He loved dogs, but he didn’t want to deal with the responsibility of owning one, on top of which the concept of “owning” an animal made him uncomfortable. But he’d always stop to pet a friendly dog on the street or in a shop, and he’d jump at the chance to board a traveling friend’s dog for a few days, even weeks.
His wife was somewhat indifferent to dogs, but she always welcomed the temporary visitor, as long as he did the feeding and walking. She was even happy to steal the occasional stomach pat, or to receive a brief lick.
The friend’s dog, a medium-sized male of unknown lineage, was called Winslow. The friend referred to it as That Winslow Boy whenever it did something naughty.
He was walking Winslow one morning when a passing neighbor said, “Oh, got yourself a dog?”
“Just for a couple of weeks,” he said. “I’m caring for him while his owner is in Madagascar.” He regretted having said “owner.”
“Oh, Madagascar, marvelous!” the neighbor exclaimed, and went on to tell him, in voluminous detail, about her own trip to Madagascar the year before.
Hard Times
He received a phone call, out of the blue, from a childhood friend he hadn’t seen or spoken to in decades. This friend had fallen on hard times and was “reaching out” to his old buddies.
He had fond memories of the guy and did want to help, so he asked, “How can I help?”
“I could use a place to stay,” the friend said.
Oh, no, that was out of the question. Not only would his wife never stand for it, neither would he.
“I’d love to help, but we don’t have the space,” he told the friend.
“I understand,” the friend said. There was a pregnant pause and then the friend said, sheepishly, “Maybe you could help me out with a little money for a motel?”
Should he suggest the friend find a shelter, or would that be an insult? Sure he could afford to give his friend a few hundred bucks, but what happens when that runs out? What about the long term?
He told the old friend to meet him at an ATM downtown. He withdrew $500 and handed the cash to the friend.
“Thanks, this means a lot to me,” the friend said.
He was about to say, “Any time,” then he caught himself and said, “Sure.”
Endgame
Before he met his wife, in a college course on postwar European drama, where they bonded over Beckett’s Endgame, he was dating a girl named Josie, but there had been no real spark; apparently the feeling was mutual, because when he told Josie he’d met someone new, she said, simply, “OK.”
That was thirty years ago. He and his wife had not discussed Beckett for the past twenty of them. Like most marriages.
Philip received his M.A. in Psychology from Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, Canada. He has published five books of poetry, Mirror Images and Shards of Glass, Dark Images at Sea, I Never Finished Loving You, Falls from Grace, Favor and High Places, and Forever Was Never On My Mind. Three novels, Caught Between (Which is also a 24-episode Radio Drama Podcast https://wprnpublicradio.com/caught-between-teaser/), Art and Mystery: The Missing Poe Manuscript and Far From Here. Philip also has a column in the quarterly magazine Per Niente. He enjoys all things artistic.
Exclusive interview with writer, Dr. Maja Herman Sekulić in the Serbian electronic magazine AREA FELIX!
In the latest issue of AREA FELIX, editor Maja Milojković presents a special conversation with the most awarded Serbian writer in the world and a candidate for the Nobel Prize in Literature, the esteemed author Maja Herman Sekulic.
Her thoughts and words illuminate the essence of literary creation and its role in today’s world.
1. Being nominated for the Nobel Prize is an exceptional honor. How did you experience this nomination, and what does it mean to you as a writer and intellectual?
MHS: The chances are slim, but the honor is immense—the greatest! I have no illusions that this could happen on the first attempt. I remember that Kipling, for example, was nominated 21 times, and as for our writers, we do not know how many times Andrić or Krleža were nominated! Or Kiš?
2. Your academic journey is impressive—you are the first Serbian woman to earn a PhD from Princeton. How has this experience shaped your literary and translation work?
MHS: I also have two master’s degrees, which is equivalent to another full doctorate, and I have now received an honorary doctorate from Mexico as well. I was engaged in translation before and during my studies, and I devoted a full decade to literary theory while writing my doctorate and teaching at the world’s top universities. I believe that translation is perhaps the best school of creative writing.
