2008 Woodie Awards
Poetry and music fuse in former professor's art
RHIANNON McCLATCHEY
Issue date: 9/4/08 Section: Out & About
When former English professor Coleman Barks taught at the University from the '60s to the '90s, he suggested combining poetry and music into one class, believing the two art forms work together to create deeper meanings.
He will be demonstrating that synergy Friday at the UGA Arts Festival.
Barks incorporates music in his poetry readings in the tradition of Jalal al-Din Rumi, the 13th century Persian poet whose works he has been translating for more than 30 years.
LION OF THE HEART: POETRY AND MUSIC
When: 4 to 5 p.m. Friday
Where: Lamar Dodd School of Art, Small Auditorium (Room S151)
Cost: Free
"Rumi always did poetry with music ... and often with movement too ... All three arts were together, helping the words go deeper," he said.
The former professor will perform a combination of his original poetry and Rumi translations with a group of musicians by his side, most notably Art Rosenbaum, another former professor.
Rosenbaum, a "national treasure" in Barks' opinion, taught in the Lamar Dodd School of Art and is also an accomplished painter, muralist, illustrator and musician.
But if book sales, literary awards and an honorary doctorate from Tehran University are any indication, Barks' words will speak for themselves with or without the music.
One of his books, "The Essential Rumi," has sold half a million copies since its publication in 1995, Barks said.
"Some people say that over the last 10 years, Rumi has been the most read poet in the United States," he said.
No doubt Rumi's popularity increased when Barks began publishing his translations rendered into the American free-verse style.
"We typically in the West have not recognized the beauty of Islamic poetry until only recently, so [Rumi's poems] haven't been translated by poets," Barks said. "They have been mostly translated by scholars into something that is not poetry."
Barks said he converts the works of scholars into poems that are "faithful and open to the imagery and to the spiritual information" contained in the originals.
He is limited to the scholarly translations because he does not speak or read Persian - he claims he was too old and "too lazy" by the time he discovered Rumi's work.
So says the man who just published his 33rd book and has a spoken-word album, "The Here and The Gone," coming out in November featuring Peter Buck from R.E.M.
He will be demonstrating that synergy Friday at the UGA Arts Festival.
Barks incorporates music in his poetry readings in the tradition of Jalal al-Din Rumi, the 13th century Persian poet whose works he has been translating for more than 30 years.
LION OF THE HEART: POETRY AND MUSIC
BY COLEMAN BARKS
AND ART ROSENBAUM
When: 4 to 5 p.m. FridayWhere: Lamar Dodd School of Art, Small Auditorium (Room S151)
Cost: Free
"Rumi always did poetry with music ... and often with movement too ... All three arts were together, helping the words go deeper," he said.
The former professor will perform a combination of his original poetry and Rumi translations with a group of musicians by his side, most notably Art Rosenbaum, another former professor.
Rosenbaum, a "national treasure" in Barks' opinion, taught in the Lamar Dodd School of Art and is also an accomplished painter, muralist, illustrator and musician.
But if book sales, literary awards and an honorary doctorate from Tehran University are any indication, Barks' words will speak for themselves with or without the music.
One of his books, "The Essential Rumi," has sold half a million copies since its publication in 1995, Barks said.
"Some people say that over the last 10 years, Rumi has been the most read poet in the United States," he said.
No doubt Rumi's popularity increased when Barks began publishing his translations rendered into the American free-verse style.
"We typically in the West have not recognized the beauty of Islamic poetry until only recently, so [Rumi's poems] haven't been translated by poets," Barks said. "They have been mostly translated by scholars into something that is not poetry."
Barks said he converts the works of scholars into poems that are "faithful and open to the imagery and to the spiritual information" contained in the originals.
He is limited to the scholarly translations because he does not speak or read Persian - he claims he was too old and "too lazy" by the time he discovered Rumi's work.
So says the man who just published his 33rd book and has a spoken-word album, "The Here and The Gone," coming out in November featuring Peter Buck from R.E.M.
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
Lucas McAuliffe
posted 9/19/08 @ 5:04 PM EST
What a well written article...! I'd like to read more articles written by this talented young writer.
Michael
posted 9/19/08 @ 5:47 PM EST
Pete Buck...spoken word? You know your career as a rock star is over when you start doing "spoken word."
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