"TRANSLATED PEOPLE" : MICHAEL PARASKOS* ON GIORGOS CHRISTODOULIDES POETRY
Book launch of “Giorgos Christodoulides: Selected Poems (1996-2021)”, translated from the Greek and with an Introduction by Despina Pirketti, on Tuesday 5 April, 6:30pm, at the Cyprus House, 13 St. James’s Square, London SW1Y 4LB. by Michael Paraskos I am going to begin with the poem Smithereens. Smithereens In the moment when the cup falls to the floor and smashes into a hundred shards, you realise the value of wholeness; that what we call entire is on the verge of smashing — it is that which resists falling and breaking into one hundred shards, that which persistently withholds the sum of its parts, determined not to let on that it is as brittle as a cup it is exactly that: one hundred shards clinging firmly to each other to feign unity. I must admit I have become very fond of that poem. But really I wanted to begin by reading it because I think any talk on a poet should start with the poet. Or perhaps I
