Adnan Al-Sayegh and Yang Lian | Stanza Poetry Festival | In Person & Online

PAST AND PRESENT: WHOSE TRADITION IS WHOSE? All of this year’s Past and Present events involve contemporary poets responding to the work of modernist poets. This event takes a slightly different angle by inviting Yang Lian and Adnan Al-Sayegh, two poets from non-Western literary traditions, to respond to the importance and challenges of drawing upon this (white, western) tradition in their own work. Is modernism relevant for them? Why and how? And what obstacles come between them and drawing upon such traditions? How do these influences interact with different cultural influences? Adnan Al-Sayegh's  Let Me Tell You What I Saw was published by Seren in 2020 and is the first ever publication as a dual-language (English/Arabic) text of substantial extracts from his ground-breaking epic poem, Uruk’s Anthem. This event is live in St Andrews, and will also be livestreamed on the Stanza YouTube channel. To book for the live event visit: www.stanzapoetry.org/events/past-and-present and for the livestream on YouTube visit: www.stanzapoetry.org/events/past-and-present-online