Interviews

"El mejor de todos nuestros festivales" - Entrevista por Luis Benítez

Festival de Val-David. Entrevista a Flavia Cosma
por Sole Molina

El V Festival de Val-David, que acoge a escritores y artistas, tuvo lugar en mayo pasado. Su organizadora, la poeta rumano-canadiense Flavia Cosma, nos cuenta entretelones sobre el festival, sus participantes y asistentes. Leer completo en Festival de Val-David

“La poesía es una calle con doble dirección, un diálogo entre el poeta y los lectores”

A Poetic Mind

(appeared at www.tawimm.com/apoeticmind.htm

The following is an interview with award-winning poet, Flavia Cosma. In September, I chatted with her about her last work, The Seasons of Love, networking and getting published. What she answered may surprise novice authors.

1. Why did you decide to make the transition from Engineering to Drama to Poetry?

I don’t feel I made a transition at all. If anything, I was postponing my artistic life for a better time and place. Pursuing a career in Electrical Engineering was an option for survival under those circumstances.

2. To which professional organizations do you belong?

Oh, yes, I do belong to quite a few of them: I am a member of The Writers’ Union of Canada, The League of Canadian Poets (International Affairs Chair), Canadian Authors Association (International Liaison Officer, Toronto Branch), British Comparative Literature Association, The Romanian Writers’ Union, Pen Canada, Writers and Editors Network, The Ontario Poetry Society, and The Academy of American Poets.

3. How did you meet George Elliott Clarke and how did you get him to write the introduction to your collection of poetry?

My friendship with George Elliott Clarke dates for many years, maybe more than ten, and its beginning is now lost in time. I admire his writing (I translated a book of his Burning Poems, Cogito Press 2006, into Romanian), and he obviously likes my work, we have the same understanding regarding the mysterious ways of poetry, and although our life experiences differ, we both were blessed with our share of human suffering and joys.

4. How do you decide that all of these poems belong together in a single book? Did you predetermine certain themes or subjects?

I do not preplan a book. I always let it flow as by its own laws. Of course, a time comes when a book has to be given a name, and I usually chose the title of one of the poems within it as the title of the book.

5. Was there anything lost in translation? Which poems are not as powerful in English or what poems took on new meaning because of the translation?

People often say that translating poetry is an impossible task. I disagree. In my case, I really didn’t have other choices but to try this route, since at the start my books were banned in my native Romania. I think that poetry, real poetry, finds its way, like water, in every language. Of course the internal rules of each language determine certain modes of expression, and then the translator has to bend the original accordingly, without betraying the overall ideas and feelings in a poem. However, there is music underneath words in poetry, which the translator has to be very careful not to miss.

6. Do you feel that you are writing to a specific audience? Are many of the readers of your English-language poetry Romanian? What characteristics do you think typify your readers? Do you imagine your audience when you write and is that vision of your audience different from people you see buying your books?

Without being overly ambitious, I aim to reach the largest audiences possible. And that’s why I write in a simple, clear way. Because I believe that poetry has to be at the same time both ambiguous (leaving the meaning open to interpretation), and clear like a mountain stream.

7. Were there any struggles or debates between you and the editor or publisher? Did they bring any ideas to the table which changed your vision of your work?

As far as I remember, no. Short of rejecting my manuscript, which unfortunately happens now and then, I had no major disagreements with my editors, co-translators or publishers. I respect and listen to their opinions, but in the end, it is my work, and I take responsibility for it.

8. What steps did you take to get this collection of poetry published?

I survey the poetry market, like anybody else. I know more or less a number of Publishing Houses, their likes and dislikes, their particular needs at the moment. The Internet is a wonderful tool, allowing us to connect with so many people. I offered this book to Cervena Barva Press in Somerville, MA, because I knew them from before. I had published my chapbook Gothic Calligraphy with them. They took it and the rest is history.

9. What is it like to receive an award? How did you get considered for the awards that you have won or for which you have been shortlisted?

