DANIJELA ĆUK INTERVIEW

 

NILAVRONILL TALKING WITH

POET OF THE MONTH

DANIJELA ĆUK

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.

DANIJELA ĆUK: Yes, of course, thank you very much. I think that literature and poetry are very useful for this society and the world, they make it rich, they provide and give so much, and everyone should be a part of that beautiful world in some way.  Only one who knows poetry in his soul, as well as literature in general, can understand its richness and thus become a literary rich person himself.

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?

 

DANIJELA ĆUK: It was influenced by the love of poetry and some situations from real life.   I have always been confident as a poet and I think society as a whole is a key factor in shaping me and poetry. Overall life situations and social issues have greatly influenced my poetry, so I put everything I saw or heard in the real world into my verses and in that way I actually created a life of poetry.

 

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?

 

DANIJELA ĆUK: I believe that it is connected in a way that shapes me as a person over time and extends the meaning of my writing. I believe that the literary world extends me as a poet and in such a way that by giving myself to the literary world, I actually extend the meaning of my existence.  The purpose of my life is to write in such a way as to help other people to look at life differently and to bring them the light and hope as well as the strength that they need so much in life, and with that I truly believe that the literary world extends me both as a person and as a poet. 

 

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

DANIJELA ĆUK: They influence, of course, because I extract verses from various situations and find inspiration. All situations in this society and in the world greatly influence my view of poetry as such, in such a way that I find myself in every situation.  Because only by starting from myself and then through society as such can poetry come to life, make it breathe and encourage other people to love poetry, to find in them what they may be missing so much in life.  So far, I have succeeded in that and I hope I will continue to do so.

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

 

DANIJELA ĆUK: Yes, it is possible. It is possible to put into words everything that the author wants to express literary, because I know from my experience.  I can’t say some words with my lips, for example, but I turn it all into words, into every verse, and then love, strength, hope and light can be seen in those verses.  Therefore, the words that come out of the mouth are not so important, but those that the poet can bring to life with verses that breathe love and life.

 

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?

 

DANIJELA ĆUK: Yes, I agree. I agree because beauty is really truth and truth is the beauty found in our poetry.  Beauty is everywhere around us, we just need to find it and bring it to life.  And the goal is not only to love and appreciate what is life, but also what may have died a long time ago but is still alive through its verses and in its poetry.  True beauty never dies, never disappears, but always lives, it’s just important to preserve it and not let it disappear.

 

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.

 

DANIJELA ĆUK: Yes, I agree. I believe that this is true, because even in things that may have been invented, that many times have no contact with reality, one can certainly find beauty, which is deeply connected with poetry. Poetry lives in images, in imagination, in everything that we ourselves want to live. Things that we often think that when we see them with the naked eye, do not mean much, in fact, when you look at them with heart, soul and poetry, they really have a great value.  You just have to see them, not with your eyes, but with your soul and heart, and then with the poetry itself.

 

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.

 

DANIJELA ĆUK: I think and we believe that it is so because writing poems in several languages ​​​​enriches poetry. I have written many times in foreign languages, even my poems have been translated into several languages, and I realized then how rich it is to turn my verses into the wonderful wealth of languages ​​and their unique world.

 

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.

 

DANIJELA ĆUK: I believe that because feelings are closely related to the expression of emotions, because there is no poetry without feelings, I show all my emotional side with verses Poetry is emotions because it is only through emotions that every verse, every word, everything that is in the soul exists in verses.  For years, I have shown my emotions in lyrics and in such a way that I opened other people’s emotions with my writing.  For example, when I wrote poetry for women suffering from serious illnesses, it meant the world to them and gave them hope for a better tomorrow.

 

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.

 

DANIJELA ĆUK: I believe that Eliot was right because it is very important to appreciate dead as well as living poets, that is love. I believe that Eliot wanted to say that it is not only living poets that we should appreciate, nor living paintings, but also those poets who are no longer alive but live through their poetry.   So, I definitely agree with him because even what is no longer there or who is no longer there is still alive, we just all need to understand that.  Because poetry is an art that lives in verses, painting is an art that lives in pictures, and artists are people who know their words and thoughts and can turn them into poetry or pictures through life.  Art is life!

 

NilavroNill: Would you consider, it should be the goal of a poet to enlightens 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?

 

DANIJELA ĆUK: The goal of the poet should be precisely to enlighten the reader towards much greater fears. I believe that a poet should illuminate the path of other people with his verses, not just keep them for himself and his soul, because not much is achieved that way.  If we want our poetry to live, I believe that this can only be done if we share it with others, if we achieve the goal of entering someone’s soul with our verses, opening someone’s heart and helping to create a poet even in a person who is not a poet.

 

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.

 

DANIJELA ĆUK: Your archive of poetry is wonderful because it enriches poetry and makes it the life of this world.   The strength of your poetry archive is so great that every poet can easily find himself in it and strengthen himself.

 

DANIJELA ĆUK, she was born on May 25, 1989 in Vukovar with residence in Čavli (Croatia).   The poet has so far published two independent collections of poetry: “Positive for Life” and “Strength of Love” and a third collection is being prepared: “Lionesse Women”.   Her poems participated in over 20 joint collections of poetry and were published in many foreign magazines and awarded diplomas.