Reda Mehafdi: - First, I want to ask you to present yourself to our readers.
Flavia Cosma : - Thank you Reda and thanks to your readers for your willingness to spend time with me. I am a Romanian born Canadian poet, author and translator. I have published so far twenty books and my work is represented in numerous anthologies in various countries and languages. I like to think that I am 100% Canadian and 100% Romanian.
R.M.: -Originally, you are an electrical engineer. When and how you decided to change to literature and spend all your life in this field since then? What were the deep reasons for that?
F.C:- Yes, I studied electrical engineering for a number of valid reasons. Let’s say I was good in math and it wasn’t too hard for me. And as an engineer, the communist regime of Romania of the times didn’t have the same means to hurt me as if I were a writer. I kept the fact that I was a writer a secret more or less, while living in Romania, but I think of myself as being a poet before being anything else.
R.M.: - You are Romanian and Canadian at the same time. You write in Romanian and English, two languages of two quite totally different cultures. Don't you feel some difficulties in living two cultures at the same time when writing something? Or on the opposite, do you feel that this situation helps you to be more creative?
F.C.: -One doesn’t have a choice, especially, while being a political refugee such as myself. I had to swim or sink. I am not saying that it was, or it is still easy. I’ve got accustomed to it. However, my constant craving for Romania, its people and culture, diminished in time. Besides I can go there now any time I wish to do so. And I think that this feeling of being in exile is a condition shared by many writers and artists throughout the world, even if they decide to stay in the same place they were born in.
For a poet, his country is the language he writes in. And I write in Romanian. And this, no one could ever take away from me.
R.M.:- Some of your writings are done for kids. Why did you choose to do so especially that you are not specialized in kid writings?
F.C.:- I do write for children now and then. Why? I guess it’s because the universe of children appeals to me. Because I think of poetry as of condensed fairy tales, where all sorts of miraculous things can happen and where sometime we can reach for the highest artistic expression possible.
R.M.: - I had the pleasure to receive from you a copy of your book " The Adventures of Tommy Teddy Bear and Alex Little Bunny " and have noticed that is full of education messages. What is your purpose from this tales book? And what are the most important messages you wanted to give through it?
F.C.: - Oh, the educational stuff! I started writing the above-mentioned book when my son was little and I needed an outlet to educate and entertain him at the same time. It took a long while until the book was published, though.
R.M.: - I would like to know your opinion about Arabic literature you had the chance to read translated to English or Romanian.
F.C.: - I am very humbled and awed by all the Arabic poets and mystics of the past. I admire some modern Arab writers and I wish I’d have more time to be able to read more Arabic literature.
R.M.: - Who is the writer who has inspired you the most when you were young? And who is the one who has lived in your soul forever?
F.C.: - About this, I have a long list. It begins, of course, with the classic Romanian poets such as Eminescu, Alecsandri, and on the more modern front, Bacovia and Arghezi, then the Greek classics, Sapho, Homer, the Roman poets, the old Persian poets, etc.
I am very fond of the French romantics, the Italians, Rabindranath Tagore, Rainer Maria Rilke, Emily Dickinson, Ana Ahmatova. As I said, the list seems to be endless.
As for some of them living in my soul forever, I don’t know my soul that well, and I can’t tell.
R.M.: - Do you think that texts keep the same meanings when translated? Don't you fear that they lost something interesting of what their authors wanted from them to give to readers?
F.C.: - Some say that poetry can’t be translated. I have to disagree with this because when I started publishing, I first published poetry in translation. I must admit though, that a translator of poetry must be as imaginative as a poet, have a deep feeling for the ambiguous and still clear as a mountain spring poetic style, and be in love with the poetry he/she wishes to translate. Otherwise the exercise is a total waste of time.
R.M.: - Can you tell us something about you personal experience with translation? Are you satisfied with translations done to your works? Do you feel the need to translate your works to other languages to which they have not been translated yet like Arabic for example?
F.C.: - I am never satisfied with anything I write or translate. I used to have heartaches seeing my poems rendered into another language, but I have calmed down since then, due to the fact that over the years my English became much better and I can say now that I am translating my work myself and use an editor just to make sure all is okay.
As for my work being translated into other languages, Spanish for instance, I had the marvelous surprise to see it very well received by local audiences, in Argentina for example. Yes, it would be wonderful to have my poems translated into Arabic.
R.M.: - Are you still in deep contact with Romanian society? Or have you been mostly involved in Canadian life since you left Romania in 1976? How do you see the changes that have happened in Romania in the 1990s? Do you think writers had some roles in the changes? Or is it only political?