3. Your role as Vice President of the International Academy of Ethics in India and as a cultural ambassador under UNESCO speaks to your global influence. How do you see the responsibility of artists in promoting ethics and culture?
MHS: That is perhaps the greatest responsibility of artists, especially today, in the era of internet and now at the dawn of artificial intelligence, where ethical norms are not yet fully defined! Our Academy aims to introduce ethics as a subject in schools, and we have already made some progress. Recently, I chaired a two-day international conference in Pune, which is considered the Oxford of India. The response was enormous, and the conference was very successful.
4. Your books and studies are part of university curricula worldwide. Is it important to you that your works have academic relevance, or do you strive more for artistic freedom?
MHS: That depends on the genre. It’s like comparing apples and oranges.
I have artistic freedom when writing poetry and fiction, but I am academically responsible when writing essays on literary theory!
5. Your poetry is globally recognized, and you hold the title of a “Global Icon of Poetry.” What does poetry mean to you, and how do you see its role in today’s world?
MHS: Above all, I see myself as a poet. Even when writing artistic prose or fiction, my prose nurtures a poetic rhythm within the sentence. Poetry is the highest reflection of language and inner spirituality, and as such, it should illuminate our path—but without being overtly didactic, for then it becomes prose, and there are already too many such attempts, especially among so-called Facebook poets.
6. What have been the most inspiring moments in your career, whether through encounters with great literary figures or through the recognition you have received?
MHS: I have had and continue to have a very rich life—I was surrounded by great names from an early age. My father and grandfather are historical figures, and perhaps that is why I do not recognize authority, and perhaps that is also why I engage as an equal conversational partner with the world’s greatest figures, who also accept me as their equal.
7. Your novel about famous Serbo-Italian artist “Nine Lives of Milena Pavlović Barilli” is soon to be released in its second Italian edition and adapted into a film. How did you approach Milena’s character, and what fascinated you most about her story?
MHS: Not the second, but the third edition in Italy in a short time, and it was also declared the “Best Foreign Novel” there in 2022. I was particularly fascinated by a deep, intuitive connection I felt with Milena Pavlović Barilli, and later, during my research for my novel, I discovered numerous biographical parallels between us. For example, my grandfather, also a famous painter, studied at the same Academy in Munich and then fled to Paris, or I moved to the same corner of the same street where she lived in New York City before I was invited to write about her! There are no chances, no coincidences, just some parallels and synchronicities!
8. In your collection of essays and interviews “Sketches for Portraits”, you reflect on encounters with greats like Frye, Bloom, and Brodsky. Which conversation or meeting left the strongest impression on you, and why?
MHS: These were not mere encounters but years-long friendships, collaborations, and even loves. I wrote my master’s thesis on Frye and was the first to translate him into Serbian, and he included our conversation in his Collected Works. I corresponded with Bloom while translating him, and later, American Poet Laureate Mark Strand introduced us. We became so close that Bloom called me his spiritual daughter. With Brodsky, I shared an almost familial closeness and an intense recognition on his part. All of this is compiled in my book “Sketches for Portraits”, which has now reached its fourth edition.
9. How do you perceive today’s literary scene in Serbia and the world? Is there an author or movement you find particularly significant in contemporary literature?
MHS: I do not follow it closely, but there is always both good and bad literature. Facebook, for instance, has brought us an overproduction of so-called poetry that is not really poetry but has also connected us to the poets from every nook on the planet!
10. Your work serves as a bridge between cultures, languages, and artistic disciplines. If you could leave one message for future generations of artists and writers, what would it be?
MHS: Yes, I have been building bridges for over 30 years and have been a multiple ambassador of poetry, culture, and goodwill worldwide. Building bridges and understanding through culture should be our higher goal! As for writing, read as much as possible, and before publishing anything, let it rest for a while to gain critical distance from your own work—that is the most important thing!
February 17, 2025
Belgrade, Serbia
Maja Milojkovic
******
Srbija
Ekskluzivni intervju sa prof. dr Majom Herman Sekulić u elektronskom magazinu AREA FELIX iz Srbije!
