IRMA KURTI - INTERVIEW

 

NILAVRONILL TALKING WITH 

POET OF THE MONTH

IRMA KURTI

NILAVRONILL: Welcome to Our Poetry Archive, dear poet. And congratulations as the poet of this month. I would like to know your personal views on literature or poetry in general.

IRMA KURTI: Thank you very much for nominating me as “The Poet of the Month.” It is a joy but also a responsibility to try to give my best in the future. Actually, literature, especially poetry, is going through a rough period. With the development of technology and the internet, there has been a significant decline in reading. There are more people who write than those who read, and those who read generally prefer prose. Poets face immense challenges because most publishing companies will only publish a few poetry books, and very often, the poets themselves have to pay to cover the cost of publication.

NILAVRONILL: What are the factors that have influenced you immensely in the growing phase of your literary life. When, most probably you were not certain of your future as a poet or writer. Do you think society as a whole is the key factor in shaping up you as a poet, or your poetry altogether?

 

IRMA KURTI: I started writing when I was ten years old. My parents, Hasan Kurti and Sherife Mezini, registered me in the "Pioneer House" literary circle in my hometown, Elbasan. I got my first lessons on poetry there. My father was a doctor, but he read a lot. I still preserve as a rare treasure his notes and his diaries on the various books he read during his youth. If it were not for my parents, I would not have continued on my literary path. At that time, my poems did not change much from the verses of the other children; the restrictiveness and closure in which we lived dictated the theme of our verses. Thus, poetry became my salvation.

NILAVRONILL: Do you consider your literary life as an extension of your self-existence? If so, how it is related with the time around you?

IRMA KURTI: Writing is within me; it has become an integral part of me. I look at the world, at the changing seasons, and reflect on my feelings and sensations with a poetic eye. I always keep a notebook with me and write down ideas or verses that, sooner or later, will be transformed into poems. Through poetry, I share my moments of joy, especially the dark ones: my pain and sadness. As the great American poetess Audre Lorde said: “For women, poetry is not a luxury. It is a vital necessity of our existence.”

 

NILAVRONILL: As a poet, do socio-economy and politics in general influence your literary visions? If so how, and if not, why?

IRMA KURTI: It is impossible for a poet to live in a particular context, in an uneasy situation where there is suffering or violence, and to detach himself from what happens around him. I find inspiration in various themes such as immigration, prejudices, violence, the elderly, solitude, and disability. In my depth, I think poetry is far superior than politics and its immorality.p

o

NilavroNill: Is it possible to put into the words everything that as a poet you wish to express literarily? If not, why?

 

IRMA KURTI: I was born and raised in Albania, a country with one of the strongest and most savage dictatorships. At that time, I thought poetry was my best weapon to express everything I couldn’t say out loud. In fact, poetry was, and still is, my best confidant. Over the years, I came to realize that it’s not possible to put into words my every feeling because poetry derives from it, and it’s part of the soul, which is unmeasurable and infinite. Victor Hugo once wrote, “There is one spectacle grander than the sea, that is the sky; there is one spectacle grander than the sky, that is the interior of the soul.”

NilavroNill: Do you agree with John Keats (1795-1821) on his ardent believe, “Truth is beauty, beauty is truth”? Even if we take for instance the war of Kurukshetra, the conflicts between Kauravas and Pandavas, or the fall out of second world war in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, how can we manage to reconcile between those truths with beauty as promulgated by Keats?

 

IRMA KURTI: Conflicts, wars, and tragedies unleash the darker and uglier side of human existence; however, our search for light and beauty towards the infinite passes through and confronts obscurity, hiccups, and dangers. After all, beauty will win. As the 19th-century Russian writer Fyodor Dostoevsky stated, "Mankind...can live without science, without bread, and it only cannot live without beauty, for then there would be nothing at all to do in the world!”

 

NilavroNill: Too many writers believe imagery is an essential part of poetry. Do you agree this notion? Even if we consider Leonardo da Vinci’s words that poetry is painting that is felt rather than seen.

 

IRMA KURTI: Imagery is important, but I think that emotion is essential for poetry. I am eager to read poems that move me emotionally. I understand that I’ve read an excellent poem when I feel shivers and when the emotion stays with me for a while, even for the whole day. Robert Frost says, “Poetry is when an emotion has found its thought and the thought has found words.”

 

NilavroNill: Do you believe, passionately falling in love with a particular language is essential to excel in poetical ventures? And is it possible to write poems in multiple languages preserving same literary quality? We would like to know your own experiences.