F.C.: - I have left Romania in 1974 and arrived in Canada in 1976, after spending almost two years in various refugee camps. As of now, I am a member of The Writers’ Union of Romania, among other associations, I publish books and collaborate to literary magazine in there, and I am invited frequently to Romanian Universities to speak to students about poetry, the situation of writers in exile and other themes of interest, and to read from my books, both in Romanian and in English. Changes were hard to come by in Romania and the situation is never perfect. A society deeply wounded as the Romanian society was, needs time to heal itself. I am confident that they will find their right path. I myself started in Canada in 1990 an Association “The Romanian Children’s Relief”, which helps orphaned children and needy families. We continue to help to this day, because there is still a need. Yes, I know for a fact that the Romanian writers redeemed themselves and contributed the best they could to expedite changes in Romania. The situation is very complex and it will take some time to be analyzed.
R.M.: - You have won some prizes (Canadian Scene National Award, ALTA Richard Wilbur Poetry in Translation Prize, etc). How do you see the effect of a prize on a writer?
F.C.: - The effect is good, both from the writer’s standpoint and from the literary critics’ point of view. I am always happy when this happens to me, but I am much wiser now and I keep my cool about it. My goal is not to win prizes. My goal is to write something useful, beautiful and meaningful.
R.M.: - You had a work experience in TV and Radio in Romania, and you have had the same experience in Canada since many years. Does this experience help you in your writing world? Or does your writing work add something to you your TV/Radio job?
F.C.: - I was fortunate enough to be able to combine my artistic abilities with my technical knowledge and in this fashion to earn a living. The TV medium has its own rules and targets certain aspects of reality with more accuracy than writing. It’s good, it’s creative, I have a lot of respect for it, and in other circumstances I would give it my undivided attention. Except that I am a poet and poetry takes precedence in everything I do.
R.M.: - What kind of documentaries are you doing now as independent TV producer?
F.C.: - I am fascinated by Latin America, and I would love to do a documentary on the subject. We’ll see.
R.M.: - Can you tell us about the contribution of Romanian born citizens in cultural life in Canada? And do you think they have integrated the Canadian society in the best way?
F.C.: - I have this idea that Romanians in Canada are doing very well for themselves. I am always proud when I hear of their cultural accomplishments and I wish them lots of luck.
R.M.: - What are your actual projects of writing?
F.C.: - I am working simultaneously on the Romanian and English versions of a poetry collection: On Paths Known to No One. I am also in the process of translating a book into Romanian by an American poetess.
R.M.: - Last thing you want to tell us?
F.C.: - I want to share with you my thoughts about the power of poetry as means of reaching Divine Harmony here on earth as opposed to dissonance and hatred. I think the world would be a much better place if people will get in touch with the poet within themselves and see how beautiful our world could be, if only we would try a little harder for peace and understanding among nations and people.
R.M.: - Thanks a lot for accepting to do this interview
F.C.: - My pleasure.
Flavia Cosma is an award winning Romanian born Canadian poet, author and translator. She took her Masters in electrical engineering at the Polytechnic Institute of Bucharest. After that she studied drama for two years. In Romania she worked as a radio and television Sound Director. She continues to work in this field as an independent producer/director/writer for TV documentaries.
To date, she has published twelve books of poetry, a novel, a travel memoir and three books for children. She is represented in numerous anthologies, in various countries and languages.
Her poetry book 47 POEMS (Texas Tech University Press, 1992), won the prestigious ALTA Richard Wilbur Poetry in Translation Prize.
Mellen Poetry Press, NY, has published her poetry collections Wormwood Wine (2002, 2004) and Fata Morgana (2003).
Her documentary Romania, A Country at the Crossroads won the Canadian Scene National Award (1992).
Flavia Cosma was nominated for The Pushcart Prize with a fragment from her poetry collection Leaves of a Diary (2006)
Flavia Cosma received an Honorable Mention Award from The Ontario Poetry Society- Open Heart Competition 2007, for her poem Cradle-Song.
Flavia Cosma translated into Romanian a poetry collection, Poeme Incendiare (Burning Poems) by the renowned Canadian poet and author George Elliott Clarke (Cogito Press, Oradea, Romania, 2006).
Flavia Cosma was awarded Third Prize in the John Dryden Translation Competition- 2007, for co-translating In The Arms of The Father, poems by Flavia Cosma, (British Comparative Literature Association & British Literary Translation Centre)
A member of PEN Canada and Passages to Canada, Flavia Cosma is a passionate humanitarian and defender of human rights and freedom of expression. She is the Chairperson of Romanian Children’s Relief, a charitable Canadian organization established in 1990. She is invited to speak to students in schools about poetry, literature and the art of translation, world-human rights, and the fate of imprisoned and exiled writers.
She frequently reads from her work in libraries, schools, community Centres and other public places.
Flavia Cosma lectures to students of Canadian Studies within various Universities across Romania at the request of the Canadian Embassy of Bucharest, Romania. Her lectures touch on subjects of interest to university students such as: Human Rights in Multicultural Canada, The Condition of Writers in Exile or Canadian Literature in the World.
Her life and work is the subject for a PhD defended by Ana Maria Felecan at The University of Timisoara, Romania.
Flavia Cosma’s poetry book Leaves of a Diary is being taught at the University of Toronto, E. J. Pratt Canadian Literature 2007-2008.