U novom broju AREA FELIX-a, urednica Maja Milojković donosi vam poseban razgovor sa cenjenom književnicom i profesorkom dr Majom Herman Sekulić, čije misli i reči osvetljavaju suštinu književnog stvaralaštva i njegovu ulogu u današnjem svetu.
1.
Biti nominovan za Nobelovu nagradu je izuzetno priznanje. Kako ste doživeli tu nominaciju i šta ona znači za vas kao književnicu i intelektualku?
MHS: Šanse su male ali čast je velika, najveća! Nemam nikakve ilizije da se to može desiti iz prvog pokušaja. Zapamtila sam da je Kipling, recimo, bio kandidovan 21 put, a od naših pisaca ne znamo koliko puta su Andrić ili Krleža bili kandidovani! Ili Kiš?
2. Vaš akademski put je impresivan – prva ste Srpkinja koja je doktorirala na Prinstonu. Kako je to iskustvo oblikovalo vaš književni i prevodilački rad?
MHS: Ja imam i dve magistrature što je jednako još jednom pravom doktoratu, a sada sam dobila, počasni doktorat iz Meksika. Bavila sam se prevođenjem i pre i za vreme studija, a teorijom književnosti punu deceniju i dok sam pisala doktorat i predavala na najboljim univerzitetima na svetu. Mislim da je prevođenje možda najbolja škola kreativnog pisanja.
3. Vaša uloga potpredsednika Internacionalne Akademije etike iz Indije i ambasadora kulture pod Uneskom govori o vašem globalnom uticaju. Kako vidite odgovornost umetnika u promovisanju etike i kulture?
MHS: To je možda najveća odgovornost umetnika posebno danas u vreme interneta i sada na početku ere veštačke inteligencije gde i kada etičke norme jos nisu sasvim definitivne! Naša Akademija želi da uvede etiku kao predmet i u škole i već je po malo i uspela. Nedavno sam predsedavala dvodnevnoj međunarodnoj konferenciji u Pune, koji se smatra Oksfordom Indije. Odziv je bio ogroman i konferencija veoma uspesna.
4. Vaše knjige i studije deo su univerzitetskih programa širom sveta. Da li vam je važno da vaša dela budu i akademski relevantna, ili više težite umetničkoj slobodi?
MHS: To zavisi od žanra. I to su kruške i jabuke.
Ja sam umetnički slobodna kada pišem poeziju i fikciju, a akademski odgovorna kada pišem eseje iz teorije knjizevnosti!
5. Vaša poezija je priznata na globalnom nivou, a nosite titulu “Globalne ikone poezije”. Šta poezija znači za vas, i kako je vidite u današnjem svetu?
MHS: Pre svega vidim sebe kao pesnika i kada pišem umetničku prozu ili fikciju moja proza neguje pesnicki ritam u rečenici. Poezija je najviši odraz jezika ali i unutrašnje duhovnosti i kao takva treba da nam osvetljava put, ali da pri tome izbegava otvorenu didaktičnost jer to je onda proza a takvih pokušaja je previše naročito među tzv Facebook poets.
6. Koji su vam trenuci u karijeri bili najinspirativniji, bilo kroz susrete sa velikim imenima književnosti ili kroz priznanja koja ste dobili?
MHS: Imala sam i imam veoma bogat život – od malih nogu sam bila okružena velikim imenima, moj otac i deda su istorijske licnosti, i možda zato ne priznajem autoritete, a i možda sam zato ravnopravni sagovornik sa najvećim imenima sveta pa me oni kao takvu i prihvataju.
7. Vaš roman Devet života Milene Pavlović Barili uskoro dobija drugo italijansko izdanje i filmsku adaptaciju. Kako ste pristupili Mileninom liku i šta vas je posebno fasciniralo u njenoj priči?
