Thursday 18 June 2009

Legendary Russian poet to read at Féile na Bealtaine event

Féile na Bealtaine presents: Yevgeny Yevtushenko - Mall Arts Centre, Youghal, Co. Cork, Sunday July 5th, 4.30pm.
One of the 20th and 21st centuries’ most inspirational and influential poets will visit Ireland this July as the special guest at an event hosted and facilitated by members of Dingle arts festival committee Féile na Bealtaine. World renowned Russian poet, Yevgeny Yevtushenko (pictured left on the cover of TIME) has been invited by Feile na Bealtaine to read from his vast canon of poetry on Sunday July 5th at the Mall Arts Centre, Town hall, Youghal, Co. Cork. Yevgeny Yevtushenko was born in 1933 in Siberia and is considered to be Russia's best-known living poet. His most famous poem Babii Yar (1961) denounced the Soviet distortion of historical fact regarding the Nazi massacre of an estimated 34,000 Ukrainian Jews in September 1941, as well as the anti-Semitism still widespread in the Soviet Union - the poem was not officially printed in Russia until 1984. Poet-laureate of Russia, besides his poetry Yevtushenko has also written essays and a novel and is also a film-director. His writings have been translated into more than 70 languages. He is also the recipient of many honours, including the highest decoration in Russia - Great Achievements for the Motherland. Yevgeny Yevtushenko is currently a distinguished professor at Tulsa University in Oklahoma. He describes, his own words: “my own poems…they’ve endowed me with wealth…no one told me how to spend it” Music accompaniment will be provided by Principal Viola player with National Symphony Orchestra John Lynch and cellist Ms Jane Hughes. The event is to be chaired by Féile na Bealtaine Director, Dr. Mícheál Fanning, the renowned Dingle poet whose most recent published collections include Briathar & Solas (Echoes & Shadows).

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