Reading and discussion.
Apti Bisultanov (Poetry)
Ekkehard Maaß (Moderation and german translation)
Apti Bisultanov is a contemporary poet who combines ancient Chechen traditions with modern stylistic techniques. His poetic language is artful and rich in rhymes, cross-rhymes and sound associations, ranging from the heavy rhythm of the Chechen heroic ballad to vers libre. Many of Bisultanov’s poems have been set to music and live on as songs amongst the Chechen people. He supported the independence movement from the very beginning and is passionately committed to the cause of a free Chechnya. In 1999, he was appointed Deputy Prime Minister for Social Affairs. On 1 February 1999, he fled to the mountains. His home village was completely destroyed by Russian artillery attacks; relatives, neighbours and friends were killed.
In 1986, Bisultanov’s first collection of poems, *Noch – ze – tschö* (Plough – Fire – House), was published. This was followed in 1988 by the collection *Zcha Illi* (The Song) and in 1991 by *Tkesan Indare* (Shadow of a Lightning Bolt). It includes, amongst other works, the poem ‘What Happened in Chaibach’, which is dedicated to the victims of the Stalinist deportation in February 1944. It describes the shift in consciousness among the Chechen people in the wake of the deportation, which struck Soviet-Chechen society like a bolt of lightning and in which a third of all Chechens perished. “Shadows of a Lightning Bolt” is a German-language selection of his works, translated and adapted by Ekkehard Maaß, who, as chairman of the German-Caucasian Society, is thoroughly familiar with Bisultanov’s work and its background.
The event will be held in German, with some sections in Chechen (and translations).
Tickets are €5 (reduced price €3) and are available only at the box office in the Maschinenhaus.
We look forward to your questions and comments during the event here: Facebook-Event
© Graham Hains
