New Directions
I met Gennady after his reading (one of the best I'd ever seen) at the San Francisco International Poetry Festival in 2003 (Unitarian Center). After the reading, a group of poets, including Gennady and his translator Peter France, headed over to Edinburgh Castle in the Tenderloin for drinks (I lived across the street at the time). I asked Gennady to sign my copy of Child-And-Rose, he signed it in Russian
to John
with fraternal embrace!
I said to Gennady, with Peter France translating for me
"I wish I could speak Russian and that you spoke English"
Gennady replied, again with Peter translating
"Don't worry, we speak through the air"
this was a magical moment for me, I wrote it all down immediately on a napkin from the bar
No comments:
Post a Comment