FETHI SASSI

OUR POETRY ARCHIVE FEATURED

POET OF THE MONTH

FETHI SASSI

FEBRUARY 2018

OPA: How long have you been writing Poetry? We would like to know the early stories about your growing up as a poet or writer in general. Who are your favourite Poets? What are some of your favourite genres to read and to write? Had they inspired you a lot, do you believe in inspiration as a guiding force behind writings at all?

FETHI SASSI: I’ve been writing poetry from my first young days, since I’m twelve years old. Since my early days I was fascinated about reading; I kept to choose  most kind of excellent books that give me a great chance to increase my knowledge; this kind of reading make my level going better. At first my favourite poets was the old Arabic ones that offers me the chance to try the poetic rhythm and exercises my writing deeply. Second I was interested by the Syrian poet Nizar kabani and the Palestinian  Mahmoud Derwich inspired me a lot in the poetry world and teaches me more technical method writing and more words and verbs from the dictionary. Therefore my pictures begin to belong to a different imagination. That’s why I ‘m sure about inspiration as a guiding power that goes far in writing and keep ideas flowing one by one.

OPA: What has been the toughest criticism given to you as a writer? What was the biggest compliment? Did that change how or what you write?  What has been the strangest thing that a reader has asked you?

FETHI SASSI:  All poets and writers has the possibility to be under the criticism provocation; indeed in my weekly meeting with some important poets and academia teachers who’s try to explain to me how can we get a successful poem by discovering  a new method of writing and they try always to correct the general ways of my writing to improve better. My biggest complement was writing the modern poem comparing to the new wave of poetry. but there is a strange ideas of some poets affirming that there is only one way to write Arabic poetry with the kalil verses. As a fanatic attitude make me upset.

OPA: What is your favourite poem you have ever written? Compared to when you first started writing, have you notice any big changes in your writing style or how you write compared from then to now?

FETHI SASSI: I can never imagine a favourite poem because I don’t make comparison between them. Just I compare my sons; all they have different tastes and they have been made and written in different world and feelings too.  Even the first ones; it was my first guest on my whiteness. From the beginning I don’t write with the same ability I become more joined to my world as I built a cave to live in with too many special rituals.      

OPA: What has been your favourite part of being a poet or and author? What has been your least favourite?

FETHI SASSI: This is really a big hope to be a poet or a writer. As a prophet that gives for all people the way to live more with love and peace. Always convert the poet his great hopes for love to others by writing. Many lines or a poem even a whole book; a promise to live more in happiness and a passport for humanity to give a chance for tomorrow. 

OPA: Did you get to quit your day job and become a writer and/or author, or do you still have a day job and writing is something you do for fun? If you still have a day job, what is it?

FETHI SASSI: I can never do it because in my country there is no job in poetry or writer. We do this with passion and we spend our own money to publish books you can never compare us as the developed countries when you see the culture is an industry. This is really incomparable and I hope that one day we can achieve this level.  

OPA: Besides writing and reading, what is your most favourite thing to do? What genre are you most looking forward to explore during your writing career? Why?

FETHI SASSI: I can see that writing and reading are the most important thing in my life. And I was all my life in the way to do it with nonstop. I always practice my second passion as canary breeders. I have now an important number of canaries that they are my lonely friends and fellows. It is really a great pleasure to be the hole day in the accompany of such creature. 

OPA: Do you think literature or poetry is essential in our life? If so why? How does it relate to the general history of mankind?

FETHI SASSI: Yes, really it is very primordial to live in the poetry world, but only for the person who has the possibility to give something of the readers, to benefit the knowledge of others; and subtract questions ready for a new look and new answers. Every writer and poet contributes in the general history of the mankind by completing the missed sentences that solve existence and the legendary heavy questions.    

OPA: Our readers would like to know your own personal experience regarding the importance of literature and poetry in your life.

FETHI SASSI: To write poetry is not to answer questions but to try to ask differently. This is most of the big lesson that I have done and keep understood. Really I see differently this fantastic world and always I try to answer my questions differently and answer too. the poetry is the unusual view to everything.

OPA: Do you think people in general bother about literature in general?  Do you think this consumerist world is turning the average man away from serious literature?

FETHI SASSI: In general most people bother about literature; it is the wrong way that they like to be in. But if they consider that talking is never be efficient and writing is the perfect method to go in excellent discussion with everything. The new life and the technology that beats our daily life, offer for us only everything with no effort and they have no more time to think about.

OPA: If humanity tries to understand tradition and modernism; do you think literature can play a pivotal role in obtaining understanding?  If so, how? Again, how can an individual writer relate himself or herself with the tradition and modernism?

FETHI SASSI: Yes, I think so. Literature can have an important effect to join for humanity the understanding between tradition and modernism in the simple way that the modern things are no more than the new way of tradition; we have to believe the big relation between them. Every field has to make a great development in the built of such things.                                         

OPA: Do you think society is a factor in shaping you as a poet, or your poetry altogether?

FETHI SASSI: I don’t think so because the society cannot help the creator to shape; as he advances lonely to charge his world.

           

OPA: We would like to know about any influences that has inspired your poetry and writings.

FETHI SASSI: More influences has inspired my poetry and writings are my readings and my relation with important poets, our contact improved my level of writing because changing experiences is so important.

OPA: We would also like to know; how do you relate the present literary trends with the literary heritage of your country? 

FETHI SASSI: My country has a great and important literary heritage from the last century We can observe most of poets and writers with too much works in different literary object; all those are preparing the way for us to make more important writing.  

OPA: Do you believe that all writers are the product of their nationality? Is it an incentive or an obstacle in becoming an international writer?

FETHI SASSI: Really we are the product of our society and nationality. we keep to belong For it and for all the chances that it offer for us. more the nation tries to give for her writers and poets the real value and to give all the possibilities in a hard and power work more the train of the art will go faster. To become an international writer is a personal purpose, if the writer live with a great ambitions he can go greater with time to become very known but step by step.

OPA:  What 7 words would you use to describe yourself?

FETHI SASSI: Love- happiness- beauty- peace- poetry – book- body – philosophy-Woman- the impossible poem.

OPA:   Is there anything else that you would like to share or say to those who will read this interview?

FETHI SASSI: I like to give for all my readers to try everyday reading some books, to try seeing the world in our place to admire the world where we already live. To see, how we can together change this world just by one poem.

FETHI SASSI is a Tunisian poet, Haikuist, writer, and translator. He was born in Nabul in 1962. He has published five poetry collections: A Seed of Love (2010), I Dream …. And I Sign on Birds The Last Words (2013), A Sky For A Strange Bird (2016), As Lonely Rose on a Chair (2017) and And You Are the Entire Poem, (Canada in 2017): https://www.createspace.com/7092707

The editorial staff of this project: Stacia Lynn Reynolds and Deborah Brooks Langford; sincerely thank you for your time and hope we shall have your continued support.