Poetry butters up the Russians

The works of Sam Hunt (left), Denis Glover and James K. Baster widen the view.

Russian readers are learning there is much more to the Land of the Long White Cloud than butter, sheep and beautiful scenery - through a collection of New Zealand poetry translated into Russian.

Launched this year, Land of Seas: An Anthology of New Zealand Poetry has been flying off the bookshelves in Moscow and St Petersburg as Russian readers slake their legendary thirst for literature with soul.

The brainchild of Canterbury University academics Evgeny Pavlov and Mark Williams, the volume features works by 57 Kiwi poets from late colonial times to the present.

Although Russians may think of New Zealand only as the source of their daily butter - thanks to widespread advertising by the Fonterra dairy co-operative, one of the anthology's funding sponsors - that view is now being broadened by such New Zealand writers such as James K. Baxter, Denis Glover and Sam Hunt.

"Literature has always been held in the highest esteem in Russia, especially poetry," says Dr Pavlov, Russian programme co-ordinator at Canterbury University's school of languages and culture.

"A poet in Russia is much more than a poet. Historically, they have acted as the conscience of society, performing a public as well as a literary function," he said.

Associate Professor Williams, of the university's English programme, said the aim of the four-year cross-cultural project was to alter the way New Zealand might be seen in Russian eyes.

Fonterra's heavy advertising meant the average Russian was probably aware that New Zealand produced vast amounts of butter and had "beautiful mountains and sublime scenery" but knew little else about life here.

"We have tried to create a more complex picture of the country by grouping the poems around themes like love, work, travel etc, that show responses to place and society."

The 450-page anthology was aimed at bolstering the picture postcard image with some real soul.

Dr Pavlov said the concept came "out of the blue" when he was translating into English the work of St Petersburg poet Arkadii Dragomoshchenko, who had been working with various American poets.

"During one of our meetings he just suggested we put together an anthology of New Zealand poetry."

A precedent had been set in the 1970s when Allen Curnow's Penguin Book of New Zealand Verse, originally published in 1960, was translated into Russian.

The Russian tradition of translating foreign poets had become "quite a business", Dr Pavlov said.

Creative New Zealand, Fonterra and Canterbury University provided a budget of just $12,000 but the project was under way. "The [NZ] dollar improved. That made a big difference," Professor Williams said.

Dr Pavlov said Dragomoshchenko recommended several top poet translators to ensure the "spirit" of the New Zealand poetry was not lost.

Three New Zealand poets - Ian Wedde, Greg O'Brien and Tusiata Avia - who were able to attend readings in Moscow when the anthology was first launched in July, had been "bowled over ... absolutely engrossed" at the emotions expressed.

Dr Pavlov said they may not have understood a word of Russian, but they applauded the sound and appreciated the pure pleasure of the poetry.

"Some were convinced their poems sounded better in Russian than in English."

The Russian Embassy in New Zealand, which is hosting an official celebration of the anthology at the National Library in Wellington this week is keen to sponsor a project involving New Zealand poets translating the poems of Russians into English.

- NZPA