5.11.14

Philharmonie Luxembourg, Grand Auditorium (Himmlische Kürzen und Längen» - «Brièvetés et longueurs célestes)

Philharmonie Luxembourg, Grand Auditorium
Vadim Repin, violon
Solistes Européens, Luxembourg
Christoph König, direction
 «Himmlische Kürzen und Längen» - «Brièvetés et longueurs célestes»

Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy (1809-1847) 
Sommernachtstraum (Songe d’une nuit d’été) op.21: Ouverture

James MacMillan (1959*) 
Concerto pour violon et orchestre
Dance
Song
Song and Dance

Franz Schubert (1797-1828) 
Symphonie n°9 en ut majeur D 944 « Die Große »
Andante. Allegretto ma non troppo
Andante con moto
Scherzo allegro vivace
Allegro vivace

Thanks to University of Luxembourg (UL Culture Flash) for this wonderful concert. 

15.10.14

Business-Related Migration. The Position of Luxembourg within Europe and Beyond” Luxembourg 2014

Last week, I attended a two day conference organised by the University of Luxembourg on: “Business-Related Migration. The Position of Luxembourg within Europe and Beyond”. It was held at Abbaye de Neumunster  Luxembourg City. This was the 7th conference of the National Contact Point Luxembourg within the European Migration Network. These two days of reflection and discussion involved the presence and participation of Corinne Cahen (Minister for Family, Integration and the Greater Region), Rolf Tarrach (President of the University of Luxembourg) and Christel Baltes-Löhr (Coordinator of the EMN National Contact Point Luxembourg). 
There were contributions from a great variety of national and international academics and experts active in the field of migration: Philippe Fargues (Director of the Migration Policy Centre in Florence, Italy), Marco Cilento (adviser at the European Trade Union Confederation), Anna Platonova (IOM´s Regional Office in Brussels, Belgium), Arthur Sweetman-Canada- (Ontario Research Chair in Health Human Resources), José Eduardo Rojo Oropeza- Mexico- (Director for International Relations and Inter-Agency Affairs at the Migration Policy Bureau), Marc Wagener (Directeur des Affaires économiques ainsi que Membre du Comité de direction de la Chambre de Commerce au Luxembourg), Michel Beine (Professor in International Economics at the University of Luxembourg). About multiculturalism: I found it enriching to discover that at this European Conference in Lux there were people present from different parts of the globe interested in the same topic.
The Abbey of Neumünster is a major historical site and an impressive architectural achievement. Former Benedictine abbey, military bastion and prison (during Nazis occupation), it is located in the old quarters on an itinerary classified as World Heritage by the UNESCO. It is composed of a Benedictine abbey, founded in 1606, which is flanked by a building from the period of the Prussian garrison’s presence and a construction from the early 20th century. 
The centre thus benefits from a scenography worthy of the most extraordinary productions. In the summer, this spectacular location with the rock face, the casemates and the rivulet Alzette making its way through the valley, serves as background to music festivals and to big stage productions. (adapted from plurio.net)
About the policy of languages: As it was stated in the general information page, we knew in advance that the working languages would be English, French, German. However, for me, as a student of Master in Learning and Communication in Multilingual and Multicultural contexts at the University of Luxembourg, it was interesting to notice which language each speaker chose to use. To make myself clear: in some cases, speakers chose to use one language. In others, they just used English as a “lingua franca”. Out of 10 speakers, 6 (among them one native speaker and one Spanish speaker who had to use English as his only existing second choice) gave their conferences in English, 3 in French, 1 in German.There were German, English and French interpreters.
After the closing of the conference on Tuesday (and after a delicious lunch), some of us went to Dudelange (organised bus shuttle). First we did a guided tour of the Italian Quarter and then we visited the exhibition Emigration, immigration, ré-immigration at the Centre de Documentation Sur les Migrations Humaines. Then, we returned to Luxembourg city. At the museum, I learnt that there was migration from people to Luxembourg to Argentina at the end of 19th century.

