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Nóra Blascsók is a Hungarian poet based in Manchester. Her work has appeared in a number of magazines and anthologies including Magma, The Rialto, Perverse, Shearsman and Bath Magg among others. Her debut pamphlet ‘<body>of work</body>’ was published by Broken Sleep Books in 2022.
I was asked to perform at the 40th Barcelona International Poetry Festival (Barcelona Poesía) as part of my commission as City Poet earlier this year.
Manchester and Barcelona announced a new cultural partnership in 2024, agreeing to feature novelists, poets and performers from Manchester at Barcelona Literary Festivals over the course of 2025, including the world famous La Mercè outdoor festival, where Manchester will be Guest City in September 2025.
Representing Manchester at a prestigious international poetry festival and playing a part in this partnership was a huge honour.
This was the 40th time the festival took place, and the line-up matched this special occasion, bringing together important voices in poetry from all over the world.
My reading was part of an event titled ‘Veus en Xarxa’ (Catalan for ‘Network Voices’) and took place in the Ateneu Barcelonés on 9 May. As I found out on a tour we were given prior to the performance, the Ateneu is a cultural association that gives home to a prestigious writing school, a library and a variety of event spaces. Originally built in 1796 and declared a Cultural Asset of National Interest in 1981, the Ateneu hosts a variety of cultural events, including festivals and other recitals.
The reading took place in the sunny garden on a stage surrounded by palm trees, which is not something I am used to as a UK poet. Taking my role as Multilingual City Poet seriously, I decided to speak in Spanish in-between poems, while my poems had all been translated into Catalan and printed in a booklet so the audience could follow along. As this was the first time my work was translated into another language, I was moved and curious at the same time.
What gets lost and what do the poems gain in the translation process? My most popular poem seemed to be ‘A portrait of James Bond, and legs’. I guess some things transcend cultures and languages…
My performance was followed by Fàtima Saheb, a local poet with Moroccan heritage, who was accompanied by Riyad Achouirif Erridaoui, a musician also originally from Morocco. I enjoyed listening to her share poems from her book ‘Mares Migrants’ (‘Migrant Mothers’), and even though most of the poems were in Catalan, it was still a powerful experience watching a fellow migrant woman poet. She also read a short poem in English and dedicated it to me. So many cultures, so many languages on one stage, in one evening. The power of poetry!
Thank you to the Barcelona Institute of Culture and to the Barcelona Poesía organisers for hosting me. I hope I’ll get to return to perform in your beautiful city again one day.
Watch the festival trailer
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