esejieng

SV: You were one of the WHA directors. What was your vision of that association? How do you view it now after stepping from it and after many changes, of which I believe you are aware of, occurred within it?

DA: The WHA ensued spontaneously from the American-Balkan collaborative work on the Knots anthology 1. I wouldn't like it to be forgotten that, apart from myself and Jim Kacian, all editors of haiku magazines from the Balkans took part in collecting the material, despite the fact that their countries were engaged in wars against each other, and that it was H. F. Noyes who also helped us at the beginning and who actually acted as go-between Jim and myself. Jim Kacian's and my idea was to organize a regional poetry meeting where we planned to present our book. This later grew to be an idea about an international poetry meeting at which we planned to present the fundamentals of an international genre – the Knots anthology is in fact a cornerstone of that genre and of the idea to hold the meeting. The visions and expectations presented at the inaugural meeting in Tolmin can be best understood by reading the report of the meeting (presided over by Jim Kacian) (http://www.iyume.com/kacian/tolmin.html). The HSA is the only international organization established in the Balkans, and for whose living the Balkans could be said to be indispensable. Later, the fertile American-Balkan haiku axis was exposed to the unfavorable „roses of winds.“ However, we have gained valuable experiences from that pioneer work and I believe it was not useless since those experiences live on and are expressed through other forms. It seems that the creative polarity between North America and the Balkans, as two regions with the most developed haiku beyond Japan, is crucial to international haiku: it is an axis on which international haiku is created even today, because only in these two regions does haiku live its independent literary life – as a newly established form of an authentic haiku literature. It's important to notice a feature common to America and the Balkans: they are both distinctly multicultural regions where haiku appears as an expression of cultural openness. I would say that the same refers to „Haiku Reality.“ To better understand the idea of international haiku Jim and I have formed, it's interesting to read Dušan Pajin's article about the Knots anthology: Globalization and Haiku Ecstasy of the Moment and the Depth of Time 2:

http://www.tempslibres.org/aozora/en/hart/hart10.html

SV: You judged many haiku contests organized in Serbia and Slovenia. You are an authority, a good critic and theoretician on haiku, and yet in some cases you were criticized for «listening to the voice of the heart» or for selecting poems which did not meet the haiku criteria. What can you tell us about this?

DA: There are two main approaches to haiku. One is existentialist, another is cultural. These two approaches very often behave as irreconciable antagonists. The existentialist approach places an emphasize on vitality and simplicity, whereas the cultural underlines complexity and artistic value. The former builds a poem on the ground of moment, the latter on the complex alchemy of cultural stereotypes. Santoka's saying „to listen to the voice of the heart» is obviously the existentialist. I was probably criticized for my disregarding the cultural stereotypes of haiku poetry.

1 KNOTS – An Anthology of South Eastern European Haiku Poetry, Dimitar Anakiev & Jim Kacian, editors, Prijatelj, Tolmin, Slovenia, 1999.

2 Prof. Pajin's article was read at the WHA conference in Tolmin.

SV: Your great contribution to spreading of information about haiku and its development in our (Yugoslav, Serbian) and Balkan regions (the KNOTS anthology, A Piece of the Sky-haiku from an air-raid shelter, starting and editing Haiku Novine, launching the website HASEE ...) is very well known. Are you satisfied with the results of your work in this regard?

DA: All that had been done meant an authentical need for self-realization through haiku and multicultural experiences of those people who were engaged in those projects. I and all the others involved were never part of any cultural policy; we spent our own money and worked with great enthusiasm, we were never supported by any donor – I myself never entered any embassy to ask for help. Moreover, most of the projects were carried out during the nationalistic conflicts in the Balkans. Therefore, I must be satisfied because we managed to live and work the way we did. In addition, it is proven that haiku, through its multicultural dimension, has its own special reason to exist in this area. It has found us, and we have found it. A new living and artistic space was created to enable it to easily become naturalized. Similarly as it was the case with jazz.

SV: When and how were you introduced to haiku poetry?

DA: In Niš, in the bookshop „Svetlost“ by the Nišava, I came upon some haiku books written by Vladimir Devidé. It happened when I was giving my finals at medical school, in 1985, I believe. I was immediately attracted by the magical haiku world in Devidé's books. Vladimir Devidé can be said to present to our haiku what R. H. Blythe presented to the Anglo-Saxon's. We had been familiar with haiku before Devidé published his books; however, his well-know book „Japanese Haiku Poetry and its Historico-Cultural Framework" 3 had induced a massive writing of haiku, which he supported organizationally and by numerous lectures he gave and festivals he attended. I was lucky to have come to know him at the very beginning of my haiku career and to have been in friendly relations with him ever since.

