Me thinking about jumping in a stream at Lake Taupo
Ukrainian poet, Halyna Petrosanyak, comes from that quasi-magical provincial city, Stanislav (formerly Ivano-Frankivsk) which has given birth to a suprising number of brilliant postmodern writers, amongst them Yuri Andrukhovych, Yuri Izdryk, Volodymyr Yeshkiliev, and Taras Prokhasko. Holger Gemba’s article, ‘The Stanislav Phenomenon’, explains the background. As well as beautifully drawing the landscapes of the Ukrainian borderlands, Petrosanyak explores classic themes in a manner akin to WB Yeats. In ‘The Caryatid’, she writes:
Her niche between two blind arcades
seems to be cramped, and the square patch of shadow
on the ground — infinitely miniscule.
A tug — and the wind unplaits her of braids
and the body turns into an axis,
while ancient light beams through her features.
Her niche between two blind arcades
seems to be cramped, and the square patch of shadow
on the ground — infinitely miniscule.
A tug — and the wind unplaits her of braids
and the body turns into an axis,
while ancient light beams through her features.
A very happy new year to all of our readers.