First of all you have to apply. When you receive news about winning an award, you experience a moment of disbelief. I always think that it is some mistake and soon they’ll correct it. When it’s obvious that there is no mistake, you go there and receive it as graciously as you possibly can, and enjoy every instant of it. It is your moment. I don’t know how it happened, I do not know anybody in the jury, and I suppose they liked my work, period. I am very thankful when this happens.

10. How are you promoting this book?

I had a book launch in April in Cambridge, MA, then I went on a tour through five Romanian Universities, where I launched it again, then I launched it in Toronto in June, and again in Wasaga Beach in September, and I am promoting it the best I can everywhere I am invited to read (next at the Stellar Poetry Festival in Oshawa, September 2008). I will attend an International Conference in Lithuania in October and a round table with students and faculties at the University of Alba Iulia, Romania, a reading at the University of Sudburry next February and another in Montreal next March.

11. What do you plan to do next?

Actually, in October I have a new release: Thus Spoke the Sea, a poetry collection published by KCLF-21 Press, Toronto, I also have some other plans, like publishing a book of Fairy Tales, a Travel Memoir, a new poetry book in Romania. Most importantly, I am working on a new poetry collection, On Paths Known to No One.

Interview with Flavia Cosma

(appeared at http://www.terranovamagazine.ca/50/pages/interview.html)

Reda Mehafdii

Reda Mehafdi: - First, I want to ask you to present yourself to our readers.

Flavia Cosma : - Thank you Reda and thanks to your readers for your willingness to spend time with me. I am a Romanian born Canadian poet, author and translator. I have published so far twenty books and my work is represented in numerous anthologies in various countries and languages. I like to think that I am 100% Canadian and 100% Romanian.

R.M.: -Originally, you are an electrical engineer. When and how you decided to change to literature and spend all your life in this field since then? What were the deep reasons for that?

F.C:- Yes, I studied electrical engineering for a number of valid reasons. Let’s say I was good in math and it wasn’t too hard for me. And as an engineer, the communist regime of Romania of the times didn’t have the same means to hurt me as if I were a writer. I kept the fact that I was a writer a secret more or less, while living in Romania, but I think of myself as being a poet before being anything else.

R.M.: - You are Romanian and Canadian at the same time. You write in Romanian and English, two languages of two quite totally different cultures. Don't you feel some difficulties in living two cultures at the same time when writing something? Or on the opposite, do you feel that this situation helps you to be more creative?

F.C.: -One doesn't have a choice, especially, while being a political refugee such as myself. I had to swim or sink. I am not saying that it was, or it is still easy. I’ve got accustomed to it. However, my constant craving for Romania, its people and culture, diminished in time. Besides I can go there now any time I wish to do so. And I think that this feeling of being in exile is a condition shared by many writers and artists throughout the world, even if they decide to stay in the same place they were born in. For a poet, his country is the language he writes in. And I write in Romanian. And this, no one could ever take away from me.

R.M.:- Some of your writings are done for kids. Why did you choose to do so especially that you are not specialized in kid writings?

F.C.:- I do write for children now and then. Why? I guess it’s because the universe of children appeals to me. Because I think of poetry as of condensed fairy tales, where all sorts of miraculous things can happen and where sometime we can reach for the highest artistic expression possible.

R.M.: - I had the pleasure to receive from you a copy of your book " The Adventures of Tommy Teddy Bear and Alex Little Bunny " and have noticed that is full of education messages. What is your purpose from this tales book? And what are the most important messages you wanted to give through it?

F.C.: - Oh, the educational stuff! I started writing the above-mentioned book when my son was little and I needed an outlet to educate and entertain him at the same time. It took a long while until the book was published, though.

R.M.: - I would like to know your opinion about Arabic literature you had the chance to read translated to English or Romanian.

F.C.: - I am very humbled and awed by all the Arabic poets and mystics of the past. I admire some modern Arab writers and I wish I’d have more time to be able to read more Arabic literature.

R.M.: - Who is the writer who has inspired you the most when you were young? And who is the one who has lived in your soul forever?

