Vakis Loizidis
Född: 1965
Böcker på Oppenheim förlag: Göteborg (2014, dikter på både svenska och grekiska)
Böcker på andra förlag: Poesi och collage (1995), Ηandgjorda på maskin (1999), Rörliga Monument (2002), Kvisten bryts (2005), I rusningstid (2007), De elementära (2009), Ängeln och skulptören (2011).
Vakis Loizidis är en cypriotisk poet som regelbundet besöker Göteborg, hans frus hemstad. Han föddes i Nicosia 1965 och har publicerat sju diktsamlingar. Hans dikter har översatts till franska, engelska, italienska, svenska och bulgariska. År 2010 sammanställde han en antologi med samtida cypriotisk poesi, “Cypern efter 1990”. Utöver sitt litterära intresse är Loizidis även verksam som konstnär. Han har haft tre separatutställningar i Nicosia.
Tell us a little bit more about your poetry and your writing in general!
A poem for me is like a map for the lost destination. It’s a journey. The magic of poetry is that everyone is writing in a different way according to experiences and life. Poetry forces us to understand ourselves and to accept individuality.
Seven collections have been published in Greece and Cyprus. I started writing poetry the time I was a student. My first book ‘Poetry and Collage’ was published at the age of 30. Irony, sarcasm and the feeling of loss have been identified as main characteristics of my work.
Which authors are you inspired by?
It’s difficult for me to identify a specific author. I love reading poetry. Greek poetry but also poetry from all over the world. My favourate Greek poets are Kavafis and Kariotakis. I appreciate very much the work of Stig Dagerman and Tomas Tranströmer in Sweden.
You are also an artist? What kind?
Three solo exhibitions with my paintings have been organized in Nicosia. Painting and Poetry are two different worlds with the same origin. My works are small in scale using mixed material. The title of my last exhibition ‘’Microcosms’’ reflects the themes of my paintings as I am trying to communicate with my inner microcosms.
What about your relationship to Göteborg?
Göteborg is the city of my wife. I’ ve been visiting Göteborg frequently in the last 20 years. The history of the city, its people, the coexistence of different cultures, the distinct clarity of the light in the north and the close relation of Swedish people with nature are sources of inspiration in my new book. An historic harbour like Göteborg which opened its gate to the east long time ago with such a dynamic presence stimulated this poetic dialogue.
