Poets Translating Poets | Germany tour

As part of the Poets Translating Poets project linking German and South Asian writers and translators, 15 poets from South Asia are travelling to over 13 cities and venues in Germany to meet and present their poetry along with their German counterparts. Events take place during September and October 2016 in many cities in Germany. Poets Translating Poets is a two-year-long project initiated in October 2014 by the Goethe-Institut Mumbai along with the Goethe-Institutes in South Asia, and in collaboration with the Literaturwerkstatt Berlin / Haus für Poesie and in Cooperation with Deutsche UNESCO, with an aim to create a platform for poets from South Asia and Germany to translate each other’s works. Contemporary poetry from Bangladesh, Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka has been translated into German by well-known German poets, while German poetry was similarly translated into South Asian languages during the course of the project. By bringing together 51 poets including 17 German poets from across 20 languages through literary encounters in several South Asian locations, this project promises to stimulate new literary networks and open new avenues for transcultural understanding.

The website includes poetry in all the languages as well as audio readings in each poet’s voice. Leading experts in Poetry, Literature and Culture were invited to contribute essays on various related topics and professional photographers have documented the ‘poetry encounters as well as contributed their artistic expression of some of the poems, all these works are available on the website. A selection of poetry in all the languages titled ‘Poets Translating Poets’ has been published by Draupadi Verlag, Heidelberg in Germany. The culmination of this project is the Poets Translating Poets FESTIVAL that will take place in several venues across Mumbai November 25-27 including and surrounding Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan Mumbai. The programme will include poetry readings, performances, discussions, panels, film screenings, photo exhibitions, a sound installation and much more and will be organized in collaboration with several partner individuals and organizations. Image: Courtesy: Official FB page of Poets Translating Poets