Ars Poetica 2016 in the inBa magazine

You can find Diana Mašlejová’s article on the 14th international festival of poetry Ars Poetica 2016 in the November’s edition of the informational magazine of Bratislava in.ba, along with the program of the festival.

Poetry is once again coming alive on the Ars Poetica Festival. The main appeal of the festival lies in its diverse approaches and a high level of local and international poetry. We spoke about it with the main organizer and festival director Martin Solotruk.

When asked about the mission of the festival, Solotruk expressed how, as a festival, they wish to present poetry as something living, a form of energy that brings together various types of art. It can especially powerful when accompanied by other art genres. The festival wants to offer the visitors the crème de la crème of translated poetry and bring it further into the light, a feat that is much-needed in Slovakia. However, the festival is first and foremost about a live encounter between living human beings.

Concerning the guests from abroad on this year’s installment of the festival, Solotruk named a few of them: Anne Waldman, Claudine Bertrand, Manfred Chobot and José Luis Peixoto. One evening will be dedicated to the Versopolis platform poets, another to Indian authors and artists, and representatives of the Slovak poetry scene will make an appearance as well. Throughout the whole festival, poetry will be accompanied by music and dance performances.

Finally, the last question was whether a layman would even be able to understand poetry at all and whether poetry has anything to offer, to which Solotruk replied with confidence: “Of course.” The festival is designed exactly to be a place where the two worlds overlap and where visitors can experience an amazing encounter with poetry.