In Dudelange, Little Italy was founded at the end of the 19th century, with the beginning of metallurgy. Originally inserted between the fabrics and the mine, the quarter is a fascinating memory of the contemporary history of migrations in Luxembourg. Built on the slope of a hill, Little Italy all consists in terraces that are linked by stairs and subterranean corridors that sometimes remind of the famous traboules in Lyon. At the beginning of the 20th century, the quarter was mainly, though not inclusively, inhabited by Italian immigrants, who gave it its name.
Corina Moscovich 



7.8.14

L´Argentine - Rosario (en français)

L´Argentine vous invite... Rosario vous attend... Argentina te invita... Rosario te espera...
A 300 km de Buenos Aires, Rosario offre un cadre naturel merveilleux, une vie culturelle qui comprend tous les genres et préferences, avec des spectacles pour des publics de tout âge, ainsi qu´un riche patrimoine architectural.
A 300 kilómetros de Buenos Aires, Rosario tiene un maravilloso marco natural, una movida cultural que abarca todos los géneros y gustos, con espectáculos para grandes y chicos, y un rico patrimonio arquitectónico.
Avec un million d´habitants et un développement urbain moderne, vous pouvez parcourir la ville en quelques minutes, ou bien vous rendre aux bancs de sable situés dans le large delta du Haut Paraná (ce n´est pas par hasard, que dans la langue des habitants originaires, ce nom signifiait “parent de la mer”).
Con un millón de habitantes y un moderno desarrollo urbanístico, podés recorrerla en cuestión de minutos y también en minutos cruzás a los bancos de arena del Alto Delta del río Paraná  (por algo, en el idioma de los nativos este nombre significa “Pariente del Mar”).
Ses centres commerciaux et ses boutiques se trouvent parmi les meilleurs de l´Amérique Latine. Son hôtellerie et sa gastronomie ne cessent de se développer, avec des choix qui peuvent satisfaire toutes les exigences et tous les budgets, soit avec des plats exquis préparés avec des poissons du fleuve, soit avec la meilleure cuisine argentine et internationale.
Sus shoppings y centros de compra están entre los mejores de Latinoamérica. Su hotelería y gastronomía no paran de crecer, con buenas opciones para responder a todas las exigencias y presupuestos. Y con exquisitos platos típicos preparados con pescado de río, o lo mejor de la cocina argentina e internacional.
Son aéroport reçoit des vols au départ de différentes villes d´Argentine, du Brésil et du Chili. Et par terre, d´excellentes connexions routières la relient avec le reste du pays.
Su aeropuerto recibe vuelos desde distintos puntos de la Argentina, Brasil y Chile. Y por tierra hay excelentes conexiones viales desde todo el país. 
Monument National au Drapeau et Patrimoine architectural
Monumento Nacional a la Bandera y patrimonio arquitectónico 
Le Monument National au Drapeau se dresse dans le quartier historique de la ville, tout près du fleuve Paraná, où le drapeau argentin fut hissè pour la première fois. Son imposante architecture symbolise un vaisseau qui navigue vers l´avenir. Il est suivi du Passage du Serment, un ensemble de magnifiques sculptures de Lola Mora.
El Monumento Nacional a la Bandera se levanta en el casco histórico de la ciudad junto al río Paraná, donde fue izada por primera vez la bandera argentina. Su imponente arquitectura simboliza una nave que viaja hacia el futuro. Junto a él se encuentra el Pasaje Juramento, un magnífico conjunto escultórico con obras de Lola Mora.
Se balader dans les rues de Rosario permet d´apprécier la richesse de styles, de l´art nouveau au modernisme en passant par l´art dàco. En plein centre ville se trouve la maison natale d´Ernesto Che Guevara.
Caminar por Rosario permite apreciar su riqueza de estilos, desde el art noveau al modernismo o el art decó. Y en pleno centro se encuentra la casa natal de Ernesto "Che" Guevara.


Producción cultural, espectáculos y tango.
Rosario es reconocida por sus universidades, su producción cultural, sus museos y teatros, y su industria editorial. Y también por la creatividad de sus artistas, que nutren la cartelera de la amplia red de teatros, pubs y restobares de la ciudad. En sus escenarios encontrarás espectáculos de jerarquía nacional, para grandes y chicos. Y en sus "milongas" de tango podés aprender a bailar y disfrutar de grandes músicos de este género que hoy apasiona al mundo.
Production culturelle, spectacles et tango
Rosario est reconnue par ses universités, sa production culturelle, ses musées, ses théâtres, et ses maisons d´édition. Et aussi par la créativité de ses artistes, qui nourrissent l´offre d´un large éventail de théâtres, pubs et resto-bars de la ville. Sur ses scènes, vous trouverez des spectacles de qualité, pour des gens de tout âge. Et dans ses « milongas », vous pouvez apprendre à danser le tango et vous régaler avec de grands musiciens d´un genre qui passionne aujourd´hui le monde entier.

