Teruglezen: Twitterinterview met Adam Foulds op #Woldhorst

Op 30 juni 2014 opende #Woldhorst haar deuren, het eerste Twitter Literatuur Festival van Nederland. Een week lang kon heel twitterend Nederland genieten van virtuele optredens van, en interviews met allerlei binnen- en buitenlandse auteurs.

Speciaal voor #Woldhorst nam Adam Foulds, auteur van de zojuist in het Nederlands vertaalde dichtbundel Het gebroken woord, een uur de tijd om op Twitter geïnterviewd te worden door Bertram Mourits. Hieronder het resultaat:

I’ll be asking questions mainly about THE BROKEN WORD, an epic poem which has just been published in Dutch.

And I have to say: it is an impressive piece of work. As powerful as some famous war novels.

 

Very pleased to hear it.

 

But before turning to the poem, I would like to ask about the translators: did you work with them?              

 

I did, answering queries about particular words.Translators are the closest readers. They question things that were automatic for you and make you see the work afresh.

 

Did they surprise you with some questions?

 

They made me realise how much spoken English idiom of that period (the 50s) is in the poem.

 

About the book, it’s called The Broken word and it begins with a modest image the glare of a match flame in daylight. It sounds like you have a hard time believing in the power of words or images. That doesn’t sound like a question, but it could be: is language powerful enough for history?

 

Not sure what gave you that impression or that I understand this question. Because the first image is a close up?

Time that is intolerant of the brave and innocent/ And indifferent in a week to a beautiful physique /Worships language and all by whom it lives. – That’s Auden saying something v right about poetry’s long life.

 

Saw it as something small, powerless:glare in broad daylight, a broken word, something powerless in a tough world I’ll take that as a resounding Yes

 

Ah, interesting. I see what you mean. I think that small flame probably fits in to a scheme of the microcosmic personal act or violence fitting together with the macrocosm of history. Yes, scattered tiny things adding up to something beyond an individual’s understanding.

A ‘yes, but.’ The but being that nothing finally heals or undoes the worst violence that people do.

 

not even time? (and I realize I’m treading dangerous waters here)

 

Not even time. Not for the individuals who suffered. For societies, time will heal.

 

So let me explain:some literature about history resounds more than history. maybe it takes more than just centuries

 

Isn’t literature about history history? Into deep matters hard to discuss in 140 characters, but history is narration, is story telling. I’m interested here in the history that lives in our minds, that tells us who we are.

 

I think The Broken Word often contains beautiful poetry – do you agree this contrasts with the subject matter?

 

Yes. The poem collides its lucidity and coherence with the chaotic and devastating events it describes.

 

So how much beauty do you allow?

 

Not sure how to answer this. The beauty derives from clarity of seeing and word choice, it’s not  a category of things I add – flowers, moonlight etc. So the horror and the beauty arrive together. Both are a result of really looking.

 

I was going to ask: is there room for history in poetry? but you just answere that, I think with another resounding yes (yes, but)

why did you choose the poetry form for this subject matter?  

 

For the violence: to be brief, to break lines, to be minimal, cinematic and not make moral comments.

 

Maybe also referring to your previous answers to be able to look as thoroughly at the ugly stuff as at the beauty?

 

Yes. I wanted to be fully present there, to have the fullest encounter with the material.

 

Turning to _literary_ history: some parts almost feel like world war I poets – do you see that parallel?

 

I’m happy to hear that but they were not really in my mind at the time. More Christopher Logue’s Homer versions.

 

That’s interesting — that’s history that became literature, maybe not losing the history, but art prevails

 

Actually I found my way to the form on my own then started looking for models. Logue is I think techinically the closest .

 

(still not meaning to disagree with your point about cruelty trumping poetry in the end)

So turning back to the book: Tom is growing up, Kenya is growing up – is there a parallel between boy & country?

 

Not conscious. Tom’s youth for me about innocence & inheriting systems of violence we wouldn’t ourselves choose.

 

 I understand. That was probably the old fashioned close reader in me

Do you have other “examples”, “heroes” who wrote epic poetry? Maybe more contemporary: Ashbery? O”Hara?

 

I like Anne Carson’s ‘Autobiography of Red.’ David Jones’ ‘In Parenthesis,’ a WW1 modernist masterpiece.. Reading Walcott’s Tiepolo’s Hound at the moment and liking very much.  

 

Walcott’s rewriting of Homer in Omeros is also fascinating – interesting lines here, this is history writing back in the same sense that empire is writing back?

 

Oh yes. Omeros was an important book for me in my teens. What’s your question precisely about Empire?

 

I wanted to explore the similarities between the notion of empire writing back (seth, wolcott, maybe Broken Word?) and the way that poetry relates to history: history writing back (the war poets, also broken word) but I might be overestimating the power of twitter to think that is possible.

 

In 1 sense this is simple for TBW. I wanted to write about a conflict mostly forgotten in the UK. (This less the case now, after successful case for damages brought by victims of torture under the British). I wanted to help break a silence that felt like a definite attempt at forgetting.

 

And that’s a big vote of confidence the power of poetry — and of words, be they broken or not?

I did not know that — that is good news, maybe an example, Dutch history has their own struggle to fight.

 

Very good news. V significant in Kenya to have suffering recognised. UK government now going to pay for a memorial in Nairobi. A grounding, a settling of memory possible from this moment.

 

It’s a testament to the power of words. And I think that’s a fitting closing statement for this interview .

 

I was just getting started! So much to discuss on these subjects. Thank you for excellent questions.

Thanks so much for trying to make sense of my questions in such small space.

I think we should continue t/conversation in real life, maybe even on a real stage. Enjoyed it a lot, thanks again.

Again, I am really impressed by the book, and I’m looking forward to the novel, even more now!

 

Great. Thanks!

My pleasure. I look forward to a non-virtual conversation some day. I think we should continue t/conversation in real life, maybe even on a real stage. Enjoyed it a lot, thanks again

see my last tweet: I’m sure that will happen

 

Until then, my very best, Adam

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