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Avgi Lilli (Bulgaria, 1980) is simply a Greek-Cypriot writer based successful Nicosia, Cyprus. She writes poetry, microfiction and scripts for abbreviated movie productions. She has besides written abbreviated theatrical plays staged successful Cyprus. She has published 3 poesy collections successful Greek: Rough notes connected a beingness vest (Nicosia, Armida, 2011), The Slaughter of the Century (Larissa, Thraka,2018; 2nd variation 2020) and Tail connected the edge (Larissa, Thraka, 2021; 2nd variation 2023–shortlisted for the Cyprus Literary Awards). Her abbreviated stories postulation Tracing insubstantial and different abbreviated stories was published successful 2023 by Potamos Publications and was awarded the “Chartis” Prize for Prose (2024).
Her translation of Georgi Gospodinov’s poems successful Greek has been released by Ikaros Publications successful 2022. Some of her poems and bonzai stories person been translated successful English, Spanish, Italian and Turkish. Her publication reviews person been published successful online and printed literate magazines. She studied Classics and Modern Greek Philology (University of Cyprus) and holds a PhD successful Modern Greek Philology (University of Athens, 2017). Her PhD, soon to beryllium published, refers to the enactment of post-war writer Alexandros Kotzias (1926-1992).
Your latest penning task Ρυζόχαρτο και άλλες μικρο-ιστορίες [Tracing insubstantial and different abbreviated stories] (Potamos, 2023) precocious received the Best Prose Αward By Chartis magazine. Tell america a fewer things astir the book.
The publication was acceptable already successful 2020, but arsenic different unfortunate of the pandemic it was published successful 2023. But I conjecture this information is much important for maine than for the reader. Because betwixt 2020 and 2023 my beingness changed radically, truthful this is simply a enactment that, erstwhile I took it successful my hands, I was already successful distance. However, it has brought maine immoderate precise bully surprises, not lone the favoritism you notation but besides precise favorable reviews. And, of course, the astir important of all: the fantabulous practice with a steadfast who made definite that the publication had a beauteous cover, that I felt – earlier we adjacent agreed – that fitted the publication perfectly. So, it’s a publication that I consciousness started its people with a batch of airy and has a travel similar gurgling h2o successful a chill and wide River [Potamos, the publisher’s name, means “river” successful English].
Tracing paper is my archetypal publishing task successful prose, thing I antecedently declared that I was not funny in. In the end, indeed, arsenic I constitute determination successful the book, “clichés ever archer the truth”; successful different words, ne'er accidental never! Τracing paper includes abbreviated stories that notation to the practice of ordinary, mundane life, events oregon expected milestones related to the quality experience. Here I americium funny successful the depiction of the infinitesimal and the ephemeral – arsenic a frame, a photograph oregon a favourite song.
In his reappraisal of the book, Kostas Karavidas commented connected however “short signifier constitutes for you the due signifier to narrate episodes of idiosyncratic mythology that, acknowledgment to an imaginative handling, with subtle allusions and deliberate ambiguities, get depth, position and much cosmopolitan dimensions”. Which are the main themes your writings interaction upon? Are determination recurrent points of notation successful your work?
Recurrent themes, some successful my poesy and prose, are the timeless existential themes: love, death, emotion arsenic apotheosis and emotion arsenic death, invincible time, mortality, the body. I americium interested, possibly much truthful successful poetry, successful carnal pleasance and code arsenic an look of the quality body. Even successful prose, which has a much realistic staging, these are my themes. As good arsenic thing arsenic important, which successful poesy (at slightest truthful far), is not to beryllium detected: the governmental angst for my location country, Cyprus, but besides for the world. And this taxable was intelligibly reinforced – serving different cliché of beingness – pursuing parenthood.
What about language? What relation does connection play successful your writings?
I reckon I person developed a precise antithetic narration with connection depending connected the literate genre. In poesy I americium funny successful the distillation and condensation of meaning, speech, representation and particularly feeling. To objectify each of the supra – and clip arsenic good – successful a poem. In short, to alteration each these abstract senses and concepts into thing tangible, to marque “something” retired of them. I deliberation I americium funny successful the nonstop other successful my abbreviated stories: done simplicity and yet allusiveness, with realism and sometimes humour, to get astatine a literate substance “with the purest materials”. In practice, this besides requires antithetic processes than poetic composition, which is by explanation much personal, much “deep”, much cryptic and adjacent mystical successful romanticist presumption (and I don’t mean hidden). In my prose I chiefly tendency simplicity and purity. If determination is thing successful communal that connection seeks successful some my poesy and prose, it is to immortalize the feeling and the infinitesimal respectively.
“When I americium asked erstwhile if poesy and creation tin prevention the world, my reply is no. But, I genuinely judge they tin prevention a person”. How does lit converse with its surrounding reality? Could it beryllium utilized to ideate what could beryllium radically antithetic realities?
Whether creation copies beingness oregon beingness copies art, speech betwixt the 2 is self-evident and the ways of their coexistence are innumerable. Until the mid-20th century, theories and movements astir apt responded to the archetypal portion of the question, but present determination are surely galore much variables to immoderate interpretation; everything has go much complicated, faster, much chaotic.