Arte a la Vista- Museo Urbano
Las calles de Rosario también albergan más arte en lo alto de sus edificios. La ciudad desarrolla el proyecto Arte a la Vista- Museo Urbano, que consiste en reproducir - en tamaño de murales – obras de grandes pintores rosarinos como Antonio Berni, Antonio Gambartes, Julio Vanzo, Juan Grela, Emilia Bertolé, Alfredo Guido o Augusto Schiavoni. Estas moumentales pinturas pueden ser vistas desde 500 metros y transforman a la ciudad en una galería de arte que rinde homenaje a sus plásticos.
Les rues de Rosario accueillent aussi de l´art en haut de ses bâtiments. La ville développe le projet Art en vue/Musée Urbain, qui consiste à reproduire comme peintures murales, des œuvres de grands peintres de Rosario tels qu´Antonio Berni, Antonio Gambartes, Julio Vanzo, Juan Grela, Emilia Bertolé, Alfredo Guido ou Augusto Schiavoni. Ces peintures monumentales peuvent être appréciées à 500 mètres de distance et transforment la ville en une galerie d’art qui rend hommage à ses artistes.



El río y su Delta
La ciudad se encuentra junto al río Paraná y permite disfrutar de paseos en barco por las islas del Alto Delta, practicar deportes acuáticos, o cruzar rumbo a Entre Ríos por el Puente Rosario-Victoria. A minutos de lancha, hay playa y bancos de arena. También hay balnearios en la ribera de la ciudad. En todos hay paradores con restaurantes y demás servicios. En el centro de la ciudad, los parques permiten extensos paseos por espacios abiertos al río. En ellos es posible encontrar bares y espacios culturales.
Le fleuve et son Delta
La ville est située au bord du fleuve Paraná, et permet de se balader en bateau entre les îles du Haut Delta, de pratiquer des sports nautiques ou de traverser le pont Rosario-Victoria pour se rendre á Entre Ríos. A quelques minutes en bateau de plaisance, il ya des plages et des bancs de sable. Aussi, vous trouverez des plages le long de la côte nord de la ville. Partout, il y a des « paradores » avec des restaurants et d´autres services. Au centre ville, les parcs permettent des longues promenades par des endroits ouverts sur le fleuve. On peut y trouver des bars et des espaces culturels.

Ficha:
Ubicación: extremo sudeste de la Provincia de Santa Fe, sobre la margen derecha del Río Paraná, a 300 km. de Buenos Aires.
Latitud: paralelo 32º52´18” Sur y 33º02´22” Sur.
Longitud: meridiano 60º36'44" oeste y 60º47'46" oeste.
Altitud: Oscila entre los 22,5m y 24,6m sobre el nivel del mar.
Medias anuales climatologicas:
Temperatura maxima (°C) 23.8
Temperatura media (°C)           16.9
Temperatura minima (°C)10.8
Precipitaciones (mm)1025
Humedad relativa (%)75
Fiche:
Localisation: extrême sud-est de la province de Santa Fe, sur la rive droite du fleuve Paraná, á 300 km. de Buenos Aires.
Latitude: parallèle 32º52´18” Sur y 33º02´22” Sur.
Longitude: méridien 60º36'44" ouest et 60º47'46" ouest.
Altitude par rapport au niveau de la mer: Variable entre les 22,5m et 24,6 m.
Moyennes annuelles climatologiques:
Température maximale (°C) 23.8
Température moyenne (°C) 16.9
Température minimale (°C) 10.8
Pluies: (mm) 1025 annuelles.
Humidité moyenne (%) 75
Fotos: Corina Moscovich. Texto: Ente Turístico Rosario

1.7.14

Canción: "Brasil, decime qué se siente" de Ignacio Harraca. "Brasil, tell me how it feels" song by Ignacio Harraca. Nederlandse taal: ‘Brazilië, vertel me hoe het voelt om er in eigen huis van langs te krijgen" con Creedence

