“(…) if we can’t talk about our feelings and traumas, if we are not able to find a right language for it, it will make us sick. As a very well-known Hungarian psychiatrist – called András Feldmár – said: you processed your trauma in the moment when you are able to talk about it and everyone is crying around you, but not you (anymore). And through the language of poetry, you can talk about even the most difficult things in a very sensitive and understandable way.” – Izsó Ζita Hungarian poetess (excerpt from the below interview)

– Izsó Ζita Hungarian poetess (excerpt from the below attached interview)

It is a rare, joyful moment to share such a beautiful interview like this one with Hungarian poets Weiner Sennyey Tibor, Bék Timur and Izsó Ζita who were invited to one of the largest literary events in Greece, the 5th Patras World Poetry Festival to read their poems to the Greek audience and to the poets of 11 more countries.

The invitation of the above mentioned Hungarian poets was based on a bilingual (Hungarian-Greek) anthology published earlier this year by the Greek Vakxikon Publications under the umbrella of a European poetry project featuring poets not older than 40 years.

It is called “Anthology of Young Hungarian Poets” and includes poems of 11 young Hungarian poets selected by anthologist and poet Weiner Sennyey Tibor, translated by Andreas Antoniou.

The subtitle of the four day long poetry festival (from 1st to 4th September) was “From Hippocrates to poetry therapy” emphasising the healing role and power of arts and especially of poetry, something that has emerging relevancy and necessity in contemporary Europe in my opinion. I cannot imagine more beautiful and uniting conversation between nations today than this one.

After the Poetry Festival in Patras the Embassy of Hungary in Athens organised a poetry reading evening also with the three ambassador poets from Hungary, and on this occasion they gave the following heart-warming interview.

I was crying in my pillow for a day because I could not participate in these events, but I am so happy for the cultural relevance of Hungarian poems travelling to Greece. Between my two homes – if you will.

The interview in English:

With Weiner Sennyey Tibor, Bék Timur and Izsó Ζita for Hungarian (and worldwide) poetry

The interview in Greek:

Μιλάμε με τους Τίμπορ Βέινερ Σέννιει, Τίμουρ Μπεκ και Ζίτα Ίζο για ουγγρική (και παγκόσμια) ποίηση