SV:What is haiku to you and why have you chosen this ancient poetry form to express your inner being?

DA: When translating my book „Ptičija staza“ 4 into Bulgarian, Dimitar Stefanov wrote in his epilogue: „Haiku is destiny to Dimitar Anakiev.“ It's true and it's hard to explain why. I recognized myself in haiku and it's obvious that this „poetic style“ is the closest to my needs to express my inner being. My day begins and I go to bed with haiku. It has been so for more than 20 years now. Many a day I have completely devoted to haiku. Why it is so, I cannot precisely explain; the reasons are perhaps deep and complex, but I view it as my natural and simple need. There was no need for me to break through heavy cultural barriers to learn haiku – I already had it in my self. I believe the case is similar with many other poets here and anywhere in the world.

3 The book went through four editions, first in 1972, Cankarjeva založba, Ljubljana-Zagreb

4 Dimitar Anakiev, PTIČIJA STAZA, selected haiku 1985-1995, Prosveta, Niš, 1995

SV: Can you recall your fist haiku poems?

DA: I cannot cite my first haiku; it has been lost somewhere in my records, but I remember well the moment it popped up, that image is in my memory. I could perhaps recreate it if there was an authentic need. The very fact that I can remember haiku moments, or «moments of haiku,“ even after 20 years, speaks enough about their vital power and the intensity of experience.

SV: When did you write them and under whose influence?

DA: Nobody influenced me; the haiku in question appeared spontaneously, at dawn, on a hill behind the Morava, by the road Niš-Prokuplje, where my friend used to have a summer cottage and where we gathered for poetry parties. I woke up and caught sight of a big red sun appearing on the horizon: I wrote a haiku induced by that moment. That haiku could be the reason for a very good collaboration between myself and the Red Moon Press from Winchester, VA.

SV: What are your personal inclinations in poetry, western and eastern? Who are your favorite poets? And why?

DA: I wrote my first poem as a sixth grade schoolboy. Its title was „Vetar“ and it was published in the literary supplement of „Narodne novine.“ My first more serious encounter with poetry which moved me and induced me to write were poems by Jacques Prevere. It happened when I was attending high school – wherever I went I never separated from his book „Some Things and Others,“ and I still keep it on the shelf in my study. Then I discovered some important poets of Beat generation, especially Ginsberg and Bukovski. At that time some of my works were published in „Književna reč.“ After that I discovered haiku and read a few hundred poems by various poets, especially Japanese, but by others as well. I met many poets at festivals and I read their poems, some of which I have translated. In the ocean of poetry in which I began to swim haiku remains its heart and source. There are many inspirational poets in the haiku poetry circle.

SV: You have translated, edited and published Pesme samoće by Santoka Taneda. Why just Santoka?

DA: Yes, I feel Santoka and Hosai my sister poets. Hosai is perhaps closer to me, but it happened that it was Santoka who fell into my hands first. My identification with both of them is complete: poetic, meditative and vital. In addition, their poetic strategy of walking „goat paths“ rather than main streets was an important support. I believe that their poetic view5 of cherishing the „existentialist perspective“ of haiku is a sort of precursor, the cornerstone of international haiku because it evades, like an eel, the strategy of cultural haiku stereotypes. I plan to publish another book of Santoka's poems, this time in the form of one-liners, and then also Hosai's. I was greatly inspired by Hiroaki Sato's English translation work; that kind of translation is one that not only opens an authentical perspective but also creates a new strategy of international haiku through creation of an authentical trend or a subgenre of one-liners. That kind of strategy establishes a new existentialist perspective of writing in a more reliable and universal way. That is what I have explained in my article New Tools: The Dimension of the Line 6.

5 Jiyu-ritzu (free style)

6 Frogpond XXVI:3 (page 61)

SV: How hard is it to translate haiku? Is it easier to write them?

