Poet and storyteller Rolf Hermann attended Bhutan Echoes: Drukyul’s Literature Festival in August 2023, as part of which he gave a workshop on poetry writing titled, “Leap into the Unfamiliar”.
A Leap into the Unfamiliar
A poetry workshop by Rolf Hermann
Let’s find out what happens when we are confronted with a poem in a language we don’t understand. How do we orientate ourselves and what do we discover in this field of utter unfamiliarity? How do we perceive the form, the sound, the rhythm, the words, the morphemes, even the punctuation? And where does it lead us when we playfully attempt to translate this incomprehensible poem into our own poetic idiom? If we’re lucky, this technique will not only enrich our own writing, but also help us fight against the fear of the blank page. So, let’s take a risk and jump head-first into the unfamiliar.
Rolf’s participation at Bhutan Echoes Drukyul’s Literature Festival was also supported by the Embassy of Switzerland to India and Bhutan.
Follow Rolf on Instagram @herr.rolf
About Rolf Hermann
Rolf Hermann, born in Switzerland, writes and performs poetry, stories and spoken word. He studied English and German literatures in Switzerland and the USA, and earned his living as a shepherd in younger years.
His work, which has been translated into languages such as Arabic, English, French, Italian, Hungarian, and Ukrainian, etc. has received numerous awards. So far, he has published seven books, various audiobooks as well as four plays.
His most recent publications include:
- In der Nahaufnahme verwildern wir (In Close-Up, We Run to Seed) in 2021
- Eine Kuh namens Manhattan (A Cow Called Manhattan) in 2019
- Flüchtiges Zuhause (Ephemeral Home) in 2018.
“His work belongs among the most exciting reads in contemporary German-language poetry.”
NZZ
