Benátské iluminace / Venetian Iluminations – Mikeš Petr (2011)

The book by the poet and translator of primarily English-speaking authors (Pound, Joyce, Caddel, Hulme, Muldoon, etc.) is dedicated to the magical city that has attracted and inspired poets and artists of almost all generations. The author perceives the Venetian labyrinth as a unique chorus of voices and sounds in all possible languages of the world, 'disordered and dramatic, underscored by the murmur of water and the whistling of the wind.' In the texts, which we can perceive as distinctive prose poems, the author leads us into spaces that are notoriously known, but also into side alleys, places, and architectures, such as the church of San Trovaso, the island of Giudecca, the islet of the dead San Michele, where the graves of Ezra Pound and Olga Rudge, the Russian exile Joseph Brodsky, and composer Igor Stravinsky are located. We can stroll with him along the Zattere promenade in the Dorsoduro district, but we will also visit somewhat more remote places: 'a quiet outpost with a dock' in Punta Sabbioni or the Cannaregio district with the church of Madonna dell'Orto. The book is accompanied by a mirrored translation of Mikeš's lyrical miniatures into English, authored by Matthew Sweney.