Brasil, decime qué se siente
tener en casa a tu papá.
Brazil, tell me how it feels 
to have daddy at home
Te juro que aunque pasen los años,
nunca nos vamos a olvidar...
I swear that, though years go by, 
we will never forget...
Que el Diego te gambeteó,
que Canni te vacunó,
que estás llorando desde Italia hasta hoy.
that Diego has dribbled you, 
that Canni has vaccinated you, 
that you´ve been crying since Italy till today.
A Messi lo vas a ver,
la Copa nos va a traer,
Maradona es más grande que Pelé.
You will see Messi, 
he is going to bring us the Cup, 
Maradona is greater than Pelé.
Letra y música: Ignacio Harraca
Translation: Corina Moscovich

Nederlandse taal: De spelers zingen: ‘Brazilië, vertel me hoe het voelt om er in eigen huis van langs te krijgen. Ik zweer, zelfs na al die jaren, we zullen nooit vergeten dat Diego (Maradona red.) jullie passeerde, Caniggia (Claudio red.) jullie declasseerde. Sinds Italië zijn jullie al aan het huilen. Messi geeft jullie van katoen, wij worden wereldkampioen. Maradona is veel groter dan Pelé.’

Mirá el video con la música de Creedence y los subtítulos https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5l4H7zPImM


Para dejar un comentario: cliqueá en “comentarios”, saldrá una ventana donde escribir y justo debajo, la forma en que quieras identificarte (Google; anónimo; nombre/URL). Las traducciones a otros idiomas son bienvenidas. Por favor contactáme a corinamoscovich@gmail.com
To leave your comment clik on “comentarios”, you will see a pop up window where you can write it. Just below, you decide how you want to identify (Google; anónimo; nombre/URL). Translations to other languages are welcomed. Please contact me to corinamoscovich@gmail.com  

26.5.14

Mary Cassatt: "The Letter" by Joan I. Siegel. Corina Moscovich

The Letter by Joan I. Siegel
All day it is with her like a song
even as she slices a breakfast orange,
brushes her hair,
shuts a window.
She is listening to it
when company calls
and she talks about yesterday's news,
pours tea,
says good-bye at the door.
Then, alone with it finally
in late afternoon,
she puts it on the desk,
arranges it
as though she were putting flowers in a vase.
Then she slips it into the envelope,


seals it with her tongue.
A critical essay on Joan I. Siegel´s poem. Formalist approach
As formalists focus on the text, the first step will be to analyze the poem and look for formal principles, paying attention to images and patterns. The subject of the poem, as the title denotes, is a letter. It is a modern poem written in third person. The perspective of the narrator is one of an invisible witness. The tone of the voice is smooth.
“The Letter” is a short poem of 16 lines or stanzas. It does not follow a rhyme pattern but it has a rhythm when reading it because of the use of the verbs. They are short verbs, the longest is “arranges”, but the rest has no more than five: “is”, “slices”, “brushes”, “shuts”, “calls”, “talks”, “pours”, “says”, “puts”, “slips”, “seals”.
“The Letter” is divided into two parts: The first one from “All day...” to “the door”: the second one from “Then...” to “tongue”. “All day”, “breakfast”, “yesterday”, “then” (twice), “finally”, “afternoon” are time markers. The poem, although it is divided into time sequences, it is all in present. A long present, a never ending present.
This suggests the narrator is waiting for someone to come back. But there is a reversal in the two final stanzas. One can realize that the letter in question is not one she received but one she is going to send. All day she has been listening to her interior voice, to what was she was going to write in that letter. The letter is a motif. The letter is all day with her like a song. She listens to it - She wants to think about it as a way of escaping reality: “company calls” (bills to pay), “talks about yesterday´s news”-.
The first part of the poem is more active, the second one is more concrete. As regards the formal properties of the text, in the first part there are words related to sound: “song”, “shut”, “listening”, “calls”, “talks”, “says”. There is a nice choice of words: “a breakfast orange” suggests a light breakfast for a woman who is waiting for someone who is about to come back soon. There is alliteration first of the br sound with “breakfast” and “brushes”, and then of the sh sound with “brushes” and “shuts”. The use of the pronoun it combined with she throughout the poem is worth to mention: There are six “She” and seven “it”.
The time span of the poem is from morning till evening and it is clearly shown by the words “all day”, “breakfast”, “afternoon”. There is a comparison in the second part “as though she were putting flowers in a vase”. Such a detail near the end of the poem gives it strength in its feminine aspect. It shows the narrator´s intention. As regards the ending of the poem, the last sentence is very powerful in imagery. The words “alone with it, finally” suggest the narrator was waiting for this moment. The naming of actions makes more evident the state of solitude of the character in the poem. Domestic activities in an everyday setting (having breakfast, brushing her hair, shutting a window, answering the phone, poring tea, etc) are contrasted with one material but emotional thing: a letter. The poem is like a soap opera in a four well-designed sentences.
Correspondence or letter writing seems to be very important for the narrator of this poem. It describes how a letter may keep accompanied a person, especially a woman.
The urge of having something to say is expressed in this poem. The private realm of a woman is explored here. One could assume the letter is a love one, but the poem does not transmit a romantic view. Moreover, it has a very real surrounding. The routine can be broken only if we have something else to do, someone else to care for. 
Corina Moscovich