DA: There are three levels of translation: expert translations, poetic translations (renditions) and informative translations. Each of these has its own reason to exist. Expert translations, as a form of scientific-aesthetic work, are of great importance for transmission and understanding of a cultural context, as is the case with haiku, which is very important because of great cultural differences. Poetic translations (renditions) are most often based on the form, they can stray from the contents because they recreate the same poem in other language through the form. This kind of translation is the most important from the creative point of view. Informative translations are most often literal, „CC in another language,“ and they enable a lively and rapid cultural exchange. I believe that writing and translating haiku are two sides of the same (creative) medal.

SV: What we all have are classical examples in translation. It's a pity that most of us do not know Japanese so we must depend on those who have translated poems of great haiku masters. What do you think about this shortcoming? There are still debates about the meaning of some poems written by Basho and other masters. How can we ever be sure what those ancient poets had on their mind?

DA: Haiku can be considered, say, from the viewpoint of horticulture. We transplant a plant from its local biotype to some other. In some biotypes that plant can adopt well and start its free and independent life and growth – it gets new authentical characteristics. Such two environments for haiku are North America and the Balkans. In other environments the plant grows poorly or not at all because it has to be grown in a greenhouse imitating the climatic conditions of the original biotype. In case of haiku there's no need for greenhouses because haiku poetry lives an authentic, massive and organized life under a clear sky and has already endured many a winter. We know for sure that the plant is well adapted and that it has been bearing fruit. To anyone who wants to deepen his/her knowledge of haiku poetry, I'd recommend to study the Japanese culture and haiku, but I don't think it necessary for one to know the Japanese language and culture to write haiku. It has been proved unnecessary, at least when viewed from the existentialist perspective of haiku poetry. Good translations of poetry by Basho and other classic haiku masters can be found in different languages and it's good that new ones have emerged with new interpretations. Poetry should be read in an intimate and individual way; each of us experiences it personally. We have no need for exclusively arbitrary translations nor for arbitrary interpretation of what Basho & Co. wanted to tell the world. Such attempts are products of cultural policy and do not have much in common with poetry.

SV: How can you explain the difference between English language haiku, especially those written in America, which are very brief and concise, and other languages haiku (particularly Serbian in English translation) which are mainly not that brief and concise?

DA: Back to the perspective: haiku written from the existentialist perspective are usually shorter than those overloaded with cultural stereotypes. I believe that both English and Serbian haiku are complex and that there are different groups and subgroups of them – they cannot be reduced to one particular type. However, the existentialist perspective is perhaps currently more expressive in American than in Serbian haiku, due to their different political and economic reality. Our living conditions are very unstable; we strive for security, and that security can sometimes be mirrored in the fix form and cultural affiliation. If we consider Serbian haiku composed in former Yugoslavia, we can discover many poets (as is, for example, Nenad Burgić), who listen attentively to the silence and are not burdened by reality, cultural or national. Nowadays, it is more difficult to reach the essence of existence since the „semantic noise“ is enormous. This doesn't mean that we should be anything else than we are because a poet must live in accordance with his time and space. But all these are separate questions each of us has to solve for himself. Some poets act centrifugally, others centripetally.

SV: How would you relate haiku to other poetry genres?

DA: Haiku is the heart of poetry.

SV: What is your opinion about the world haiku movement? Why is haiku so widely written all over the world, more than any other poetry genre?

DA: I think that „the haiku movement“ doesn't exist any longer; it has been replaced by international haiku. The haiku movement was the rage of the New Age, whereas international haiku are those plants which have taken root in a „foreign ground“ and now live together, exchanging oxygen and vital components. It's a spontaneous and authentic phenomenon, not a program, concept or cultural policy. The only „program“ of international haiku can be friendship.

SV: How do you view the haiku world? Has it been developing or stagnating in comparison to its Japanese roots? Do you believe haiku is written more successfully today than hundreds of years ago? What do you generally think about old Japanese haiku masters? Are they overpraised? What do you think about contemporary haiku poets in general and what names can you select as specially successful haiku poets?

DA: Haiku beyond Japan has been developing in a sense that it has been strengthening the awareness of its independency. As when a child begins to walk, grows up and leaves home to start its own life. I cannot say how much more can be done in terms of the haiku expansion since that process has reached its limits – haiku is present everywhere and the quality of poetry is growing. It's hard to compare poets from various epochs since poetry reflects the time in which we live. From Balkan poets who are part of our haiku history, I'd single out, by quality, Dubravko Ivančan from Zagreb, Nikola Nilić from Novi Sad and Nenad Burgić from Kraljevo. It seems to me that today Ljubomir Dragović is permanently expressing his inner being through haiku, and often at a very high level. However, there are many others as well. Dedicated and good haiku poets can be found all over the world, as is Jim Kacian whom we all know very well. Occasionally, one may discover good poems by children who write haiku from time to time.

