The smell of black - Reader seeks book/Ali Hayder

The smell of black was arranged on 17.11.21 at 10:30 and 13:00

In collaboration with Leser søker bok and the Church of Norway, we are organizing a meeting for students from Kuben with poet Ali Hayder, who is currently working on the poetry collection Lukta av svart. Hayder Jumaah and Hanna Bovim Bugge, as well as deacon in Hasle and Hovinbyen congregation Renate Egeberg-Jensen, will also take part in the event.

The poetry book Lukta av svart was published by Aschehoug in spring 2021. The book consists of newly written poems in both Arabic and Norwegian. The book has been written using a dialogical method where the author, various translators, editor and advisor have worked together on the book. Various linguistic and cultural similarities and differences have been discussed extensively during the process. These discussions are reflected in the text. The texts are therefore particularly suitable as a starting point for good dialogues. Themes touched upon in the collection include the city, terror, evil, escape, loneliness, God, integration, memories, absence and friendship. In terms of form, these poems are narrative, dialogical, direct and sometimes quite raw. The poems are presented in Arabic and Norwegian. They are designed to be relatively easy to read and understand, and are therefore also suitable for young people.

Although Ali Hayder wrote the poems, both Hayder Jumaah and Hanna Bovim Bugge have contributed to their development.

First there is an introduction to Mosul and the events of 2014, when ISIS took over the city and made it the capital of their Islamic state. The introduction is presented in Arabic and Norwegian by Hayder Jumaah, who was a youth when all this happened. This will be followed by a poetry reading and an interview with Ali Hayder.

Ali Hayder (b. 1967) is a poet, writer and journalist from Mosul, Iraq. He has been living in Norway since 2017. Hayder holds a bachelor's degree in Arabic literature from the University of Mosul, and has published a collection of short stories and two collections of poetry in Arabic. A selection of his poems was presented in Norwegian translation in "To kiss a desert, to kiss a marsh" (2019). "Lukta av svart" is Hayder's first poetry collection in Norwegian and Arabic. Both as a writer and journalist, Hayder has worked for democracy and freedom of expression, including through the organization "Dialogue and Development".

Hayder Jumaah (b. 06.01.2002) came to Norway as a refugee in the fall of 2017. He knows what it means to be a multilingual youth and young adult in today's Norway. In addition to his school work, Hayder Jumaah has participated in the development of the bilingual poetry collection "Lukta av svart". He has actively participated in the dialogues around the poems both as an interpreter and translator.

Reader seeks book v/Hanna Bovim Bugge:

Leser søker bok is an association owned by the book industry and various target group organizations. The aim of the association is to give everyone a book they can and want to read. Studies show that 30% of the adult population struggle to read a standard Norwegian text. Leser søker bok collaborates with authors, illustrators, cartoonists and publishers to create new books adapted to different readers. One of the association's goals is to ensure that the books reach different readers. The association works closely with librarians and other communicators, and runs the search service Boksøk.no

Hanna Bovim Bugge has worked as an advisor for Leser søker bok since 2008. She leads the project with parallel language books and is also the initiator of the parallel language poetry collections of which the collection "Lukta av svart" is a part. She has therefore worked closely with both Ali Hayder and Hayder Jumaah on the development of the poems in the collection.

The event is a collaboration between Kloden Teater, Leser søker bok and the Church of Norway, represented by priest Jan Helge Josefsen.

Wednesday 17 November 2021

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