 

IRMA KURTI: I graduated in English language at the University of Tirana many years ago. I then migrated to Italy and lived here for almost 18 years. I have completely realized the importance of knowing foreign languages in recent years; now, I consider them an invaluable wealth. Communicating in Italian and English has helped me to connect with poets and writers from all over the world, has given me the possibility to read books in their original language, has helped me grow and perfect myself in my work as a translator, and has opened a lot of doors for me. While translating my own works from Albanian into Italian and English, it happens that a poem does not always retain the same beauty and fluidity. Most often, the translated poems are better than the original. Every day, I read books in Italian and sometimes in English. I also keep a dictionary beside me and leaf through it because I’ll remain a student for life.

 

NilavroNill: Do you consider poetry as an emotional outbursts of poet’s personal sentiments? Or is it a long journey to realize and express the universal sentiments beyond all personal limitations? Again, we want to understand your views through your personal experiences of your literary life as a poet.

 

IRMA KURTI: As I said before, I have confided in poetry my moments of joy, but mostly, my sorrow and sadness. But poetry is much more than that. It reflects not only our deepest feelings but it also creates a connection with the universe. It helps us attentively look at everything around us, transform our way of thinking, and puts us in tune with the feelings and sensations of thousands of people, wherever they are, transcending limitations and borders.

NilavroNill: I would like to quote T. S. Eliot, “No poet, no artist of any art, has his complete meaning alone. His significance, his appreciation is the appreciation of his relation to the dead poets and artists.  You cannot value him alone; you must set him for contrast and comparison among the dead.” We would like to know your views in details on Eliot’s comments.

 

IRMA KURTI: I agree with their essence. Every single poet reads, collects words, phrases, and sensations, and at the same time, gets influenced by the writing, the works, and the style of the poets he has read and loved in the path of his life.

 

NilavroNill: Would you consider, it should be the goal of a poet to enlighten the readers towards much greater apprehensions as well as appreciations of life and eternity in general? Or is it better to write poems only to console the poet’s soul?

 

IRMA KURTI: I don't think poems are written only to comfort a poet's suffering soul. The poet has an important mission: he serves as a lighthouse in the dark; he must be the inspiration and hope in moments of anguish and tears, thus guiding people with his words towards peace and a better understanding of the world. Poetry helps us connect with other anonymous people, telling us we are never alone in our suffering. As the Indian poet Gulzar says, "Poetry is not about personal pain or tragedy. It should resonate the society's grief."

 

NILAVRONILL: We are almost at the end of the interview. I remain obliged to you for your participation. Now, personally I would like to know your honest opinion about Our Poetry Archive. Since April 2015 we are publishing and archiving contemporary world poetry each and every month. Thank you for sharing your views and spending much time with us.

 

IRMA KURTI: I have had the opportunity to publish my poetry several times on Our Poetry Archive, and it has always been a pleasure. Thanks to people like you who work with passion and dedication, Our Poetry Archive has become a meeting place for many poets around the world, a place for confronting and exchanging thoughts and emotions. Reading the verses of each poet, we feel and perceive the power of words; we cross barriers and take a step toward realizing our dream of a world full of peace and equality.

 

 

IRMA KURTI is an Albanian poet, writer, lyricist, journalist, and translator and has been writing since she was a child. She is a naturalized Italian and lives in Bergamo, Italy. All her books are dedicated to the memory of her beloved parents, Hasan Kurti and Sherife Mezini, who have supported and encouraged every step of her literary path. Kurti has also won numerous literary prizes and awards in Italy and Italian Switzerland. She was awarded the Universum Donna International Prize IX Edition 2013 for Literature and received a lifetime nomination as an Ambassador of Peace by the University of Peace, Italian Switzerland. In 2020, she became the honorary president of WikiPoesia, the encyclopedia of poetry. In 2021, she was awarded the title of Liria (Freedom) by the Italian-Albanian community in Italy. In 2022, she was also nominated as the Albanian ambassador to the International Academic Award of Contemporary Literature Seneca of the Academy of Philosophical Arts and Sciences, Bari. She also won the prestigious 2023 Naji Naaman's literary prize for complete work. Irma Kurti has published 27 books in Albanian, 23 in Italian, 15 in English, and two in French. She has also translated 17 books by different authors, and all of her own books into Italian and English. Her books have been translated and published in 14 countries.