The Cultural Fundación Ithaca
Droogenbroodt – Leroy:

AN INTERNATIONAL CULTURAL BRIDGE

A homage to late Mario Benedetti
Organized by The Licéo Poético de Benidorm & the Foundation ITHACA
BENIDORM, 21-11-2009

Annabel Villar and Julio Pavanetti the tireless organizers of the
Licéo Poético and Germain Droogenbroodt

The participating poets, musicians and professors of the homage

An overwhelming success, standing room only.

Pastime

When we were children the elderly were thirty
and a puddle was an ocean
death smooth and simple
did not exist.

later on as youngsters
the elderly were forty
a pond was an ocean
death nothing more than
a word

when we married
the elderly were fifty years old
and a lake was an ocean
death was the death of
the other

now being old
we already give importance to the truth
the ocean finally became the ocean
but death begins to be
our death.

Mario Benedetti (Uruguay)
Tr. Germain Droogenbroodt

I would like
to look at everything from a distance
but with you
*
since biblical times
the sky and the nude
have sinned together
*
only the bat
understands the world
but in reverse

Mario Benedetti (Uruguay)
Tr. Carlos Reyes

 

The XXIXth World Congress of Poets
Budapest 27th September – 1st October

The poets invited at the Hungarian Parliament in Budapest.
In the centre the acting president of Hungary.

The Parliament of Hungary, competing in beauty with the White House

The Indian poet Amarendra Chakravorty at the exhibition of
POINT’s recent poetry publications at the World Congress of Poets
in Budapest

Germain Droogenbroodt in company of Rabindranath Tagore’s
statue at Lake Balaton, Hungary

One of the many eye catching buildings in Budapest

 

 

The Costa Blanca (Spain) representative of Vlamingen in de Wereld, an international Foundation of Flemish with offices all over the world organized the 7th November in Altea “The Flemish Day” and invited POINT Editions and the Cultural Foundation ITHACA to exhibit their publications at the very successful event.

Marijke van Wijk, Dutch delegate of the Foundation ITHACA, convincing the mayor of Altea to buy the poetry collection of Germain Droogenbroodt, honoured with the XXIX Premio de Poesía Juan Alcaide.

A selection of POINT’s publications of international poetry at the “Vlaamse Dag” in Altea.

POINT: Publishing International poetry since 1984

The 25th Anniversary of POINT Editions
Celebrated in Kortrijk, West Flanders
the 14th November 2009
With poets, translators and musicians who collaborated with POINT during the past 25 years.

The Flemish poet Gerda Berckmoes reciting her poems, published by POINT

Guido Demoen, reading his translations of the Greek poets Elytis and Ritsos.

Jean Vanderschueren, guitar player, faithful companion of POINT since 1984, “perfuming” the poetry with his virtuoso recitals.

The participating poets, translators, painter and musicians.

Poezija

The magazine contains an interesting introduction into contemporary
Croatian poetry with a large selection of poems in English translation
by the younger generation

---

True Ithaca

After Cavafiy
Ithaca gave you this wondrous journey

Perhaps Odysseus ruled this island.
Perhaps, in truth, he returned home
and Penelope, faithful, welcomed him
with Telemachus, remaining -¦ and so on.

Yet this Ithaca is just some other place,
not the home of Odysseus - not mine -
though it is the place, by chance, where
we were born - I, Odysseus, whoever.

There is no more whom (or what)
to set off for. And even if I never
return, my home will be
all the places on my way. And that true Ithaca, in which they'll bury me,
will be the Ithaca that proved me true

Bogomil Gjuzel
Tr. P.H. Liotta

---

A beautiful calendar 2011 (!) with paintings by K.-P. Müller and haikus by Ingo Cesaro

Ein Jahr vergangen
Was bleibt in Erinnerung?
Nur Augenblicke

***

A year has passed by
What remains in memory?
Nothing but moments

INGO CESARO
Tr. Germain Droogenbroodt