Interview with Dr. Aprilia Zank 
Theoretician of poetry, translator, poet

by Anca M. Bruma

I know that you yourself have done interviews with various well-known people. What is, in your opinion, the 'must' for an interview?

Yes, I have had the chance to meet and interview some renowned personalities such as the poet George Szirtes, winner of the T. S. Eliot Poetry Prize, David Amram, the multi-talented Beat Generation artist, Jennifer Phillips, artist and visual poet from New Zealand, just to name a few. One of the first things to keep in mind should be that each person is a unique personality, so you have to be well acquainted with his/her profile, background, formation and more, and ask the questions which are relevant for both the person interviewed and the target audience of the interview. Thus, you will be able to avoid boring, too conventional or even trivial questions.

You are a theoretician of poetry, a translator and a poet yourself. Which advice would you give to young poets, and... not only?

The first thing to tell them would be, “You are not the centre of the Universe.” –  which means that they should avoid to concentrate on their own feelings, emotions and experiences alone, but should as well open their eyes to the world around them, with its beauty and glory, but also with its problems, traumas, threats and more. Only so will they be able to access universality as poets and creators.

Your poetry is experienced by some readers as highly metaphorical, sometimes even difficult to 'decipher'. Do you agree to this?

Yes and no! I deal with language in both my scholarly and poetic realms. Unlike other forms of arts, which have specific means of expressions (colours, musical notes, etc.), poetry uses the daily language to transmit the artistic message. In order to acquire an artistic potential, this language must be 'purified' from the 'daily routine' and chiselled into something new, something unique, which challenges us, mesmerises us, touches unknown chords in our souls, and delights us with exquisite aesthetic experiences. This is not possible unless language is stylistically moulded into new syntagmata by means of metaphors, similes and the many other figures of speech. It is my endeavour and concern to refine my poetic message in the same way in which a goldsmith polishes his jewels. That is why poets are also called wordsmiths.

You are a poet but also a translator of poetry. Poetry translation is a wide topic, of course, but if you were to select the most important statement about poetic translation, which would this be?

You are right, one cannot deal with translation of poetry in just a few words, but I will try. Basically, when you translate poetry, and literature in general, you do not translate single words, you transfer feelings, states of mind, aesthetic experiences not only from a language into another, but from a certain unique artist to an audience of many individuals. So it should be the aspiration of each and every translator to recreate the resonance, the impact, the poetic message carried by the original work.

Translation has many 'faces'. One of them is translation by visual means, more specifically photography. You are a passionate photographer – do you see any or many touchpoints between poetry and photography?

Certainly! Like poetry, photography is, in my opinion, also an attempt at getting to the hidden core of things, to their mysteries or even essence. Talking in practical terms, there are workshops of creating poetry by using photographic images as prompts, or vice versa, photography contests in which photographers are expected to illustrate fragments of poetry or other literary genres with their images.

What is your experience with poetry festivals?

I have both organised and attended literary festivals, so I am privileged to have a double perspective. I organised the Literary Festival W-ORTE at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, with many guests from abroad as well, and it was a lot of work, but also a very enriching experience. We had lectures, workshops, poetry readings and free time encounters, in an intensive interaction between poets, translators, students and teachers. We also launched a bilingual anthology of parallel translations of poetry. It was not only instructive and enjoyable, but also the starting point of true friendships and further encounters in London and other places. As an participant in literary festivals in Munich and London, I tutored and took part in workshops, readings and other activities which, again, were very enriching for all those involved.

What do you know about KIBATEK in general? Have you heard about this Literary Foundation before or just recently?

I was aware of the existence of KIBATEK, but not acquainted with it in detail. At present, the more I get involved with it, the more fascinating it appears to me. It has a great programme of activities and most creditable objectives – a great platform for the promotion not only of literary excellence, but also of spiritual and humane values.

What are your expectations from the KIBATEK 40 Global Poetry Festival?

I look upon this festival as an excellent opportunity of exchange at many levels: scholarly, poetic, cultural and more. It is also a great chance to meet people from various countries and cultural communities, to share my own professional and poetic experience, and to learn new things from the other participants.

Dr. Aprilia Zank Books

Note: Dr. Aprilia Zank has gained several awards for cover books. She has designed for the KIBATEK 40, the Global Poetry Festival in Dubai, the cover book.

Other examples of her gained awards for cover books are illustrated here:

Interview with Fahredin Shehu by Anca M. Bruma

                                   

Short bio: Born in Rahovec, South East of Kosova, in 1972. Graduated at Prishtina University, Oriental Studies. Actively works on Calligraphy discovering new mediums and techniques for this specific for of plastic art. In fifteen years he operated as Independent Scientific Researcher in the field of World Spiritual Heritage and Sacral Esthetics. He won many literary awards in Kosovo and abroad. He is Laureate of Gold Medal for Poetry as Brodge to Nations- Axlepin Publishing- Philippines. He is Director of International Poetry Festival: “Poetry and Wine”, in Kosovo

What is your writing about?

I was struggling to find a balance between scientific research and artistic creation concentrating in Poetry. Focusing on the quality of writing followed by experience that is difficult to describe surely is not an easy endeavor. Writing as Vine Arbor to grafting it…to remove excess until purity is achieved, just as gold when going through fire to remove even rare rust. To write as we are silent, as we are alone and do things in solitude.

What is the relation of Man to the relation and to the Creator? What is his Correspondence? What is Art and its difference with the Craft? What is Theurgy and its difference with Revelation? The questions one addresses to himself and the burst of this manifests as output via Poetry.

