What an amazing place! 
Recovering from the cost of a taxi from the airort I was amazed at the amount of industry-the light colour and the cleanliness of the scene into Vienna. Travelling around the city was veryeasy with U-bahn and strassenbahn and bus. The U-bahn gehen ueber, nichts unter. Most impressive are the massive wooden doors that form the entry to the U-bahn and most other large buildings.
After a brief wander around and past the Natural History Museum, I came across a lovely rising winding street and smaller gasse. 
I discovered what looked like a bohemian student bar -Kafka’s Bar.
The Linselsuppe here was much the best value that I have discovered here on the first day. Then around another few corners opposite the Meerhaus, a lovely cafe-bar opposite in the late afternoon sunshine. Cappucino and crepes with honey and bananas and I felt I had already found my indulgent Vienna. A few steps later the social conditions, the dachtlos, influx of migrants from the East and people sleeping in doorways around the church showed another side of life here.
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An excellent opportunity to swot up your German History!
An jenem Tag im blauen Mond September
Still unter einem jungen Pflaumenbaum
Da hielt ich sie, die stille bleiche Liebe
In meinem Arm wie einen holden Traum.
Und über uns im schönen Sommerhimmel
War eine Wolke, die ich lange sah
Sie war sehr weiß und ungeheuer oben
Und als ich aufsah, war sie nimmer da.
Seit jenem Tag sind viele, viele Monde
Geschwommen still hinunter und vorbei.
Die Plaumenbäume sind wohl abgehauen
Und fragst du mich, was mit der Liebe sei?
So sag ich dir: Ich kann mich nicht erinnern
Und doch, gewiß, ich weiß schon, was du meinst.
Doch ihr Gesicht, das weiß ich wirklich nimmer
Ich weiß nur mehr: ich küßte sie dereinst.
Und auch den Kuß, ich hätt ihn längst vergessen
Wenn nicht die Wolke da gewesen wär
Die weiß ich noch und werd ich immer wissen
Sie war sehr weiß und kam von oben her.
Die Pflaumenbäume blühn vielleicht noch immer
Und jene Frau hat jetzt vielleicht das siebte Kind
Doch jene Wolke blühte nur Minuten
Und als ich aufsah, schwand sie schon im Wind.
Autor: Berthold Brecht
Titel: Gedichte 1918-1929
Verlag: Suhrkamp, Frankfurt, 1960
This poem has been translated by the well-known poet, by Derek Mahon, where at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derek_Mahon it is mentioned that he is interested in established verse forms and ekphrasis:(the poetic interpretation of visual art). Here is his version of Brecht which can be found in that excellent collection, The Faber Book of 20th Century German Poems edited by Michael Hoffmann.
A Cloud
One evening in the blue month of September
We lay at peace beneath an apple bough:
I took her in my arms, my gentle lover,
And held her closely like a dream come true-
While far up in the tranquil summer heaven
There was a cloud, I saw it high and clear.
It was so white and so immense above us
And, as I watched, it was no longer there.
Since then so very many different evenings
Have drifted past in the general flow.
Perhaps the apple orchard has been flattened;
And if you ask me where the girl is now
I have to admit I really don’t remember.
I can imagine what you’re going to say
But even her face I truly can’t recapture
I only know I kissed it there that day.
Even the kiss I would have long forgotten
If that cloud had not been there too-
I see it and will always see it plainly,
So white and unexpected in the blue.
Perhaps the apple-boughs are back in blossom,
Maybe she holds a fourth child on her knees;
The cloud, though, hung there for a moment only
And, as I watched, it broke up in the breeze.
| Another Brecht Love PoemIch will mit dem gehen, den ich liebeIch will mit dem gehen, den ich liebe. Ich will nicht ausrechnen, was es kostet. Ich will nicht nachdenken, ob es gut ist. Ich will nicht wissen, ob er mich liebt. Ich will mit ihm gehen, den ich liebe. |
I want to go with the one I loveI want to go with the one I love. I do not want to calculate the cost. I do not want to think about whether it’s good. I do not want to know whether he loves me. I want to go with whom I love. |
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Ekaterina Serebriakova – Obituary
Sad news but a beautiful and a touching posting….
Katya in blue by the fir tree. A wonderful painting of this name, from the brush of the legendary Zinaida Serebriakova, can be found in the Pushkin Museum. On it is depicted a little girl with bright deep and big eyes. This is Ekaterina Serebriakova, Zinaida’s daughter, her right-hand woman, and the preserver of her artistic heritage. A superb graphic artist, painter and interior decorator, Ekaterina died on August 26, 2014, in her apartment on Montparnasse. She was in the 102nd year of her life.