Intertextual criticism approach
I came across “The letter” (a poem written by Joan I. Siegel) in the March 2001 issue of The Atlantic Monthly, where this poem and a print by Mary Cassatt occupy half a page.
When dealing with the Formal Criticism School I chose Siegel´s poem and thought only about analyzing the poem and not the print as it was a formal approach. Now I come back to this poem, but this time with an intertextual perspective. I am going to analyze the poem “The Letter” by Joan I. Siegel in relation with the print “The Letter” by Mary Cassatt.
Did the print inspire Joan I. Siegel to write this poem? Yes, it did. If I think of the relationship between the image of the print and the images that the poem evokes, the only “match” I can find is in the last stanza: “Then she slips it into the envelope, seals it with the tongue.” But then, the order is different. Although it is hard to establish time order in a print, we could say that what comes first is the image of a woman sealing a letter. In the poem, this image comes last.
Through the entire poem we find action, shown by verbs. In the first stanza, they are mechanical actions: “she slices a breakfast orange, brushes her hair, shuts a window.” We see her alone. In the second stanza, we find again mechanical actions, but actions that should not be mechanical, as now she is relating to other people: “She is listening to it/when company calls/and she talks about yesterday´s news/pours tea,/ says good-bye at the door.” In the third stanza we find intended actions. She arranges the letter as though she were putting flowers in a vase. In the fourth stanza we see a concrete action: it is here when the poem and the print coincide. The print may enrich or limit our perception of the poem as we see the print as another text.
“The letter” is a “snapshot” of a subject and a moment in time. There is a Japanese woman who looks young, around her twenties. She is sitting in a desk with a letter in her hands but at the same time she is sealing that paper with her tongue. The wallpaper design matches her costume design: This woman “fits” her domesticity. She is an everyday life person. She doesn´t have any ring or jewelry. She looks like a simple but interesting person. Cassatt created in “The letter” a sense of closeness by compressing the space she depicted. The setting of her work is usually an interior room with women doing some sort of domestic chore or duty. She rarely used models, instead choosing to paint those people who were close to her.
The way this Japanese woman concentrates in what she is doing... Her look... The contrast of the very white paper with the rest of the elements in the print... a collision of Background patterns... All these factors contribute to make the print more powerful. It is not what we can see on it but what the print suggests.
Why is the name Mary Cassatt written so big and “by Joan I. Siegel” so small? This suggests the poet wanted to place more importance on the painter´s name rather than herself as a writer. (But The Atlantic is a magazine for poetry, not for painters...) Here is when the poem comes into play. Joan I. Siegel made an intertextual work. The word “letter” takes importance in the poem by its omission. In the print the first element we notice is the letter. In the poem, since the beginning “the letter” is replaced by “it”: “All day it is with her like...” “listening to it...”, “alone with it...”, “she puts it...”, “arranges it...”, “slips it...”, “seals it...”. This intertextual approach gives the poem a unique richness.
The print depicts a reflective moment of a woman´s life which demands the observer contemplative thought. The poem adds meaning to the image we see.
The image is familiar because it is universal: We have all sealed a letter. It is a hand-made process we generally enjoy: She “arranges it/as though she were putting flowers in a vase”. It is not an e-mail, it is not a call. It is not something automatic. It is like a ceremony. We can “see” that idea in both: the print and the poem. In an intertextual context, “any work must be understood by analogy with other works that employ similar conventions”.
Regarding the formal characteristics of “The Letter”, we find a short poem composed by 4 stanzas. There is no pattern for rhyme. The use of vocabulary is simple. There is a comparison at the beginning of the poem: “...it is with her like a song” and a metaphor at the end: ... “as though she were putting flowers in a vase”...
Intertextual criticism “directs our attention away from reality and places the work instead in the context of literature as a whole, it stresses the artifice or conventionality of all literature”. As I said, I saw the print and the poem at the same time. Even if I wanted to pay more attention to one or the other, both were there. I “read” both and I know I built the meaning with the print and the poem. One contributed to the other and vice versa. A meaning is not a single meaning signified only by a text, but instead, by two texts. We understand the poem by “reading” another work of art. We find the answer in art: both literature and painting are a mean to achieve a purpose: express feelings, tell a story...
Corina Moscovich

