Schatten eines Blitzes: Gedichte aus Tschetschenien

Reading and Discussion

Apti Bisultanov(Poetry)
Ekkehard Maaß (Moderator and German Translator)

Apti Bisultanovis a modern poet who combines ancient Chechen traditions with modern stylistic devices. His poetic language is artful and rich in rhymes, cross-rhymes, and sound associations—ranging from the heavy rhythm of the Chechen heroic ballad to free verse. Many of Bisultanov’s poems have been set to music and live on as songs among the Chechen people. He supported the independence movement from the very beginning and passionately advocates for a free Chechnya. In 1999, he was appointed Deputy Prime Minister for Social Affairs. On February 1, 1999, he fled to the mountains. His home village was completely destroyed by Russian artillery attacks; relatives, neighbors, and friends were killed.

In 1986, Bislutanov’s first collection of poems, “Noch – ze – tschö” (Plow – Fire – House), was published. This was followed in 1988 by the collection “Zcha Illi” (The Song), and in 1991, “Tkesan Indare” (Shadow of a Lightning Bolt). It includes, among other works, the poem “What Happened in Chaibach,” which is dedicated to the victims of the Stalinist deportation in February 1944. It describes the shift in consciousness among the Chechen people in the wake of the deportation, which struck Soviet-Chechen society like a bolt of lightning and claimed the lives of one-third of all Chechens. “Shadow of a Lightning Bolt” is a German-language selection of his works, translated and adapted byEkkehard Maaß, who, as chairman of the German-Caucasian Society, is thoroughly familiar with Bisultanov’s work and its context.

The event will be held in German with Chechen passages (and translations).