As for the 2nd portion of your question, I don’t judge that lit represents a non-existent world oregon a world that is radically different. It represents a world that existed oregon inactive exists done different prism. Or it envisions the world to come, arsenic successful subject fabrication for example. Even phantasy novels, similar mythology, are allegories of the satellite we know. I don’t expect lit to amusement maine different world, but to bring maine person to this world. Literature, poesy possibly successful particular, expresses what we bash not express, what we question to express. And so, it acquires the dynamic and the powerfulness of rescuing language, aesthetics, meaning, memory.
Poetry, prose, theatrical plays, short scripts, world research. Where bash each these attributes meet? Which bash you see to beryllium the binding thread?
Let maine commencement by saying that I don’t consciousness successful my bosom that everything is connected successful the aforesaid beardown way. Poetry and abbreviated prose (because the agelong signifier alternatively scares maine arsenic a writer, but not arsenic a reader…) are surely agreed successful the condensation of connection and meaning, and successful the consciousness of (ephemeral) things, the consciousness I don’t privation to hide (or beryllium forgotten). I would spot rather intimately my abbreviated scripts, which besides autumn into the “short” genre and which, successful my case, ever person thing poetic astir them, different they don’t entreaty to maine arsenic much. For example, Drained (2020, directed by Anna Fotiadou, written by Anna Fotiadou-Avgi Lilli) is simply a melodramatic monologue of Clytemnestra successful a timeless situation of reflection, portion successful The Call (2020, directed by Marios Psaras, screenplay by Marios Psaras- Avgi Lilli – Honorable Mention astatine the Drama International Short Film Festival) I knew from the opening that the single-shot would, successful its realism, supply a poetic aesthetics and my dialogues were written with this successful mind.
Theatre was much of an experiment, portion world probe was a way I simply walked on taking dilatory steps. I americium presently astatine the constituent wherever I consciousness a large ellipse closes since I americium to people a monograph connected the taxable which, arsenic a philologist, I person studied exclusively for much than a decade, the transportation betwixt captious mentation and the poetics of the post-war writer Alexandros Kotzias (1926-1992).
How do young writers converse with global literary trends? Where does the section conscionable the nationalist and the universal?
First of all, I don’t cognize however overmuch of a young writer I americium anymore! Even if I judge that I’m somewhat young, Ι don’t cognize if successful my forties I americium inactive considered one… And that’s what I consciousness erstwhile I ticker myself defy definite “trends” – oregon not recognize them. I feel, for example, that it is highly expected from lit (and, of course, novelists and poets) to person a strong, adjacent activist, societal interaction than a mostly speaking governmental footprint successful caller practices, aesthetics and ideas. This one-dimension cognition dangerously makes america hide creation archetypical role: delight.
I judge that present we are much attracted to symptom and trauma successful their literal dimension, to a diary penning that confesses idiosyncratic experiences, alternatively than to lit arsenic an creation that unifies, purifies, suggests, beautifies. I consciousness we person fallen into the trap of equating idiosyncratic acquisition with cosmopolitan pathos. However, the idiosyncratic does not adjacent the universal. The much personalized it is, the much circumstantial it becomes, and frankincense not universal. There is besides a fear, perhaps, that the “artistic way” volition repel the assemblage due to the fact that “it is incomprehensible”. Of course, connected the different hand, decades of contrived authority, unequal promotion and excess publication publishing person created, and understandably so, a beardown depreciation of the “artistic way”. And by “way” I mean not conscionable broadly the “how,” but mostly the artist’s imaginativeness of saying thing else, of uncovering his oregon her dependable and raising it wrong the whole, neither needfully bloodlessly, nor fundamentally bloodily.
The satellite is changing rapidly, not conscionable from 1 procreation to the next. That is the lone certainty. We are connected the verge of a colossal alteration successful presumption of aesthetics wrong an unprecedented planetary governmental impasse. And since societal revolutions bash not execute their extremity successful the mode past has shown america truthful far, could this utmost deconstruction of creation execute more? Perhaps this is what we are present experiencing. After all, that’s what happened astir a 100 years ago. And not conscionable then. For example, the horrors of the World War I led to dadaism. Could the fearfulness of the 21st period and the dilatory degeneration of humanity and the satellite simply pb america to stock our stories and possibly this idiosyncratic daring is translated into art, fixed that courageousness and endurance are much important instincts than the creator mode of the idiosyncratic artist? Who knows? Only time, and history, volition tell.
However, I person nary uncertainty that the local/personal meets the cosmopolitan erstwhile determination is authenticity successful creator expression, which, arsenic a rule, leads to an creator result. That is, erstwhile what you do, immoderate creation you serve, you bash it “honestly and erotically” according to Alexandros Kotzias. I don’t cognize if determination is immoderate different measurable method, truthful that your creation is not astir yourself alone. Perhaps a bully measurement for the cosmopolitan is to not marque self-promotion an extremity successful itself. In different words, wherefore americium I publishing a book? Is determination thing new, thing different, that I person to say? Do I truly person thing to say?
*Interview by Athina Rossoglou
**Intro photograph by Evagoras Xydas
TAGS: LITERATURE & BOOKS | READING GREECE
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