F.C.: - About this, I have a long list. It begins, of course, with the classic Romanian poets such as Eminescu, Alecsandri, and on the more modern front, Bacovia and Arghezi, then the Greek classics, Sapho, Homer, the Roman poets, the old Persian poets, etc. I am very fond of the French romantics, the Italians, Rabindranath Tagore, Rainer Maria Rilke, Emily Dickinson, Ana Ahmatova. As I said, the list seems to be endless. As for some of them living in my soul forever, I don’t know my soul that well, and I can’t tell.

R.M.: - Do you think that texts keep the same meanings when translated? Don't you fear that they lost something interesting of what their authors wanted from them to give to readers?

F.C.: - Some say that poetry can’t be translated. I have to disagree with this because when I started publishing, I first published poetry in translation. I must admit though, that a translator of poetry must be as imaginative as a poet, have a deep feeling for the ambiguous and still clear as a mountain spring poetic style, and be in love with the poetry he/she wishes to translate. Otherwise the exercise is a total waste of time.

R.M.: - Can you tell us something about you personal experience with translation? Are you satisfied with translations done to your works? Do you feel the need to translate your works to other languages to which they have not been translated yet like Arabic for example?

F.C.: - I am never satisfied with anything I write or translate. I used to have heartaches seeing my poems rendered into another language, but I have calmed down since then, due to the fact that over the years my English became much better and I can say now that I am translating my work myself and use an editor just to make sure all is okay. As for my work being translated into other languages, Spanish for instance, I had the marvelous surprise to see it very well received by local audiences, in Argentina for example. Yes, it would be wonderful to have my poems translated into Arabic.

R.M.: - Are you still in deep contact with Romanian society? Or have you been mostly involved in Canadian life since you left Romania in 1976? How do you see the changes that have happened in Romania in the 1990s? Do you think writers had some roles in the changes? Or is it only political?

F.C.: - I have left Romania in 1974 and arrived in Canada in 1976, after spending almost two years in various refugee camps. As of now, I am a member of The Writers’ Union of Romania, among other associations, I publish books and collaborate to literary magazine in there, and I am invited frequently to Romanian Universities to speak to students about poetry, the situation of writers in exile and other themes of interest, and to read from my books, both in Romanian and in English. Changes were hard to come by in Romania and the situation is never perfect. A society deeply wounded as the Romanian society was, needs time to heal itself. I am confident that they will find their right path. I myself started in Canada in 1990 an Association “The Romanian Children’s Relief”, which helps orphaned children and needy families. We continue to help to this day, because there is still a need. Yes, I know for a fact that the Romanian writers redeemed themselves and contributed the best they could to expedite changes in Romania. The situation is very complex and it will take some time to be analyzed.

R.M.: - You have won some prizes (Canadian Scene National Award, ALTA Richard Wilbur Poetry in Translation Prize, etc). How do you see the effect of a prize on a writer?

F.C.: - The effect is good, both from the writer’s standpoint and from the literary critics’ point of view. I am always happy when this happens to me, but I am much wiser now and I keep my cool about it. My goal is not to win prizes. My goal is to write something useful, beautiful and meaningful.

R.M.: - You had a work experience in TV and Radio in Romania, and you have had the same experience in Canada since many years. Does this experience help you in your writing world? Or does your writing work add something to you your TV/Radio job?

F.C.: - I was fortunate enough to be able to combine my artistic abilities with my technical knowledge and in this fashion to earn a living. The TV medium has its own rules and targets certain aspects of reality with more accuracy than writing. It’s good, it’s creative, I have a lot of respect for it, and in other circumstances I would give it my undivided attention. Except that I am a poet and poetry takes precedence in everything I do.

R.M.: - What kind of documentaries are you doing now as independent TV producer?

F.C.: - I am fascinated by Latin America, and I would love to do a documentary on the subject. We’ll see.

R.M.: - Can you tell us about the contribution of Romanian born citizens in cultural life in Canada? And do you think they have integrated the Canadian society in the best way?

