воскресенье, 15 мая 2016 г.

Anja Golob: I would find any other position of mine utterly ignorant and unworthy of a human being




The interview with the Slovenian  poet and PEN-Flanders flat guest Anja Golob.

- What is your poetry about?
- I guess all poetry is in some way about eros and thanatos, so I'd say love and death, in end effect. That's common to all humans, and people tend to read what they feel they can relate to. Poetry, through language, touches the ontology of being. Obviously I cannot say to what extent my poetry does that, but that's the plan, anyway. 

- You studied philosophy. What is the role of philosophy in your poetry and in your life?
- I did, I also studied comparative literature, but I didn't finish my studies. Studying philosophy thought me the ways of thinking, to appreciate the process of thinking itself, the discipline, pain and hard work that go into it, to stretch my viewing points, doubt myself, and mostly to produce valid argumentation for my thesis. I learned how to look at things from several different, often opposite, angles. This comes extremely handy, both with being an active citizen in the society, but also with writing. 

- Who are your main teachers?
- I insist on reading, and reading a lot, on watching films, going to theatre, galleries, on listening to music, studying arts. That's where I learn from the most - arts. I also insist on living, as fully as possible. So that would also be a great inspiration - life itself. 

- You are a leftist, radical socialist. Why? Is it possible to change the society and people`s minds? How?
- I never called myself that. I was labeled through the way I act in society. I could not care less about the labels, and have no trouble being called whatever. I believe in basic equality of people. I don't think defeatism is the answer. I am naive, and that's a conscious choice. Be realistic - demand the impossible. It means, as I understand it, very hard work. It's easier to sit in a corner and passively nurture your Weltschmerz. Being active in this fucked up situation we as a society are in is in my opinion harder, also as it sometimes borders crazy behavior. It should not, but we don't live in normal times. 

- You are a political thinker, but you are not involved into politics. Is there a contradiction here?
- No, I don't see any contradiction there. I'm an active part of civil society. Being a member of a party is absolutely not the only legit way to be politically active. 

- What do you think about refugee crisis in Slovenia and the reaction of Slovenian government?
- It absolutely disgusts me. It's hard to find words to describe it. In my opinion, Slovenia acted repulsively, trying mainly to avoid solving the problem. Not accepting the position of a border Schengen state, putting up a fence with razor-blades on its border to Croatia, being completely unprepared for the refugees etc. Imagine this: that dreadful Orban's idea with putting up a fence that we all condemned, suddenly became the main practice of solving the issue! Utterly unimaginable. I'm afraid though this is a problem of much greater proportions than Slovenia, it's Europe as such that is acting completely unacceptable. It might be hard to admit, but we live in Europe that isn't capable of dealing with the refugee crisis. Turkey, richly paid, should now do the dirty business for us, or - to be more precise - instead of us. Did you see the footage from the borders? These are lagers, camps. There is no other word for it. And we are blindly watching this suffering. We all live here, and we are all allowing this to be going on. And I also don't think labeling people who want to help with "schöne Seelen", basically, solves anything either. Yes, sure, we can debate the motivations, let's - but only after we helped the people. Cause let us not forget the basic fact: it's people we are talking about. Humans. 

-  You are now a PEN-flat guest in Antwerp. I guess it is a good opportunity to work and have a new expirience. How did you find Antwerp?
- Thanks for this question. If you don't mind, I'll allow myself to answer from my base impulse. It's a great opportunity for me to be able to work, and I do appreciate it very much. I do feel unease and guilt, though. I feel I am not doing enough. It feels egoistic to think about my personal benefits, when things are in a state I described earlier. I blame myself for not being able to write as good as to justify why I can be here safe in a dry place and have enough food, and people there cannot. Yes, it does sound naive, pathetic. I do not give a fuck. Things are so far from even close to ok that I would find any other position of mine utterly ignorant and unworthy of a human being. 

Maxim Efimov