14.5.14

The other world by Robert Wrigley (Corina Moscovich)

The other world
So here is the old buck
who all winter long
had traveled with the does
and yearlings, with the fawns
just past their spots,
and who had hung back,
walking where the others had walked,
eating what they had left,
and who had struck now and then
a pose against the wind,
against a twig-snap or the way
the light came slinking
among the trees.

Here is the mangled ear
and the twisted, hindering leg.
Here, already bearing him away
among the last drifts of snow
and the nightly hard freezes,
is a line of tiny ants,
making its way from the cave
of the right eye, over the steep
occipital ridge, across the moonscape, shed-horn
medallion and through the valley
of the ear's cloven shadow
to the ground,
where among the staves
of shed needles and the red earthy wine
they carry him
bit by gnawn bit
into another world.
Robert Wrigley

Few emotions are more complex than those dealing with death. “The other world is a poem about a dead buck. The setting is very important: Since the beginning the word “here” marks territoriality. Visually, the word “other” in the title makes a contrast with the word “here” in the first line. It is a cyclical poem which starts with the title “The other world” and finishes almost with the same words. The title is quite open as it may be interpreted as a world after life, a world underground or an underworld. Both the title and the ending talk about another world we don´t know. Wrigley discusses two possible worlds: The world of the dead and the world of the alive, the world of the people and the world of the animals.
There are simultaneous meanings to be read in this poem. And there is no absolute meaning. The meaning is relative. What the reader brings to the text of the poem is important in deconstructing meanings and their positioning. The authority for meaning lies nowhere specifically; this encourages the reader to value multiple perspectives, meanings and interpretations. Through his strategies of imagery, personification, and the use of tone, the author is able to take an event such as finding a dead buck, and interpret this to be seen as analogous to life itself. Just as the deer met its death, we too will one day meet our death. Unlike the deer we are aware of mortality. Human beings may care about a dead deer but they care more about mortality.
The narrator describes the animal using dramatically different terms. The deer is now dead. He is no longer an animal. The dominant reading of the poem is the real description of the dead animal. While the reader can sense some sympathy for the deer, the narrator seems to speak objectively as he is not overly emotional about the situation. Throughout this naturalistic poem, the tone of the poet seems somewhat indifferent. The words “where” and “what” make me think of a piece of news. There is a reported speech form where an event is being told. The poem also goes from general to particular. There are many references and details. Most of the words refer to nature, either to vegetation or animal life. To understand a part of nature is to understand a part of ourselves.
The other world is composed by 30 stanzas, divided in two parts. The taste of this poem depends primarily upon a series of contrasts, not only in the state of the dead animal, but also in technical aspects of the poem such as mood and rhythm. It doesn´t have a rhyme pattern. However, there is a rhythm in the reading achieved by alliteration and monotony in the reporting of past actions.
The use of the relative pronoun along the first part of the poem gives a unique relevance to the mutilated buck. We get the feeling after so much crude, real description. The first part of the poem focuses in the past life of the old buck. It is a continuing naming of actions. There is a well-achieved contrast between these actions and the rigidness in death. In the second part there are words such as “moonscape”, “ground” and “earthly” with a common connotation. The first part of the poem talks about the deer as a whole. The second part is like a division of the same animal into many parts. We find a contrast of dimension with the “tiny ants”, “making its way”. The visual image that description gives to the reader is very powerful. These ants make the deer another deer. They highlight the change of biological status of the buck. There is a transformation. The last three lines of the poem are very powerful in meaning. This is thanks to their shortness. It is like an abstract of the whole poem: The personal pronoun “they” appears here for the only time in the poem.
Just as we learn from the buck, death is a part of life, without death, there would be no life; it is inevitable. In one´s journey through life, one will encounter hardships along the way; although these may impede our progress, we always move forward.

Corina Moscovich

6.5.14

On First Looking into Chapman's Homer BY JOHN KEATS. The impact of a book...

