Tuesday, 29 September 2015
El Lissitzky at the IMMA till 18th Oct 2015
In collaboration with the Van Abbemuseum, Eindhoven NL, IMMA are showing the first ever exhibition in Ireland of works by El Lissitzky entitled 'El Lissitzky: The Artist and the State'.
The works are exhibited alongside 'archival material related to Alice Milligan
and Maud Gonne’s theatrical tableaux, and newly commissioned and recent
works by Rossella Biscotti, Núria Güell, Sarah Pierce and Hito Steyerl'. For more information on the artists and events relating to the exhibition check the IMMA website.
Sunday, 13 September 2015
Start of new series of evening courses at the Department
The Department is about to start its new diet of evening courses during the academic year of 2015/16. We offer a large range of language courses in
- Russian (from Beginners to Advanced Plus)
- Polish (from Beginners to Advanced)
- Croatian (from Beginners to Advanced)
- Bulgarian (from Beginners to Advanced)
We will offer Czech again in January.
We also have a number of lecture courses. During the first semester (October-December 2015), we are running
- Cultural History of Soviet and Contemporary Russia: Censorship and Freedom
- Cultures of South-Eastern Europe
while the following are offered during the second semester (January-April 2016)
- Introduction to Polish Culture
- The Golden Sixties and the Czech New Wave in Film
The first semester courses start during the week of 5th October. To enrol (ideally by 23rd September) and for further information please go to our website or contact Nadia Browne.
- Russian (from Beginners to Advanced Plus)
- Polish (from Beginners to Advanced)
- Croatian (from Beginners to Advanced)
- Bulgarian (from Beginners to Advanced)
We will offer Czech again in January.
We also have a number of lecture courses. During the first semester (October-December 2015), we are running
- Cultural History of Soviet and Contemporary Russia: Censorship and Freedom
- Cultures of South-Eastern Europe
while the following are offered during the second semester (January-April 2016)
- Introduction to Polish Culture
- The Golden Sixties and the Czech New Wave in Film
The first semester courses start during the week of 5th October. To enrol (ideally by 23rd September) and for further information please go to our website or contact Nadia Browne.
Thursday, 7 May 2015
Public IARCEES Lecture 7/5/15, 6pm, Long Room Hub
Tonight the annual conference of the Irish Association for Russian, Central and East European Studies entitled ‘Memories and Identities in Central and Eastern Europe’ starts off with a public lecture by Polly Jones (Oxford) on ‘The Many Uses of the Usable Past: Rethinking Revolution(s) in Late Socialism’
6pm, Long Room Hub, TCD
If you are interested in attending the conference itself, please go to IARCEES' website for the full programme and registration details.
Sunday, 19 April 2015
World War II Memorial Poetry
The Soviet Union was among the hardest hit countries in the Second World War (often called the "Great Patriotic War" in Russia), with an estimated 20 million casualties, civilian and military combined, while being responsible for 75% of the total Nazi casualties, turning the tide of the war. This year, Trinity College's poetry and song evening for the Dublin Festival of Russian Culture was themed as a memorial to Soviet losses during WWII. Below are three new poetry translations that were featured.
'Wait for Me' was a popular anthem of the war by poet Konstantin Simonov, in tribute to the many lovers separated by the war. In 1957, famed Soviet director Mikhail Kalatozov (I Am Cuba) portrayed the anguish of the uncertainly waiting women left behind, in The Cranes Are Flying, which won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival.
'Wait for Me' was a popular anthem of the war by poet Konstantin Simonov, in tribute to the many lovers separated by the war. In 1957, famed Soviet director Mikhail Kalatozov (I Am Cuba) portrayed the anguish of the uncertainly waiting women left behind, in The Cranes Are Flying, which won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival.
Song text:
Wait for me and I'll return, only wait for long,
Wait when the driving yellow rains make you feel forlorn,
Wait for me through storms of snow, wait in burning heat,
Wait while all forget their vows, don't admit defeat.
Wait when letters fail to come over oceans wide,
Wait when all are overcome, waiting by your side.
Wait for me and I'll return, spare no kindly thought
For anyone who acts concerned, says "time that you forgot".
Let my son and mother think that I must be expired,
Let my friends have turned to drink, sitting by the fire,
Toast my memory... you wait. Don't believe that it's too late.
