FREE ONLINE GATHERING

Sunday 26th November at 6pm UK time

Istros Books present FARUK ŠEHIĆ

Istros Books was set up in 2011 in order to publish and promote literature in translation from Central and SE Europe. In its short history, it has managed to prove itself at the forefront of discovering and promoting exciting new works, ranging from essays and flash fiction to historical novels.

They are proud to continue their commitment to publishing fresh and exciting works in English translation.

SUSAN CURTIS founder of Istros Books, presents an event showcasing one of her authors, the celebrated Bosnian poet Faruk Šehić, who will be joined by his translator/publisher and David Howard, a poet in his own right who helped to edit this collection. 

Programme

1. Welcome and Introduction 

2. Susan Curtis on Istros Books and the geneSIS of this new collection

3. David Collard reads Ungaretti's poem 'River' which inspired the title and collection

4. Susan and Faruk discuss the process of translation, with readings

5. Susan introduces the poet David Howard, one of the editors of thIS collection, who will discuss his connection with the region, and his words of endorsement for the book: 

        'My Rivers is fed from the headwater of the Bosnian war by memories that mix and dissolve in the estuary of our 

        present.  Sometimes Faruk Šehić's swirling words are expansive and deep; at other times his language narrows, 

        silted by mourning, but such wetlands are generative. This poetry is fresh water that carries vital salts and 

        nutrients to us.'

6. A discussion of David's 'Tarara' poems, which link Dalmatia and New Zealand. A reading of selected parts of his 'Mate'  

7. General discussion and Q & A

__________________________

FARUK ŠEHIĆ was born in 1970 in Bihać, in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Until the outbreak of war in 1992, he studied veterinary medicine in Zagreb. However, the then 22-year-old voluntarily joined the army of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in which he led a unit of 130 men. 

After the war he studied literature and has gone on to create his own literary works. Literary critics have hailed Šehić as the leader of the ‘mangled generation’ of writers born in 1970s Yugoslavia, and his books have achieved cult status with readers across the whole region. His collection of short stories Under Pressure (Pod pritiskom, 2004) was awarded the Zoro Verlag Prize. His debut novel Quiet Flows the Una (Knjiga o Uni, 2011) received the Meša Selimović prize for the best novel published in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Croatia in 2011 and the EU Prize for Literature in 2013. 

He lives in Sarajevo and works as a columnist and journalist. His most recent  poetry collection is entitled My Rivers (Moje rijeke, Buybook, 2014) for which he received Risto Ratković Award for the best poetry book in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Croatia in 2014, and Annual award from Association of Writers of Bosnia and Herzegovina. 

His books have been translated into 15 languages and published in 19 countries.