On First Looking into Chapman's Homer
BY JOHN KEATS
Much have I travell'd in the realms of gold,
   And many goodly states and kingdoms seen;
   Round many western islands have I been
Which bards in fealty to Apollo hold.
Oft of one wide expanse had I been told
   That deep-brow'd Homer ruled as his demesne;
   Yet did I never breathe its pure serene
Till I heard Chapman speak out loud and bold:
Then felt I like some watcher of the skies
   When a new planet swims into his ken;
Or like stout Cortez when with eagle eyes
   He star'd at the Pacific—and all his men
Look'd at each other with a wild surmise—

   Silent, upon a peak in Darien.

What book has had an impact on you comparable to Homer´s impact on Keats?
Reading and analyzing John Keats´s poem was an important part of the process. Then, I deeply thought about the books I have read in my life. I have chosen “Kane and Abel” by Jeffrey Archer. That book has had an impact on me comparable to Homer´s impact on Keats. I have read the book twice, the first time I was a teenager and the version was in Spanish. It was really amazing. Being so young, the book has opened my eyes. it helped me to understand, to be more curious, to want more. Not only did I learn about other people´s lives but I also learnt geography and economy. The second time I read it was like a reassurance, like a deep breath. It was 10 years later and the version was in English. It was a review of the book and of the things that happened to me. I gave the book another meaning, perhaps more complete. (Probably, if I read it every decade, it will be a different book each time).
Specific topics caught my attention: First, the story about two brothers being so different and so similar at the same time. Second, the way to face human life, from birth to death. Third, ambition, which is shown to the reader as different shades of an apparent bright color. Since then, I started to believe that basically, there are two kinds of people: One who looks for opportunities. Other, who waits for things to happen. No matter which one we are in, we always need perseverance.  
I felt inspired to create... I intended to convey in a poem the nature and meaning of the book´s impact. The reason I have chosen the shape of a poem and not a short story is because of the strong feelings that the book produced on me: I could only express them in a poem. I have tried to use words related to books and play with them regarding disposition. The structure of the poem itself and the movement I gave to certain stanzas has to do with the meaning I wanted to transmit.
What was challenging for me was to put together my “impact”, taking into account “John Keats´s impact” and at the same time feel the poem as an artistic creation. For the author, there is always a challenge in the artistic creation. The ones who will read or see the product: It may be the reader; it may be the critic or the need to be understood. In my opinion, artistic creation should be free of fears or worrying about who or how is going to interpret it/to be interpreted. But there is an inner critic inside the artist and the balance between them has to be reflected in the artistic creation.

Looking at the index
of my own biography,
I have found pages
with nothing to hide.

Following a canon
did not know which one
simply following it
did not where
it
   could
             take
me.

I have been smelling,
touching, tasting,
counting, searching
until one day
I realized
I have not been reading

I have not been reading
I realized

An archer shot an arrow
at the target of my age.

My life made a twist
in the less
                 expected
                                book.

I discovered a tool
that gave sense
to my entire history.

The language of literature
was in me
waiting to be clicked.

The arrow left behind
came back
to give another shot.

When there was no need
of reading again
the same biting chapter,
a highlighted character
invited me there
for just one more time…
  
To navigate through seas of words
and endless
                   possibilities
                                       of experimentation.

To open a door
I always wanted to open.
A desert island.
A tempting dessert.
A door I will never close.

Corina Moscovich

28.4.14

“Mimetic criticism: Poštolka (Prague) by Christian Wiman” by Corina Moscovich

Poštolka (Prague) by Christian Wiman
 When I was learning words
and you were in the bath
there was a flurry of small birds
and in the aftermath

of all that panicked flight—
as if the red dusk willed
a concentration of its light—
a falcon on the sill.

It scanned the orchard's bowers,
then pane by pane it eyed
the stories facing ours
but never looked inside.

I called you in to see.
And when you steamed the room
and naked next to me
stood dripping, as a bloom

of blood formed in your cheek
and slowly seemed to melt,
I could almost speak
the love I almost felt.

Wish for something, you said.
A shiver pricked your spine.
The falcon turned its head
and locked its eyes on mine.

For a long moment then
I wished and wished and wished
the moment would not end.