F.C.: - I have this idea that Romanians in Canada are doing very well for themselves. I am always proud when I hear of their cultural accomplishments and I wish them lots of luck. R.M.: - What are your actual projects of writing?

F.C.: - I am working simultaneously on the Romanian and English versions of a poetry collection: On Paths Known to No One. I am also in the process of translating a book into Romanian by an American poetess.

R.M.: - Last thing you want to tell us?

F.C.: - I want to share with you my thoughts about the power of poetry as means of reaching Divine Harmony here on earth as opposed to dissonance and hatred. I think the world would be a much better place if people will get in touch with the poet within themselves and see how beautiful our world could be, if only we would try a little harder for peace and understanding among nations and people.

R.M.: - Thanks a lot for accepting to do this interview

F.C.: - My pleasure.

INTERVIEW WITH FLAVIA COSMA

appeared in www.cervenabarvapress.com

Write a bio of yourself.

As time passes by, my bio seems more and more like a tale I've invented, in collaboration with natural elements such as weather, calamities, missed earthquakes, etc. and man made disasters such as a totalitarian society, destructions, suppression of Human Rights, disregard for the laws. And amid those, the rare moments of pure joy such as the birth of my son, the illusions of love, freedom as I imagined it. And, as I state at the end of the poem REMOTENESS:

"And meanwhile life, flowing downstream,
In parallel, indifferent courses."

What is really lasting and worth of mentioning are the books that I've written so far and the ones that I hope to write from now on.

Describe the room you write in?

I have no particular place where I retire to write. It is more of an interior space, where I can find, without effort, the right word, the simplest sentence to clarify and appease my mind. This can happen in the middle of a glorious sunset, a snowy December day, a limpid morning. Then I feel secure in the midst of so much divine beauty. I do believe that "inspiration" is one of the sure channels between our Creator and us, a moment of Grace in the Universe.

Talk about your move from Romania to Canada in 1976. Was this to escape oppression, censorship and the dictatorship of Ceausescu?

I left Romania in December 1974 after trying for a time to get an exit Visa, without success. It took me almost two years to reach Canada, spending some of this time in different Refugees Camps. It was obvious to me that my writings were not welcomed in the literature of the day, that, on the contrary, insisting on this front would only land me in jail. So, I kept my poems in drawers and published just children stories.

Talk about the writing scene at that time.

Compromise was the word most apt to describe the situation. Writers would compromise their integrity for the reward of being published and having some privileges. There were a few "fools" who tried something different, they ended up in jails or even dead. I was not so brave.

Since the fall of Ceausescu in 1989, do you visit home now? Are family and friends still there?

As soon as I heard the news of the so called "Romanian Revolution", me working in a TV Station in Toronto at the time, I organized "The Association for Democracy in Romania", a charity that over the years transformed itself in "Romanian Children's Relief", that to this day sends goods and medicine to 11 selected orphanages across the country. This gave me access to Romania as early as the spring and summer of 1990. Unfortunately by that time all my immediate family was dead but I had and still have lots of friends in Romania.

What are some of your documentaries about that you've done for TV?

My first documentary "Romania, a Country at the Crossroads" 1990, was awarded The Canadian Scene Prize for Television Documentaries, and dealt as the title suggests, with Romania, immediately after the change of regime. I followed it with "Freedom, Sweet Dream" 1992, dealing with the further changes in the Romanian Society. Social themes and social justice interest me, be it in Romania or Canada or anywhere in the world.

You have published numerous books. Talk about your publishing experience.