SV: We come across a whole debate about what is and what is not haiku. There are many definitions of it and still pretty much disagreement regarding the haiku form, its content and poetic devices that may or may not be employed leading to a vast variety of the way of the writing of haiku and poets' expressions. Especially in America there were a lot of discussions and efforts to make a definition of haiku for the West so that even a committee was established by the HSA to come with a final definition. Haiku - can it be defined? If yes, what would be your own definition?

DA: In my opinion, definitions are of secondary importance for poetry, as they are of didactic and historical significance, of little use for live poetry. In our country, likewise in America, and probably in other countries, there is a trend of carrying out a cultural policy in haiku, following the Japanese model. This means that, together with haiku, we have partly inherited some negative aspects, along with positive ones. It seems more logical that every nation has its own idea about the form, that those with the similar views unite into schools of thought, groups and art styles. I find it hard to accept any nation's definition. Even when Japan is concerned, for which it has some logic. Here in the West, definitions are of little use in the field of live word. It's more important to what degree our poetry is true to life and to what degree we manage to express ourselves.

SV: What do you think about the modernization of haiku (key words, straying from its original form and essence...)?

DA: I view the modernization of haiku as its organic growth through time and space. With all that it brings in. The ideological approach to haiku is not familiar to me, but I'd say that it is of short duration. The „Key-word“ vocabulary, as far as I know, has been published in Japanese only and I think that it is intended for Japanese readers solely. For us in the West, who happen to know the theory, it's an interesting idea which helps us understand haiku as a symbolic poem, that is to better understand the cultural perspective of Japanese haiku. I don't believe that that book can greatly influence the existentially oriented international haiku. Formal deviations have been long present in haiku poetry and it's hard to tell that they express any kind of modernization as there are many formal forms of haiku. There is the classical form, but classical art is not the only one. To proclaim the historical art model the only correct one is quite insolent. As far as I am concerned, I have been lately writing almost solely one-liners which I call „single-verse poems.“ The only correct question is the one a poet poses to himself: Why do I write haiku and what do I expect from it?

SV: How do you estimate the haiku situation in Serbia?

DA: Serbia is possibly one of the greatest producer of haiku, behind Japan, and if we consider it on a per capita basis, it might well be the leader. Haiku tradition in Serbia is a long one, with extraordinary individuals, fair translations, haiku clubs and regular publications. The best-known national poets also write haiku here. All this is exceptional; in Serbia haiku feels at home. At any time you can make a haiku party to gather at least thirty people: in Belgrade or in Niš, Novi Sad or in a province. However, what I am now most interested in is to what extant haiku in Serbia is part of international haiku. I believe that much can be done about it. What I mean is not only to submit poems to Ito en and similar contests – which is quite all right – but to actively participate and make efforts to become part of a larger world (the way „Haiku Reality“ and „Haiku novine“ try to do). I believe this is necessary since such an attitude enables cultural exchange without which there is no real vitality.

SV: Although haiku poetry is the most widespread of all poetic forms written in the world today, its market is (even after a few centuries) still limited and narrow. The word of professional critics is rarely heard. It might be the case anywhere in the world... How can you account for that? Can anything change the state of haiku?

DA: In haiku beyond Japan everything depends on individuals. What we need is a literary critic with an affinity for haiku, as was the late Živan Živković in Serbian literature. During his life, literary journals were full of haiku book reviews and reflections about haiku. He had also published an impressive book of literary criticisms dedicated to haiku7. In English-speaking world there is, for example, an exceptionally prolific haiku critic - Richard Gilbert; his very interesting articles on haiku can be read at: http://research.iyume.com/

SV: You have been engaged in cinematography for the last few years. That «turn of events» comes as surprise to many of us... How is that and does it mean that you will be less engaged in haiku?

