Delhi is seeing an influx of 20 international poets, from 18 Asian countries this weekend. The Raza Biennale of Asian Poetry, which began in 2017 exclusively with Indian poets, now has eight poets from across the country. There will be panels and readings that will happen through tomorrow. The poets will all read their work and deliberate on issues such as the place of poetry in times of post-truth.
In the lead-up to this year’s event, 31-year-old Cambodian poet Chheangly Yeng, who was named Fellow of Cambodian Living Arts in 2016, spoke about his work and about what you can expect from attending. Here, edited excerpts.
Which of your poems do you plan to read out?
The poem is called Strobe Light. I’ll be reading the original Khmer poem as well its English translation. I wrote the original poem in the seven-syllable-form. It’s about the contrasting imagery inside and outside a club in Phnom Penh.
What are you expecting of your next two days here?
I sense that this literary festival will open my eyes to other poetry and voices from all over Asia. I haven’t read anyone attending this festival yet, and I’m excited to hear them. As for audiences who attend my session, they will get to hear what poetry reading in Khmer is like. With the social themes and issues of poverty that that my poems explore, they’ll be able to reflect on the inherent imbalances in life.
Tell us about the Magic Library that you run in Cambodia.
This is a mobile library that I run with volunteers. We started it back in 2015 and do this over the weekends. We put books inside a huge tin box and take it around to the villages in the Kandal province. We stop at different points, spread mats, and invite children to choose whatever book they want to read from the tin. For children who are too young to read, we also keep picture books and have storytelling sessions too.
Do you already know any of the other poets attending the Raza Biennale?
Before coming here, I had attended the Brahmaputra Literary Festival in Assam, where I met some poets, who are also here. I do not know them personally, but am looking forward to hearing more from them.
VAK – The Raza Biennale of Asian Poetry 2019, 15-17 February at India International Centre, Max Mueller Marg, New Delhi. For details: therazafoundation.org
