The German–Polish Poets' Steamer (Polish: Statek Literacki, German: Deutsch-Polnischer Poetendampfer) was a literary event on several ships that took place under the direction of skipper Hans Häußler together with German and Polish poets annually for 10 days from 1995 to 1999 in September between Szczecin and Görlitz/Breslau.
History The "Poland plan" of Erich Loest, chairman of the German Writers Association, included the poetry festival "word lust" in Saxony. In Brandenburg Hans Häußler founded the project "German–Polish Poets' Steamer" in cooperation with the NGL (New Society of Literature Berlin), ORB (Radio Brandenburg) and the Polish Writers Union.Gazeta Wyborcza, Magda Podsiadly "Poeci na wodzie "4.9.1998Wieczór Wrocławia, 4 September 1998 "Rejs po Odrze – statek jako metafora" along with skipper Hans Haussler.
Within this project smaller events happened with authors, translators, journalists, actors and politicians on the ship, more events took place in the surrounding villages – between Szczecin, Zielona Góra, Wrocław, Frankfurt/Oder and Görlitz.Gazeta Wyborcza, "Statek z poetami", Marcin Hamkalo, 8/9.9.1998 One highlight was the Poets wedding"Odra Poetów" Gazeta Zachodnia, September 1998"German-Polish exchange on the poet steamer" Berliner Morgenpost, 7 September 1998 between the Leipzig Songwriter Dieter Kalka and the Grünberger fairy tale author Agnieszka Haupe"'poets Steamer' donates a wedding amongst authors" Oberbayrisches Volksblatt 6 August 1998"happy end of a steamer-love, German, Polish author wedding", Märkische Oder Zeitung, 6.8. 1998 at the Frankfurt Oderbrücke in 1998.Märkische Oder Zeitung, 14 September 1998 "Congratulations instead passport control: BGS-police chief Ralf Bednarek congratulated ... to the wedding"
Locally founded poetic communities emerged and created an artist's book, which was then auctioned off with the proceeds benefitting the flood victims.program of the German-Polish poets steamer 1997/1998 Another project on the ship was, for example, the „literary bed“ – where two Polish and two German lyricist translated each other's writings. Each journey on ship had 50 to 80 participants.Rostock Ostsee Zeitung, 1 September 1998 All authors were invited with accommodations either on the ship or at a hotel.
High water / Low water In 1997, when the drive was jeopardized due to flood, the Polish water protection authorities presented their inspection vessel 'Warta 3', and when in 1998, the ride because of money and lack of water has been a problem, the Wrocław Water Authority offered the barge Kosciuszko, named after go to the Polish national heroes Tadeusz Kosciuszko, for the project and also opened the floodgates to allow the river Oder had enough water depth.Programmhefte 1997/98
Participants Tadeusz RóżewiczTV Wrocław: Report on RózewiczDie Tageszeitung, "The friendship of the poets", 2 September 1998 Henryk Bereska,Śląsk to Dobra mieszanina ", Rzeczpospolita, 9.9.1998 Andrzej Szczypiorski, Bohdan Zadura, Józef Baran, Izabela Filipiak, Bettina Wöhrmann, Urszula Małgorzata Benka, Marek Śnieciński, Marta Fox,"Jak korek na fali ..." Marta Fox in Śląsk , 1996, No. 11/13 Bohdan Kos,Radio Wrocław, Interview with Jerzy Bogdan Kos, 17.9. Renata Maria Niemierowska, Kurt Biedenkopf, Andreas Johannes Painta, Georg Oswald Cott, Anna Janko, Dieter Kalka, Maciej Cisło, Manfred Krug, Władysław Klepka, Urszula Kozioł, Stefan Chwin"Rejs do Szczecina" Kurier Szczeciński, 17 September 1998 Hanna Krall, Julian Kornhauser,Märkische Oder Zeitung, "The poet Klabund came on board", 18 September 1998 Adam Krzeminski, Agnieszka Haupe, Jolanta Pytel, Ludmiła Marjańska, Gabriela Matuszek, Jan Strządała, Róza Domascyna, Christa Wolf,participants. According to program notes by the 3rd German-Polish poets steamer 14.9 – 25 September 1997 Andrzej Stasiuk, José Pablo Quevedo,Nueve Norte (Peru), October 1998 report by J. Quevedo and others.
Publications Oderbuch – Ksiega Odry / 5. Deutsch-Polnischer Poetendampfer / 5. Polsko-Niemiecko Statek Literacki (published by Sigrid Pohl-Häußler, Ewa Maria Slaska), Berlin, 1999 Poetendampfer 97 (Unikate Oderbuch/Artist's book, unique), (published by Sigrid Pohl-Häußler, Ewa Maria Slaska), Neue Gesellschaft für Literatur Berlin, 1997 Anthology Lubliner Lift / Lubelska winda 1998, Lublin/Dresden, resulting adaptations and texts from the Festival "word lust" and the poet steamer
Media and film "And the ship floats on," the 45-minute doc film by Janusz Kijowski about the poet steamer was on German television (ZDF / RBB) and aired several times on Polish television 4th German-Polish poets steamer 1998: 230 press releases, 30 radio reports, 9 TV programs, reports in Belgian and Peruvian mediaof "documentation" for the 4th German-Polish poets steamer 7.9.-09.18.1998
External links Photo: drove as poets steamer 1995/96 Photo: Leitner Werth aboard Photo: Statek inspekcyjny / inspection vessel "Kościuszko" continued in 1998 as a poet steamer Some pictures: Statek inspekcyjny / inspection vessel "Kościuszko"
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