Wait for me and I'll be there, to spite each mortal peril,
Let those who didn't wait declare "what a lucky devil!"
Those faithless fools can never know how under cannon-fire,
You alone could save me, for your waiting never tired,
How I survived, just you and I, we two have understood,
Simply, you knew how to wait, the way no other could.
Wait when the driving yellow rains make you feel forlorn,
Wait for me through storms of snow, wait in burning heat,
Wait while all forget their vows, don't admit defeat.
Wait when letters fail to come over oceans wide,
Wait when all are overcome, waiting by your side.
Wait for me and I'll return, spare no kindly thought
For anyone who acts concerned, says "time that you forgot".
Let my son and mother think that I must be expired,
Let my friends have turned to drink, sitting by the fire,
Toast my memory... you wait. Don't believe that it's too late.
Wait for me and I'll be there, to spite each mortal peril,
Let those who didn't wait declare "what a lucky devil!"
Those faithless fools can never know how under cannon-fire,
You alone could save me, for your waiting never tired,
How I survived, just you and I, we two have understood,
Simply, you knew how to wait, the way no other could.
Marina Tsvetaeva was one of the major poet's of Russia's Silver Age, at the start of the 20th century. In How Many Plunged Down This Abyss? she meditates on mortality, the meaning of life and the need to cherish each other.
Song text:
How many plunged down this abyss,
I measure from afar?
The day comes when I won't exist.
My planet, au revoir!
All will chill that sang and strove,
Burst forth and radiantly glowed,
My green eyes, tender voice of love,
And waving hair of gold.
And living, with its daily bread,
The day oblivious,
Will all remain; sky overhead,
As though I never was.
My face as fickle as a child's
As soon forgets its spite,
When stoves burn wood, I am beguiled;
Make cinders in my sight.
Cellos and cavalcades in the woods,
Let village bells all toll,
For me, so lively, who once stood
Upon the good earth whole.
To all of you - I know no bounds,
For me or any other -
My faith demands for me be found
Some love, as for a brother.
Night and day, do write and say,
You love my 'yes' and 'no',
Because at twenty years of age,
I've lived through too much woe.
Because it cannot be avoided
My offences must be pardoned,
My tenderness too overjoyed and
My look too proud and hardened.
Because events can move too fast,
For my games, for I don't lie,
- And listen - when the rest is past,
Love me because I'll die.
I measure from afar?
The day comes when I won't exist.
My planet, au revoir!
All will chill that sang and strove,
Burst forth and radiantly glowed,
My green eyes, tender voice of love,
And waving hair of gold.
And living, with its daily bread,
The day oblivious,
Will all remain; sky overhead,
As though I never was.
My face as fickle as a child's
As soon forgets its spite,
When stoves burn wood, I am beguiled;
Make cinders in my sight.
Cellos and cavalcades in the woods,
Let village bells all toll,
For me, so lively, who once stood
Upon the good earth whole.
To all of you - I know no bounds,
For me or any other -
My faith demands for me be found
Some love, as for a brother.
Night and day, do write and say,
You love my 'yes' and 'no',
Because at twenty years of age,
I've lived through too much woe.
Because it cannot be avoided
My offences must be pardoned,
My tenderness too overjoyed and
My look too proud and hardened.
Because events can move too fast,
For my games, for I don't lie,
- And listen - when the rest is past,
Love me because I'll die.
Singer-songwriter-actor Vladimir Vysotsky was an icon of post-war Russia (you can find other songs elsewhere on this blog), composing songs that addressed almost all aspects of Soviet life, from the gulags to the space race. In 'He Hasn't Come Back From the War', Vysotsky pays tribute to the young men lost in WWII and the pain of those left behind.
Song text:
What's wrong with the world? It's the same as ever,
The sky still as blue as before,
The same woods, the same water, just the same weather,
But he isn't home from the war.
I cannot make out, who was wrong, who was right,
When we fought day and night without pause,
Only now do I wish he were here by my side,
When he hasn't come home from the wars.
His outbursts lacked tact, he was mute and distracted,
Off topic, an ignorant bore,
Kept me up from the crack of the dawn, he was active,
But never came home from the war.