DA: I was physically, mentally and financially very exhausted after many years of hard work dedicated to international and local haiku. I needed a break to relax and regenerate, and at the same time it took time for my experiences gained in international haiku to settle, for troubled waters to clear up, and for me to see what and how I should do next. That period is behind, and I am now ready to continue with my public engagement in haiku. However, movie making is not much different from haiku as it may appear at first sight – they overlap in many respects – as is the case with jazz and haiku. I am the owner of a film production company, DAF (Dimitar Anakiev Film s.p.), for which I have already made 6 movies and for which I have developed some very serious plans. I may be a bit less engaged in the haiku public life than before the break, but I'll surely be actively present. Presently I am very much occupied by the nonlinear form; I am working on a booklet containing some 20 poems titled Balkon (Balcony), which will be soon published by the Red Moon Press, VA. The booklet will be illustrated by my Japanese friend, Tzuneo Shibata, and the preface will be written by Richard Gilbert.

SV: You are known to have begun working on a project you called Serbian Haiku Calendar. You started it a few years ago. What is your vision of that project and what would be its goal?

DA: My idea was to develop Serbian cultural haiku perspective by means of collecting cultural stereotypes expressed by symbolic words, as are „kigo“ or „muki-kigo.“ The meaning of these words is explained at the above mentioned website of Richard Gilbert. I have collected a considerable amount of material but what still worries me is the question of the concept. My main doubts, however, are not of conceptual nature, but rather, and that is what makes me ponder – does westen haiku need such a dictionary? Can it be utilized in practice or it is a didactic toy? And then – should the author, who believes in the existentialist perspective, create an „antagonistic“ – cultural perspective of haiku? Speaking about this, I am not clear whether such cultural perspective is possible at all as it may mean copying and transferring the Japanese cultural model which has been developing for ages. All these problems have still been troubling me, and there are many others. It is known that the Japanese Saijiki (haiku calendar) presents an act of state centralization of culture, a literary dogma which, for example, appreciates the Tokyo or Kyoto dialect only. It is not concerned with poets from other Japanese cities (how much are they then concerned with poets from Belgrade or Prokuplje?) I wonder if one should expose oneself to such phenomena directly opposed to the principles of international haiku. And on one's own account? And what does it all have to do with poetry? It will at best be a special kind of Serbian haiku anthology – if the author manages to overcome all his suspicions about the project.

7 Živan Živković, »Gost sa istoka«, Prosveta, Niš, 1996

Tolmin, August 5, 2006

* * *

DIMITAR ANAKIEV (born in 1960 in Belgrade) is “father” of many haiku publications in the Balkans and cofounder of the World Haiku Association (WHA), poet, translator, editor and moviemaker. He currently lives and works in Tolmin, Slovenia.

Biography:

Poetry:

- Haiku, Dom, Niš, 1991.

- Jesen na selu, Dom, Niš, 1992.

- Crtež na pesku, KPZ Odžaci, 1993.

- Pohvala greha, Dom, Niš, 1993.

- Glavicom uz cvet, Svitak, Požega, 1993.

- Ptičija staza, Prosveta, Niš, 1995.

- Ptiča pateka, Matom, Sofija, 1996.

- Lastovke, Apokalipsa, Ljubljana, 1998.

- Enormous Frog, Prijatelj, Tolmin, 1998.

- Poklon Tolminki, Prijatelj, Tolmin, 2000.

- At the Tombstone, Red Moon Press, Winchester, VA, 2002.

- Med ljudmi, Apokalipsa, Ljubljana, 2006.

Translations:

- Santoka, Pesme samoće, self-published, Niš, 1993.

- Santoka, Dom, Niš, 1994.

- Dimitar Stefanov, Jesenji žmarci, KPD Odžaci, 1995.

- Banja Nacuiši, Romanje po zemlji, Apokalipsa, Ljubljana, 2001.

Anthologies (editor):

- Knots – An Anthology of Southeastern European Haiku Poetry, Prijatelj, Tolmin 1999.

- Kouscek nebe, antologija antiratnog haikua, Dauphin, Prag, CZ, 1999.

- Ribnik tišine, antologija slovenačkog haikua, Apokalipsa, Ljubljana, 2005.

Publications:

-Haiku novine, Niš, 1993 (founder and editor)

-Prijatelj, Tolmin, Slovenija, 1996 (founder and editor)

-Apokalipsa, Ljubljana – one of the editors

Awards (selection):

- Europen award "Franc Kafka Medal," Prag, 1999.

- The Museum of Haiku Literature Award, Tokyo, 2000.

Translated by Saša Važić