MHS: Ne drugo, nego treće izdanje u Italiji za kratko vreme, a tu je i bio proglašen za “najbolji strani roman” 2022. Posebno me fascinirala neka duboka bliskost koju sam intuitivno osećala sa Milenom Pavlović Barilli, a potom i otkrivanje mnogobrojnih biografskih paralela koje sam otkrivala između nas. Naprimer moj deda, takođe poznati slikar studirao je na istoj akademiji u Minhenu, a zatim pobegao u Pariz, ili recimo da sam se preselila u isti ugao i istu ulicu u kojoj je ona živela u Nju Yorku pre nego što su me pozvali da pišem o njoj! Nema šanse, nema slučajnosti, samo neke paralele i sinhronosti.
8. U vašoj kolekciji eseja i intervjua “Skice za portrete”, osvrćete se na susrete sa velikanima poput Fraja, Bluma i Brodskog. Koji razgovor ili susret vam je ostao najupečatljiviji i zašto?
MHS: To nisu bili susreti nego višegodisnja druženja, prijateljstva, saradnje pa i ljubavi. O Fraju sam pisala magistarski rad i prva ga prevodila na srpski, a on je naš razgovor uvrstio u svoja Sabrana dela. Sa Blumom sam se dopisivala dok sam ga prevodila a potom me s njim upoznao američki pesnik laureat Mark Strend. Postali smo toliko bliski da me je Blum zvao duhovnom kćeri.
Sa Brodskim delim isto skoro porodičnu bliskost i prepoznavanje s njegove strane. Sve je to sabrano u mojoj knjizi “Skice za portrete”, koja je evo dozivela i 4. izdanje.
9. Kako doživljavate današnju književnu scenu u Srbiji i svetu? Postoji li autor ili pokret koji smatrate posebno značajnim u savremenoj literaturi?
MHS: NE pratim pomno, ali uvek ima dobre i loše literature, a to nam je doneo i Facebook – hiperprodukciju poezije koja to nije.
10. Vaš rad je most između kultura, jezika i umetničkih disciplina. Ako biste mogli ostaviti jednu poruku budućim generacijama umetnika i pisaca, šta bi to bilo?
MHS: Da, gradim mostove već preko 30 godina i višestruki sam ambasador poezije, kulture, i dobre volje u svetu. Izgradnja mostova i razumevanje kroz kulturu treba da bude naš viši cilj.
Inače, za pisanje čitajte što više a pre nego što nešto objavite i ostavite ga da miruje neko vreme da biste dobili kritičku distancu prema sopstevom delu što je najvažnije!
IS THERE A RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LANGUAGE AND CULTURE? Maftuna Bozorova O’lmas qizi
First-year student in Uzbekistan State World Languages University, foreign language and literature faculty.
ABSTRACT: This article brings your attention to the link between languages and cultures. The information about the ways of defining this connection, the information about language and culture is provided in an understandable manner. Furthermore, the reasons why we need to learn other languages are delivered to the readers. KEYWORDS: link, acquiring, social system, attributes, nationality, brainstorming, incorporating.
How we define the relationship between language and culture?
As humans, we need certain language to share our thoughts, opinions to others. Language is the key factor for our communication and for delivering our messages in the correct form. Human culture can not exist without language. We may find connection between two of these terms, when we try to learn the language first. Because, every language learner will get to know about the culture, by acquiring knowledge about other country’s traditions, the way of thinking, their outfit. In order to get connected with foreigner, people need to learn that language. Exchanging and brainstorming ideas, sharing different opinions helps people to learn about certain culture, allowing nationalities unite together. Of course, the provided link to do so can be developed through the language.
What is language?
Language serves as a mirror of the culture, reflecting its values, social systems, and attitudes. Culture shifts and revolutions are often reflected in the language spoken by its members. Language is the most fundamental aspect of cultural identity. This means of communication give assistance to us to convey our innermost self from generation to generation. In most cases, the principal purpose of language is to advance communication, in the sense of transmission of information from one person to another. It is evident that today humans’ life would be impossible without the use of language.
What is culture?
We may define culture as a term that refers to people’s horizons, their way of eating, their way of talking and walking, and even their way of dressing. People show their customs and traditions to the world. It is also worth noting that the whole society will disappear without culture. This is a vehicle to make them different from other nationalities. Culture is the attributes and knowledge of a particular group of people, incorporating the language, religion, cuisine, social habits, music, arts, and the way of celebrating weddings, birthday parties, and holidays. It is a really broad concept. The term “culture” can be substituted for the word “mannerism”.
