Pushkin and Ottawa Poets
The birthday of the great Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin is approaching. A monument to him can still be found even in the heart of the capital of the United States, on the grounds of George Washington University. On the eve of the poet’s birthday, Ottawa U will host an evening of poetry and music dedicated to A. Pushkin’s birthday and the 10th anniversary of the Ottawa Creative Literary Club, known by its Russian acronym TOLK. At the very least, club members will read some of their best poems. Admission is free to everyone.
On June 6, 2019, the whole world marked the 220th anniversary of the birth of A. S. Pushkin. Numerous literary competitions were organized to commemorate this important date, including “Pushkin in Britain.”
This international poetry competition has been held regularly since 2003 and is announced in 70 Russian-language print publications abroad. The initiator and President of the International Festival of Russian Poetry “Pushkin in Britain” is Oleg Borushko, a member of the Writers’ Union of Russia. By 2018, more than 400 authors from 59 countries had taken part in the finals in London.
Normally, “Pushkin in Britain” is an autumn competition. However, to mark the great poet’s anniversary, an extraordinary final was scheduled for Pushkin’s actual birthday. Within a very short period of time, those wishing to participate in this respected and prestigious event were asked to continue Pushkin’s line “WITH ALBION’S WONDROUS HERO” from his impromptu Lyceum poem “To the Prince of Orange.”
Three people in Ottawa decided to take up the challenge. All three were members of the Ottawa Creative Literary Club, founded in 2016: Valentina Vardomskaya, Tatiana Proshina, and Arkady Klyuchansky, the club’s President. All three submitted their applications on time. Participants had not only to create their own variation on the assigned theme, but also to submit a selection of nine original poems.
The stars proved favourable to the Ottawa poets, and all three became finalists, travelling to the capital of misty Albion to compete for the top prizes. For the first time in the history of the competition, Ottawa was represented by three participants at once — an achievement that reflected well both on TOLK as a literary club and on each of its members who entered the contest.
In fact, the path to this increasingly popular Pushkin competition had already been paved by another TOLK member who took part in it in 2006. At that time, TOLK did not yet exist, but Russian-speaking Ottawa resident Sergei Plyshevsky, now a member of the club, not only reached the final but also received one of the awards.
Time passed. The magical relay baton continued its triumphant journey...
This time, Arkady Klyuchansky, the only man among the finalists, received the Audience Choice Award. Tatiana Proshina won the main competition task: her continuation of Pushkin’s line was judged the best.
Tatiana later shared with me her impressions of how Ottawa’s poets distinguished themselves in Great Britain.
M.K.: Tatiana, first of all, let me congratulate you on your successful debut in an international competition and on your victory! Did it come as a surprise?
T.P.: Thank you! What soldier does not dream of becoming a general? But, to be honest, I did not expect my competition poem to be chosen as the best. Personally, I thought Valentina Vardomskaya had handled the tournament assignment better.
M.K.: Did you travel to the tournament as a team, or was everyone competing individually?
T.P.: It was not a team competition. Nevertheless, the participants and members of the jury who were present, as well as the audience, perceived us as a team.
M.K.: Please tell us more about your fellow poets.
T.P.: Arkady, the only man among the finalists who came to London, stood out impressively among the ladies. When he recited his poems in his melodic, almost chant-like manner, the audience immediately fell in love with him and awarded him the Audience Choice Prize. His performance can be seen on Facebook on the “Culture Without Borders” page.
During the master classes, Arkady impressed everyone with his academic knowledge of Russian classics.
As for Valentina, I would like to emphasize that both the audience and the jury noted the sincerity and warmth of her poetry. The audience especially liked her tournament entry — a poem about Misha, the Olympic Bear. It was considered one of the best. And the image of the little fish caught in another poem she recited at the competition became almost proverbial — a symbol of luck and happiness.
M.K.: Very interesting! It sounds as though your team spirit impressed everyone and had a positive effect on the outcome of the competition. How would you evaluate the organization of the event? Was it highly professional?
T.P.: The 17th extraordinary poets’ tournament was held in the capital of Great Britain from June 5 to June 9. The program included a poetry jam and the concert “Poet to Poet,” a panel discussion entitled “Do We Know the Classics?” with jury member and professional poet Andrei Galamaga, while Oleg Borushko presented a study entitled “Lermontov’s Artistic Missteps” in the novella “Bela.”
There were also round-table discussions, master classes, and poetry readings.
How wonderful it is that Ottawa’s Russian-speaking community includes so many creative people!
Marina Kochetova