What matter the emptiness? more of the same,
But to realize our duo's no more,
Made me feel that the wind had extinguished a flame
When he never came back from the war.
Captive spring's bursts free of its bonds,
Unthinking, I turn to implore
"Pal, leave me a smoke," only silence responds,
He hasn't come home from the war.
Our dead never leave us in need, and forever
Our fallen, like guards, will stand by,
The watery woods are a mirror to heaven,
Their trees are the color of sky.
There was plenty of room in the trenches for two,
Time enough for us both to endure,
I've the world to myself now, but still, in my view,
It is I who's not back from the war.
The sky still as blue as before,
The same woods, the same water, just the same weather,
But he isn't home from the war.
I cannot make out, who was wrong, who was right,
When we fought day and night without pause,
Only now do I wish he were here by my side,
When he hasn't come home from the wars.
His outbursts lacked tact, he was mute and distracted,
Off topic, an ignorant bore,
Kept me up from the crack of the dawn, he was active,
But never came home from the war.
What matter the emptiness? more of the same,
But to realize our duo's no more,
Made me feel that the wind had extinguished a flame
When he never came back from the war.
Captive spring's bursts free of its bonds,
Unthinking, I turn to implore
"Pal, leave me a smoke," only silence responds,
He hasn't come home from the war.
Our dead never leave us in need, and forever
Our fallen, like guards, will stand by,
The watery woods are a mirror to heaven,
Their trees are the color of sky.
There was plenty of room in the trenches for two,
Time enough for us both to endure,
I've the world to myself now, but still, in my view,
It is I who's not back from the war.
To learn more about Russian and other East European cultures, check out our evening lecture courses by clicking the button to the left.
Wednesday, 1 April 2015
2015 Russian Certification Examinations
The Department of
Russian and Slavonic Studies, in collaboration with Moscow State
University, is an
official test centre for Certification Examinations in Russian as a Foreign
Language (TORFL/ТРКИ), which are fully integrated into the Common European
Framework of Reference. The six examinations that students may take are:
·
Elementary Certification Level (ТЭУ) – A1
·
Basic Certification Level (ТБУ) – A2
·
First Certification Level (ТРКИ-1) – B1
·
Second Certification Level (ТРКИ-2) – B2
·
Third Certification Level (ТРКИ-3) – C1
·
Fourth Certification Level (ТРКИ-4) – C2
Normally,
the examinations take place in April. Due to an administrative change,
the 2015 examination diet will be conducted on 21 and 22 May. Those who
intend to sit the Certification Examinations should contact Natalya Kulachkovskaya at the Department. The examination fee is €170.
We
also offer focused examination preparation for the Certification
Examinations. This special preparatory programme takes place over a
number of evenings before the examination in the Arts Building in
Trinity College. Each evening, two slots each lasting 60 minutes are
available – 6:30-7:30, and 7:45-8:45, and will be arranged according to
demand. 2 sessions are €50, additional sessions are €25/session. There must be a minimum of two students per slot; where numbers are lower, sessions may be merged across adjacent levels.
Tuesday, 17 March 2015
PolskaÉire 2015
To champion the diversity that Polish people bring to Ireland, PolskaÉire 2015 has been established as
a nationwide festival to coincide with the UEFA Republic of Ireland vs. Poland
qualifier on the 29th of March.This initiative is led by the Minister of State for New Communities, Culture and Equality, Aodhán Ó Ríordáin T.D. (Department of Arts Heritage and the Gaeltacht and Department of Justice and Equality), the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Dublin and the Football Association of Ireland. The festival is supported by Dublin City Council and other local authorities, along with many Polish organisations and cultural, community and sporting groups across the country.
You can download the full programme through the following links:
joannajamie@gmail.com
To conclude PolskaÉire, the Lighthouse Cinema runs a Polish film festival from 30 March. It is not billed as such on their website, but you can find the relevant films here:
http://www.lighthousecinema.ie/index.php?sDate=all
Unrelated, but also of potential interest is the Silk Road Festival, 18-22 March 2015.
http://silkroadfilmfestival.com/
Wednesday, 4 March 2015
Václav Havel evening
This Friday, 6 March, there will be a musical evening to honour Václav Havel and to raise funds for a bust to be placed in the Irish Parliament. The concert takes place at 7:30 at Odessa.
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