• Українська
  • Русский
  • English
Where there is no law, but every man does what is right in his own eyes, there is the least of real liberty
Henry M. Robert

WRITING VERSE WORTH BEING BANNED

13 November, 2012 - 00:00

He linked his destiny to Ukraine thirty years ago and made the right choice, considering his creative legacy over the years. Author of more than twenty collections of verse in Georgian, Ukrainian, and Russian, several books of publicist works, literary studies, and hundreds of translations. His name is Raul Chilachava and The Day was happy to interview him.

Q: Aren’t you sorry to have spent so much time translating others’ works?

A: You know, watching someone do something you can’t or don’t know how to do yourself is a very tedious process. Any language you don’t know sounds like gibberish. You can enjoy swimming only if you learn to swim. I know the languages I translate from and I am supposed to be a good swimmer.

Q: You have spent thirty years in Kyiv and you have a perfect command of Ukrainian. What about your mother tongue? Haven’t you started forgetting Georgian?

A: It is impossible for the simple reason that I think, read, and write Georgian every day. Jorge Borges, to whom English was as native as his Spanish, wrote, “I often wonder which language I will speak on my dying day” and then answered himself, “Spanish most likely.” Likewise, I’m convinced that the last word I’ll say will be in Georgian.

Q: You worked for the Ukrainian government as Deputy Minister of Nationalities, Migration, and Religion for five years. What major conclusions did you make when at the top of the bureaucratic ladder?

A: I realized that a man of letters can also be an exemplary civil servant and match every career bureaucrat (and bureaucrats know nothing but bureaucracy). I also think that writers could be useful in the administrative sphere, at least in the humanities. They are well educated and true to the national idea. They are not corrupt, they are communicative and quite sensitive to public attitudes and cultural needs. And they can predict events, precisely what most of our top level administrators lack.

Q: How would you describe the cultural and spiritual “diet” of a modern intellectual?

A: Karl Marx in the morning, Nietsche during the day, and Jesus Christ before bed. A modern intellectual dreams about social justice, agrees with Zarathustra, lights a candle for Jesus, and reads his horoscope and tea leaves. His main course is political-religious mush.

Q: Do you believe that political power exists for the good of the people?

A: This is its principal duty, but practice shows that it often acts to the contrary.

Q: Will good triumph over evil?

A: Yes, it will, despite the fact that we are always more aware of evil attainments. There are many good people the world over, but the trouble is that virtues are limited in many of them. Remember Pontius Pilate? He was a kind-hearted man in his own way, but then his kindness reached its limit and he gave silent assent to the crucifixion of Christ.

Q: What would you advise those in power showing intolerance of criticism?

A: Always remind themselves of Charles de Gaulle’s words, “The opposition is also France.”

Q: One might say that the post-Soviet space is crowded with state construction scaffolding. How do you feel about all those “construction projects of the century”?

A: Immanuel Kant was asked once if demons could build a state. He said they could, because each would interfere with the next doing evil. Watching our state construction, I often find myself wondering: Suppose this project manager is an angel, how come there are so many demons all around him? And if they are demons, how come no one is stopping the next one doing evil things? By the way, our laws could be much better and produce greater effect if Parliament adopted the ancient Greek rule: each who submitted his project had to slip a noose round his neck. You can imagine the rest. I am not bloodthirsty, but this method seems the only way to protect us from legislative idiocy.

Q: What holidays or celebrations do you like best?

A: Only spontaneous ones, especially when relating to me or my close and dear ones, even if indirectly. Also, I respect the tradition observed in the town of Glupovo (literally, Foolsville) in one of Saltykov-Shchedrin’s stories. They had only two holidays. One was in commemoration of past victories and the other celebrated future ones. Now isn’t that great?

Q: Are you adventuresome?

A: No. Adventures are good when they naturally a part of one’s life. Of course, I could think up things in my biography, but that would be indecent. I know that life without adventures is a road in a desert. Endless, murderously monotonous. You reach the end and discover there is nothing to remember, and memories are the most precious aspect of any trip.

Q: Do you have a life motto?

A: No, but it could be something like, “If you can’t live well, don’t live badly.”

Q: And your cherished dream?

A: Writing verse worth being banned.

Photo:

Captivated by Shevchenko’s poetry, Raul Chilachava has opened its beauty for Georgian readers

 

Rubric: