By Ramu Taj
New York: Writer and poet Ashok Rajamani, whose acclaimed memoir The Day My Brain Exploded (Algonquin Books 2013) has been optioned for the big screen by Animus Films, has been invited to participate in the famed 24th annual “Curtea De Arges Poetry Nights” World Poetry Festival, to be held in Romania. Poets from over 40 nations across the globe are selected to take part in this major literary event. Representing USA, Rajamani is one of the first Indian American poets to take part in the festival, which was formed in 1997 and belongs to the annual programs of the Foundation and Cultural Organization International Academy Orient-Occident (Curtea de Argeş, Romania).
The Curtea De Arges World Poetry Festival is unique within Central Europe, and has aimed and succeeded from the very beginning to become part of the international circuit of big festivals such as Struga, Las Palmas, Medellin, and Trois Revieres. Conceived as a symposium to world lyricism, it incorporates exciting art exhibitions, colorful Romanian traditional music, book releases, exclusive visits to historical and cultural landmarks in the ancient city, and spectacular global poetry performances.
On the occasion of the Festival, the Academy will award the following prizes: Wallachia Prize (for Translations); Balkan Grand Prize (for Poetry); The Grand European Prize (for Poetry); Orient-Occident Grand Prize (for Arts); The National Grand Prize (for Literature); and The World Grand Prize for Poetry.
The event will take place on July 15-21 2020, and will be hosted by iconic global poets Dumitru M. Ion and Carolina Ilica.
Rajamani, who plans to read from his poetry collection My Vulgar Darlings, is excited about the festival.
He said, “I am so honored to be chosen for this prestigious event. As I also write prose, it’s easy for me to forget about the simple beauty of poetry. The melodies not only explore the personal but also transcend the universal. Curtea de Arges is a great opportunity for me to share my poetry with a global audience while also getting acquainted with different cultures and poets from around the world. I’m simply thrilled to exchange my work with poets of different languages, celebrating how spoken verses — the language of poetry – will be the ultimate way to break all barriers.”