What does poetry mean to you?

Conditionally said unfortunately it is a Word and necessarily resembles to other writing since there’s no other medium on that scale so the message may telepathically be conveyed to the one who receipt it. The highest form of Art is called Poetry, perhaps because we lack a proper notion to express what I really is.

Poetry for me uses Metaphor and Description, Logic and Emotion. Personally I use the entire being- Word or Number- Sufi Jaffr and Kabbalah’s Sefirot, Sound and Color, Logic and Intuition, Visible, Semi-Visible and Invisible, Sonorous, Semi- sonorous and Silent, Elements of Nature, Vegetation, Animal, Human, Love and Not-Love, Yes, Do and No of De Bono, Koan or Sutra, Art and Craft to emancipate it into the level of Theurgy. This is not eclecticism these are bricks and tools to build the Tower of POETRY or better said The Temple.

Building the Altar

The trustees have been assembled

The man, Homo Faber, Homo Gnosticus,

The Theurgist Angeloid, Eudemon, Jinni,

Angel, Archangel and Seraph

A long discussion brought few conclusions

The temple must be Spheric

the mortal shall recognize the shape of the Soap bubble

at the utmost deep valley of the heart where

the Turquoise emerald and dark green evergreen

gives freshness to the entire being

At the place turned toward the Sun

in exact proportion symmetrically

at the top of the basement; 
The Oceanic one

called Benthos

Huge crystalline table elliptic shape shall be filled

with nouns, adjectives, adverbs, verbs,

numbers, spheres, pyramids and all pots

terracotta porcelain diamond goblets with

crystallized dews of Pleroma

thus it shall all resemble the constellation

of all imaginable, semi-imaginable

and unimaginable universes

when the Souls of all sorts come by

to offer their quintessence at the front

of this Altar nothing but Love Divine  shall

unfurl its texture from  the role of the Universe

 …for God knows from how many flowers bee has taken the nectar to produce a lump of honey

How did you discover the Sufi World?

I was born as European Muslim inheriting a Sufi Tradition from my Family and its Spiritual Development in this realm. As for my education and refine I have studied from the World Spiritual Heritage and in particular a Transcendental Legacy and Treasures finding the Beauty of Mankind in all this palette of Diversity of the same reality. I do promote the Unity in Diversity.

My aim as artist is to offer a Spiritual Love through Poetry and Painting/ Calligraphy, to the entire Mankind and promote this value we all have to rejoice.

Mr. Shehu, how do you balance Painting/ Calligraphy with Poetry?

Through contemplation, no Force no Action, Being. I work simultaneously in several works of Art. Depends which Creative Impulse prevails.

How do you transfer your spiritual insights into poetry?

Writing the muttered word the swallowed one... Often I say: We lack Terrestrial Vocabulary for the Celestial Quest. Indeed a difficult process. I write as I’m silent, as I speak to myself. No confessions, no Psychiatrist, My self the Remembrance of Self the Gurdijjeff-ian Remembrance of Self. Cognitive process for spiritual insights and those last then outpouring either into canvas or paper.

Does Love for Poetry means to you a Love for Mankind?

If I’m allowed to be greedy and possessive because everybody says my World, my Country, my Nation my this my that etc., then I say my China is not the one of Mao but Laou Tse, my India is not of Jaina Taycoons but one of Mahawir, Vivekananda and Ramakrishna, my Spain is not of Inquisition but the Spain of Cervantes, Miro, Ibn Arabi, Maimonides, Averroes, my Romania is not of Nicolae Ceaușescu  but Romania of Mircea Eliade and Mihai Eminescu, My Iraq is not of Sadam Hussein but of Babylon, Nineveh, and Rabia Al Adewiyya, thus and yes my World is the one of Mother Teresa all embracing one.

What is your experience with poetry festival?

A) As an organizer of ”Poetry and Wine” Literary Festival

B) As a participant to other poetry festivals

As an organizer I think in two categories, one as Poet and another as Facilitator. As poet surely I did not read but was able to see people for the first time and people who never knew each other before had the opportunity to meet, exchange books, and collaborate in the future. As a facilitator to other poets a gatherings such as festivals are huge responsibility and exhaustive, yet the pleasure remains and continues. As an organizer you should understand that it is pretty huge burden but the felling of responsibility and strengthening the relationships, unification with others, new contacts, contribution to the World Literary scene, this also means economic growth for the particular area. In such events there’s no losers, everybody gains physically, artistically and spiritually.

Poetry Festivals have broadened not only my experience as poet in terms of getting to know directly from the reading of the others, their perspectives, their trends etc., they are also helpful in creation of Human and Artistic Bonds.

What experience have you gained from such literary exposures?

It all depends how much you impede seriously, how much effort and dedication, how much you are open to others. My experience is always incredible. I love Earth, I love every country and I wish to visit all countries. And every poet brings some distinction from her/his culture and heritage. The real magic happens in follow up after everything is gone. Communication afterwards, collaboration, book exchange etc.

What do you know about KIBATEK in general? Have you heard about this Literary Foundation before or just recently?

I have heard of KIBATEK earlier as I was invited some years ago in Izmir, Turkey but could not attend due to personal justified reasons. I have also been invited by respected Leyla Isik to attend in Italy but it was amidst my Festival so I again could not attend and contribute. I really look forward the upcoming edition.

What are you expectations in relation of KIBATEK 40 Global Poetry Festival?

I am looking forward to get to know other people, their work, contribute to the festival with debate and active participation.