And just like that it vanished.
“Mimetic criticism: Poštolka (Prague) by Christian Wiman” by Corina Moscovich
What is the reality of human experience? As reality is the context in which the work is studied, one may think this was a real event in the poet´s life. Mimetic criticism is committed to truth, reality, and the idea that literature, in some ways, imitates life. The narrator is learning through imitation. The life of a human being and the life of an animal... As the falcon, the narrator needs to take a glimpse of his life. As the falcon, he never looked inside their story, an apparent surface story where feelings could not be expressed.
Poštolka is a poem composed of 28 lines, arranged in seven verses. There are nine sentences within those verses. It is written in a simple style. One part of the poem talks about the falcon, another about the narrator´s couple: “ours”, “naked next to me”, and “the love I almost felt” and a third one about the narrator´s feelings in such a confusing moment.
The first two lines give an account of what was happening: when and where. It gives images of the physical contemporary setting: “When I was learning words”, “you were in the bath”, “red dusk”, “orchard´s bowers”, etc. But then the physical world of the two lovers cannot be found so precisely. The 3rd line is a continuation of the action made by the falcon. The fact that the falcon is a diurnal bird helps to make the poem more credible (According to the dictionary, a falcon is “any diurnal bird of prey of the family FALCONIDAD, sometimes trained to hunt small animals for sport”). The 4th and 5th lines give the reader an idea of what is happening between this couple.  The fourth line breaks the poem. The narrator is not alone anymore because he calls her in to see. And she goes next to him. When there is love there is no fear. The 6th line has a fast rhythm. Many verbs that denote action: “wish”, “said”, “pricked”, “turned”, “locked”. The 7th line, on the contrary, has a slow rhythm. Few verbs that denote no action but an end: “wished” (3 times), “would not end”, “vanished”.
Literature mirrors the world, reality. It is this idea that leads us to view the literary work as a true imitation, reflection or representation of the world and human life. The image of the falcon is allegorical, as the meaning is represented symbolically. It seems the falcon is an instrument to make the reader realize the kind of life this person is having. The poem is a narrative that talks about an event in a day in the narrator´s life: the intrusion and presence of a falcon.
The name of the poem Poštolka (Prague) and the sentence “When I was learning words” made me think of a foreigner in another country. I was surprised to find out that some of my thoughts in my brainstorm were confirmed by real facts. I found out that Christian Wiman, the author, has been a foreign lecturer at the Prague School of Economics. Poštolka is a poem that is better understood with the help of reference sources. Also, the sentence “I called you in to see” gives the idea that the narrator is surprised by the presence of the falcon. The woman was not afraid of the falcon. Probably she was familiar with it. I found out that the peregrine falcon is among Slovakia’s protected species and that there is an organization in Prague devoted to falcons whose website contains a live web camera view of peregrine falcons nesting on Tynsky Church at Prague, Czech Republic.
The poem is very visual. Throughout the poem there are verbs and words related light, vision and flight: “red dusk” (red color image), “a concentration of its light”, “scabbed”, “eyed”, “looked inside”, “I called you in to see”, “when you steamed the room” (white color image), “as a bloom of blood” (red color image), “seemed to”, “locked its eyes on mine”, “vanished”.
Both the rhythm and the sound of words themselves contribute to the meaning of Poštolka. In the first verse there are many words containing the “W” sound, like “when, was”, “were”. The rhyme pattern is ABAB. There is alliteration in “bloom of blood”. The voice in the poem is in first person but the point of view is omniscient and circular. It starts in a room, probably a place for study. “When I was learning words”, “it eyed the stories facing ours”, then the bird on the sill takes a view of the place. Then it shifts to the woman´s body, then to the woman and the narrator, then again to the narrator. The writer writes as if mirroring words: corresponding pairs. The repetition of the word “almost” shows the narrator´s emotion of that moment. The same as in “I wished and wished and wished” at the end of the poem. The, “For a long moment I wished and wished and wished the moment would not end”. Also, “When I was learning words and you were in the bath...” “pane by pane”. 
The use of pronouns and personal references is very interesting. The references to “you” and “I” are fairly similar in number. There are five “I”, one “ours”, one “me”, one “mine and then four “you” and two “your”. The use of “it” to replace “the falcon” is notorious because it gives more strength to the idea that the falcon is just an incident in these people´s lives. The word falcon itself appears two times in the poem, near the beginning, in the second verse and towards the end, in the sixth verse.
Through an eventful moment in his life, the author of Poštolka makes us think about deeper topics. He represents his world in the poem and readers see that representation in the text: Life as a continual change preceding death, as we are always in process. 
Corina Moscovich