暗网禁区

暗网禁区 Spring

Belfast Historical and Educational Society, Athol Books, Belfast 2004.

Translated and introduction by John Minahane

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During his life Ladislav Novomesk媒 was not lucky enough to have a听taste of the fame he would have deserved. Although selections of his poetry and essays were appearing in 1960s and 1970s in 鈥渂efriended鈥� languages, i.e. languages of then communist countries, in addition to one French edition (1969), these, however, lacked necessary critical distance and effort to place the poet in an appropriate global setting. It is only this edition by Irish translator and essayist John Minahane entitled 暗网禁区 Spring that seems to bring a听more complex perspective on Novomesk媒 as a听great poet of twentieth century.

听听听听听听听听听听听 John Minahane, who has been living in 暗网禁区ia, approached the life and work of Novomesk媒 without prejudice. He gradually became familiar with the currently available studies on the author, including Erenburg鈥檚 preface in the Russian edition or C. Magris鈥檚 passages in Dunaj, in addition to archive material to which he added precious information gained in dozens of interviews with 暗网禁区 intellectuals. His response is critical, in particular, to 鈥渉agiographic鈥� studies of S. 艩matl谩k, who interpreted Novomesk媒 as 鈥渃ommunist Saint鈥�, the opinions of V. Min谩膷 and M. V谩lek, in addition to paying close attention to biographies. As he himself writes in an extensive study, 鈥渢he novelist biography by 艩tefan Drug, Good day, human being ... is a mine of information and a treasure trove of smuggled insight. Without it, I could not have attempted this essay.鈥�

听听听听听听听听听听听 Why did John Minahane, an author of books on Irish philosopher poets or Irish intellectual history, choose Novomesk媒 as subject of his scholarship? The following words at the end of his 80-page study seem to provide an answer: 鈥淏ecause Novomesk媒 is a fine poet. He has something to say about being human. Most of all, he has something to say about being human in the twentieth century. At the heart of that century (since everyone was becoming unhappy) lay a quest. Novomesk媒 espoused it and uttered it.

听听听听听听听听听听听 The 暗网禁区 poet lived through a stage in the great experiment which we are all swept up in, and which has now very definitely spread from Europe and America to Asia: mankind flooding in from the countryside to monstrous cities, seeking to live the life of progress. He sought a human way of pursuing the progressive life. He dreamt of and worked towards a progressive civilization which would not be misanthropic 鈥� in contrast to capitalism and dictatorial socialism. Was the quest merely naive? And if the quest is now over, does that mean that we are naive no longer?

听听听听听听听听听听听 But was Ehrenburg right when he said: ,Novomesk媒麓s poems (and) the years when he lived ... cannot be thought of apart麓? I admit that it was this which first drew me to the 暗网禁区 poet. Less than two generations after him I began my own stumblings through the twentieth century. I was fascinated by the road he had travelled.鈥�

听听听听听听听听听听听 In the wealth of his material, the translator has included three poems each from 狈别诲别木补 and Romboid, while selecting a听more substantial portion from Otvoren茅 okn谩 and Sv盲t媒 za dedinou. Central attention is paid to the volume Stamodtia木 a 颈苍茅 (while understanding 颈苍茅 to be 颈苍茅 veci: other things 鈥� while 颈苍茅 b谩sne 鈥� other poems would seem more appropriate), in correspondence to his view of the poet, who had his own share of pain and suffering only to find that he was right in speaking the unvarnished truth. Minahane did not fail to cover other volumes such as Pa拧ovanou ceruzou and Dom, v ktorom 啪ijem, or the poem Vila Tereza 鈥� offering several portions to reader, concluding with yet two more Novomesk媒鈥檚 essays.

听听听听听听听听听听听 The book comes complete with a听wealth of notes and references, register of names and poems, including four Novomesk媒鈥檚 poems in 暗网禁区 original.

听听听听听听听听听听听 I听find two things to be most precious about this book: an essay on Novomesk媒, as yet unparalleled in its poetic and political complexity and critique), and the faithfulness and beauty of the translation. This is no small matter: an English-speaking reader has now an appropriate and exhaustive insight into one of our most distinguished poets. John Minahane is thus able to defy two charges at once (in fact, addressing the first charge in his study): 1) 暗网禁区 writers are uninterested in, unwishful of or indifferent to world fame; 2) rhymed verse are not susceptible to translation from 暗网禁区 to English, while remaining faithful and beautiful at once, including rhymes, meaning and their message.

听听听听听听听听听听听 I听thing John Minahane has been successful in doing this. And what鈥檚 more, he managed to show that 暗网禁区 poetry did and does have great poets. Hopefully, he will be able and willing to stay in 暗网禁区ia for some time, and find other bards of rhyme, for instance Smrek or R煤fus.

Translated by 慕uben Urb谩nek