It was a wonderful presentation of the multi-linguistic anthology 'Beyond the language', organised by the Manipuri poet Misna Chanu from India and her team of seven language-specialists. More than a hundred poets are represented in 300 pages in Manipuri, Greek, German, Spanish, italian, Polish and Philippino-language, included English translations.
Publisher of the book: Author's Press, in a couple of countries to order via Amazon.
My contribution during the release, see below.
I think it’s very special to share our poems together in a world with huge problems that divide the world: the Covid-19-pandemic, the climate change, racism, the worrisome situation in Afghanistan and the poverty, hungry and lack of freedom of expression in many countries.
However, some powers are able to bind people. Poetry for instance. As you know, literature knows no frontiers and helps for a better understanding between people of all cultures. It can make the world a little bit better. In my culture poetry is not important. Only a happy few reads poetry. But it becomes most important in hard times, when beloved ones have died or during war or major disasters.
There is a German poet, Reiner Kunze, who wrote about a flower, blooming in the shadow, that is called a ‘silver thistle’. This flower throws no shadow upon others. Poets are silver thistles, living and blossoming in the shadow, behind the scene. There they give their beautiful, modest and peaceful message to the world.
In Beyond the language, a well chosen title, poetry has been written in seven important languages. The anthology, composed, among others, by the Manipuri poet Misna Chanu, contains contributions of more than 100 poets, including her own language, and is an impressive attempt of uniting the world. I can assure you it’s a hell of a job to realise such a book, but they fixed it. According to Misna the Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh once said: ‘What’s done in love is done well’. This work is done in love.
In the Preface Misna invites us: ‘May we unite in our hearts as we do in our souls’. A heart, after all, belongs to one particular person, the soul to everything and everyone in the world. This interflow from heart to soul takes place beyond the language.
My contribution to this book is in the German and English language on page 186 and tells about the woman in me.
Thank you for your attention.
Thank you very much, 
JD