The link between language and culture in the world today. In today’s fast-paced world, many youngsters are learning foreign languages like English, Russian, German, Korean as their second language, this is leading to increased bilingualism. Those who are obsessed with tones of work in one country and stayed stable in one job have many opportunities to go abroad by learning their language. It is fact that having enough information about the country you are visiting may prevent you from having a culture shock. Young people are using available chances to go to the foreign countries. If you learn the language, you will have enough information about that culture automatically. The sources, materials, music, articles you are using in order to learn the language will provide you with better insight to the culture.
Why do we need to learn other languages?
Well, this is really a reasonable question. Nobody requires or forces us to learn some foreign languages. It is definitely depends on our interests. It is essential to learn new language to become a better member of society, to gain more and more opportunities to travel around the world, to get higher salaries in our job from foreign states, to have a successful business career, to get in touch with the world, to have more general imagination, to think in different way and of course, there are a lot to count. By acquiring a foreign language and by communicating with the people whose this language is their native, we can broaden our horizon, thereby increasing our social skills, creative and critical thinking skills.
Paul Tristram is a Welsh ‘Street’ Writer who has poems, short stories & flash fiction published in hundreds of different publications all around the world. He yearns to tattoo porcelain bridesmaids instead of digging empty graves for innocence at midnight, this too may pass, yet.
His novel “Crazy Like Emotion”, shorter fiction collection “Kicking Back Drunk ‘Round The Candletree Graves” and full-length poetry collections “The Dark Side Of British Poetry: Book 1 of Urban, Cinematic, Degeneration” and “It Is Big And It Is Clever: Book 1 Of A Punk Rock Hostile Takeover” are available from Close To The Bone Publishing.
Dr. Prasana Kumar Dalai (DOB 07/06/1973) is a passionate Indian Author-cum- bilingual poet while a tremendous lecturer of English by profession in the Ganjam district of Odisha.
He is an accomplished source of inspiration for young generation of India .His free verse on Romantic and melancholic poems appreciated by everyone. He belongs to a small typical village Nandiagada of Ganjam District, the state of Odisha.
After schooling he studied intermediate and Graduated In Kabisurjya Baladev vigyan Mahavidyalaya then M A in English from Berhampur University PhD in language and literature and D.litt from Colombian poetic house from South America. He promotes his specific writings around the world literature and trades with multiple stems that are related to current issues based on his observation and experiences that needs urgent attention.
He is an award winning writer who has achieved various laurels from the circle of writing worldwide. His free verse poems not only inspires young readers but also the ready of current time. His poetic symbol is right now inspiring others, some of which are appreciated by laurels of India and across the world. Many of his poems been translated in different Indian languages and got global appreciation. Lots of well wishes for his upcoming writings and success in the future.
He is an award winning poet author of many best seller books. Recently he is awarded Rabindra nath Tagore and Gujarat Sahitya Academy for the year 2022 from Motivational Strips . A gold medal from world union of poets France & winner Of Rahim Karims world literary prize 2023.The government of Odisha Higher Education Department appointed him as a president to Governing body of Padmashree Dr. Ghanashyam Mishra Sanskrit Degree College, Kabisurjyanagar. Winner of ” HYPERPOEM ” GUNIESS WORLD RECORD 2023.
Recently he was awarded from SABDA literary Festival at Assam. Highest literary honour from Peru contributing world literature 2024.Prestigious Cesar Vellejo award 2024 Completed 200 Epistolary poems with American poet Kristy Raines. Books. 1.Psalm of the Soul. 2.Rise of New Dawn. 3.secret Of Torment. 4.Everything I never told you. 5.Vision Of Life National Library Kolkata. 6.100 Shadows of Dream. 7.Timeless Anguish. 8.Voice of Silence. 9.I cross my heart from east to west . Epistolary poetry with Kristy Raines
