a nutshell: thanks to the Moldova Foundation in the US, I was thrilled to be put in touch with Moldovan poet, writer & journalist Paula Erizanu who generously shared some of her extraordinary poetry – I was particularly moved by her work-in-progress collection Poems for Mental Hygiene
a line: “the joy to discover that | you don’t have to be | any thought | that crosses | your head” – ‘Authenticity is overestimated’ (I may have to adopt this as my mantra…)
an image: I loved Erizanu’s portrayal of the ego as a popcorn kernel that jumps oily on the frying pan, before being sealed in a plastic bag for the working day in the poem ‘Monday to Friday, from nine til six’
a thought: through her use of the second person and intimately powerful imagery, the poems often gave me the sense that they were tuned into my own (pandemic-infused) psyche – very much a collection that struck a chord
a fact: Erizanu recommended Tatianta Țîbuleac’s novels (excerpts here) and, as an aside, mentioned that she also just finished her first novel, which she is translating from Romanian into English over the coming months – watch this space!
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