentor, revivalist preacher Laestadius. The novel’s connection to local history is seen as an advantage for Disney+ as competition for viewers of streamed series tightens in Sweden.
Sofija Popovska, Editor-at-Large, reporting from Macedonia
In October 2022, the Macedonian Writers’ Association published Poseani Soništa (Dreams Sowed), a collection of lyrical work by eight contemporary women poets: Elena Prendzova, Ljerka Tot Naumova, Bistrica Mirkulovska, Mirjana Trencheva, Marina Mijakovska, Biljana Stankovska, Ljubinka Doneva, and Vanja Izova Veleva.
All eight authors are recipients of the Danica Ručigaj Prize, an award created to honor women poets of the twenty-first century, whose innovative urban lyricism changed the landscape of Macedonian literature forever. The award’s namesake, Ručigaj (1934–1963), is considered to be the first Macedonian woman poet; her work, informed on the one hand by her love for Ancient Greek mythology and Southern Slavic literature, and on the other by her nonconformist, taboo-defying artistic attitude, occupies a prominent position in Macedonian literary history. Aside from her two poetry collections—Srebreni Nokjni Igri (Silver Nighttime Games) and Zarobenici na Vetrot (Prisoners of the Wind)—her writing has been featured in multiple anthologies, including one that presents English translations of Yugoslavian womens’ poetry: Special Yugoslav Women’s Poetry Number (1985). As a continuation of Ručigaj’s pioneering legacy, Poseani Soništa introduces a fresh perspective on a controversial cultural staple: feminine writing.
Poseani Soništa seeks to celebrate and reassess the idea of feminine authorship—as per the programmatic epilogue by writer and publisher Hristo Petreski, who initiated and composed the collection, the use of the terms “masculine” and “feminine” with regard to writing “should be annulled, as they are anachronistic and ineffectual, and creative writing should be looked at as one unity.” This publication embodies both an exploration of the feminine perspective and its transcendence, ushering in a new era for the Danica Ručigaj Prize—Petreski writes that “in the future, the Danica Ručigaj Prize will not be limited by gender, that is, it will not be reserved for women writers, but available to all writers—members of the Macedonian Writers’ Association, for poetry books with a contemporary, avant-garde, innovative, and experimental content.”
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