Poetic Expression

Andrea Jurjević shares translations and her personal work.

Andrea Jurjević, a poet and translator, shared her intriguing work at last week’s In Process event. I can assuredly say that as an audience member, I was completely captivated by the poetry she shared. In the first half of the event, she spent time reading some poems she had translated.

When asked why she started translating other authors works, she said, “I was hoping to learn through translation how to write poetry.” I would imagine translating a poem takes a great deal of deconstruction and understanding. Jurjević was able to piece together the same poem in a different language while still preserving the original meaning. This level of deconstruction would allow for a much deeper understanding of poetry when it has to be scrutinized and thought of in such a complex circumstance. I‘m sure ’ Jurjević learned quite a bit from these experiences, and she did say, “You don’t have to wait for inspiration to spark your writing. You can look at other art.” Learning through her translations is the prime example of creating inspiration from others’ creativity. As writers, we can work together to better delve into the art form we are trying to master.

In the latter half, she let us take a look into her world of poetry. While all of her work was lovely, she did not shy away from any harsh language or uncomfortable topics, which I particularly appreciated. Some of the poems encompassed war, her dreams, and one particularly riveting poem responded to a sexist publicist.

I thought each topic was particularly interesting. A lot of poetry I have read revolves around nature and love; however, Jurjević took a different approach. She said, “I realize I write about what haunts me.” She also added later, “It is easier to write about harder things than things that make us happy.” I personally relate to this. Often times people have read my work and said they couldn’t understand how I came up with such disturbing or sad stories. But I think it makes sense that as humans, pain is easier to talk about than happiness. I find this somewhat sad, but pain is such an intricate part of being human. That’s why stories about heartbreak are at the crux of so many pieces of literature, and why sappy people like me continually fall for the heartbreak of a good romance novel.

As humans, if we can see people going through the same pain we are experiencing, it validates how we feel. Somehow, we become less alone. Writing about the unpleasantries of life can put a lot of things into perspective. Jurjević went on the say, “When there is some kind of tension inside, it’s easier to push that out.” Expressing how we feel through writing can bring awareness and understanding to the situations we find ourselves in. Life is messy and hard and confusing, but if we can find our way through the absurdity, we can find meaning.

“The Afterthought” is a weekly column by In Process Intern Lillian Reid.