My first published book was "Fairy Tales by Flavia Cosma." This came about thanks to the Canadian multicultural policy at the time. My angels (particularly Saint Anthony) protected me and guided my literary steps from the very beginnings. I was blessed to find an American English Professor, Dr. Don Wilson, dead in a traffic accident since, interested in translating from different languages and cultures. Our first collaboration resulted in "47 Poems" Texas Tech University Press 1992, winner of the Richard Wilbur Poetry in Translation Prize. This was followed by "The Fire that Burns Us"-Singular Speech Press 1996, a novel dealing with escaping communist countries and the terrible consequences of such an act for everyone involved, the one who leaves and the one that's left behind. Later on "Wormwood Wine" Mellen Poetry Press 2001, 2004, and "Fata Morgana", same publishing house, 2003. The Romanian publishing houses started taking notice and in 1997 I was published for the first time in my country of origin. Four more books followed, the latest "Rhodos, Rhodes sau Rodi, a diary of my stay in Rhodes, March 2005.

You have a new book that just was published in Romania, a diary about your stay at Rhodes last March. Please talk about your stay there.

I had the privilege to spend the whole month of March 2005 at the International Writers' and Translators' Centre of Rhodes. Extensively visited by tourists during the summer months, the island was quiet at that time of the year. The weather was perfect, with the occasional morning rain and the strong gales, sometimes flapping the window shutters all night long. But this only added to the unique charm of the old, lovingly restored villa built as an observatory post in 1894 by the Governor Smith on the mountain that bears his name. Given the fact that the Turkish shores lay just 11 km. in front of the island, the post was a necessity at the time. The Italians added a new wing to the building in 1936.

My windows were facing the fabulous Aegean Sea. I have spent hours at that window, mesmerized by the sea's constant changing of colors. From the most innocent blue to the menacing navy gray, the Sea stunned and amazed me. I cannot forget the spectacular sunsets, or the nights when a full moon was tracing a wide silvery path on the perfectly still waters. I have rolls and rolls of film to remind me of the natural beauty of Rhodes.

The old town, a jewel in itself, is a unique phenomenon in Europe, due to the fact that is still very much inhabited. Within its tall, double walls, one can visit the famous castle of the Knights of St. John, now housing the ancient and medieval museum, incredibly rich in old, old, treasures. Byzantine churches, dating from the ten century on, are open for mass to this day.

I immediately fell in love with my surroundings. I had to put aside other work I intended to do, and I wrote instead the book about my stay in Rhodes.

But, I was impressed most of all by the warmth and friendliness of the locals, who were trying hard to make you feel at home in their country.

Given a chance, I would certainly go back and revisit Rhodes, which stays in my memory as one of the closest places to Paradise on earth.

I find your work to be so beautifully written and powerful. I am curious as to what you are working on now?

I have different projects on the table right now. I had just finished to roughly translate the book about Rhodes into English, and now we have to give it an English literary form, I am in the middle of translating into Romanian a book of poetry by a famous Canadian poet George Elliott Clarke, and I work on a new collection of my poems, tentatively named "Deceptive Seas". I intend to expand my collection of Fairy Tales from three to seven and to adapt some of them for a marionettes' theatre.

You have spoken about Human Rights recently to children. What sort of questions do the children ask you about Human Rights? With all your experiences, how does this find its way into your writing?

It was very interesting to see the major interest children of a democratic country like Canada have in Human Rights and the lack of them in a totalitarian state. Seems that every one of them had a question or a suggestion on the subject. Personal experiences such as mine fascinate them. They wanted to know about the Secret Police, devising various ways of escaping them, about the liberties of children such as "were they allowed to have pets?" The lives of old people. Very touching.

I draw strength and trust in the human race when I see their innocence and their willingness to correct the society's ills. Next week I am going to speak to older kids (grade 12) about life in the Refugee Camps. I am sure that these almost adults will participate fully in discussions and I am looking forward to talk to them.

What writers that you read inspire you?

Different writers from different epochs and cultures influenced me my entire life. I started of course with some Romanian classic poets, Eminescu, Bacovia, Cosbuc. Arghezi. Later on, the Romantic French poets were my favorites. Baudelaire went hand in hand with Edgar Allan Poe. I had some years of Homer and Greek Tragedies, Ovid, Virgil and so on. Dante has his place in my heart. The list is long.

Out of all the books you published, is there one you feel more partial to than the others?

No. It is always all of them, but especially the next one, the one I can hardly wait to write.