The world of Russian culture has had an immeasurable loss, said the Russian ambassador to France, Alexander Orlov. The ambassador is indubitably correct – and not just because owing to Ekaterina’s efforts, her mother’s legacy was preserved. Zinaida was one of the greats of Russian art, one of the first women to write her name in bright letters in its history. Ekaterina herself was…
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Sarah Siddons
Sarah Siddons and her portraits…..
Sarah Siddons by J. Dickinson
The subject of my blog today is not an artist, although many would term her a theatrical artist, and in fact she was looked upon as one of the greatest English tragic actors of the eighteenth century. She was a Shakespearean actor of great renown and particularly famous for her interpretations of Lady Macbeth. She was a lady who was so popular that her portrait was painted a number of times by leading portraitists of the time. Let me introduce you to Sarae Kemble, later known as Sarah Siddons.
Sarae Kemble was born in the Welsh town of Brecon in July 1755. She was the eldest of twelve children of Roger Kemble and his wife Sarah Ward. Her father, who was a theatre manager, managed a troupe of travelling actors, the Warwickshire Company of Comedians. Sarah was fortunate to be the eldest child as her…
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Brilliant poem and interview with Sitwell is at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-D73ikRqHI and more detail at www.chinarhyming.com/2012/05/16/as-promised-more-chinoiserie-poetry-edith-sitwell-weighs-in/
The King of China’s daughter,
She never would love me
Though I hung my cap and bells upon
Her nutmeg tree.
For oranges and lemons,
The stars in bright blue air,
(I stole them long ago, my dear)
Were dangling there.
The Moon did give me silver pence,
The sun did give me gold,
And both together softly blew
And made my porridge cold;
But the King of China’s daughter
Pretended not to see
When I hung my cap and bells upon
Her nutmeg tree.
The King of China’s daughter
So beautiful to see
With her face like yellow water, left
Her nutmeg tree.
Her little rope for skipping
She kissed and gave to me –
Made of painted notes of singing-birds
Among the fields of tea
I skipped across the nutmeg grove, –
I skipped across the sea;
But neither sun nor moon, my dear,
Has yet caught me.
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Avant-Garde Outing
Must try to get to these exhibitions-
The same day I saw the Popkov exhibition at Somerset House, I also nipped into the St Petersburg Gallery where there was a display of Russian avant-garde works. I took a few a pictures with my Moto G, and as you can see, the picture quality isn’t great.
The curators of this show (Russian Revolution in Art, Russian Avant-Garde: 1910 – 1932) focused on a major dichotomy of the modernist period – figurative vs non-figurative art. While artists, joined up in a multitude of movements, claimed that art was separate from the real world, they continued to investigate abstraction and rhythm, and created new colour and plastic compositions.
The exhibition has more than sixty pieces: paintings, drawings, craft and sculptures. There are suprematists and constructivists, ceramicists and non-objectivists. There is a St Petersburg circle, a Malevich circle, a Moscow circle. There even is a set of Kandinskys before that worthy legged…
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For the love of Literature
It was a great week and the writing groups especially fruitful.
Advanced writing workshops in a hotel where Charles Dickens and Oscar Wilde once stayed. Eye-opening information about Cornish medieval drama. Advice on getting published from a bestseller. A fascination with the exotic.
Writers and readers (myself included) flocked to Penzance over the weekend for the annual Literary Festival, expertly organised by a team of volunteers and run over four days in some of the best buildings in town.
From the ultra-modern surroundings of The Exchange to the refined, historical setting of The Union Hotel and the artistic delights of the Acorn Theatre, there were a whopping 85 events on offer to tempt visitors and locals from the delightful sunshine and into a world of bookishness and learning.
I didn’t manage to attend anything like all of the sessions, but here’s a brief rundown of my favourites:
Author Branding – tips from international writer and ex-pat Liz Fenwick on how to create…
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There are a surprising number of car boot sales in Cornwall as may be clearly seen by looking at the maps and search on www.intocornwall.com/ .Probably the two most popular in West Cornwall are the Sunday event at Hayle which starts as early as at 8am. Hayle Rugby Club R.F.C, Memorial Park, Marsh Lane, Hayle. In the recent fine weather the Wednesday market at Roseudgeon between Penzance and Helston fromthe beginning of April to end of October.
Visiting the Roseudgeon event recently, I discovered a nexus of vibrant activity and fun. In summer, parking might take 10 minutes or so but the fields to which the cars are guided is close to the sea and affords expansive views down to the cliffs on the south coast itself. The stallholders must arrive as early as six in the morning to get a decent pitch . However, revived by a strong cup of tea and an hour of quick sales puts them into good humour. As well as cash, useful information changes hands in relation to where things can be sourced, how to look after a pot plant and keep it in good condition and so forth.
There are a wide range of flowers and potted bushes on sale making for a colourful display. There is a mass of cheap fruit and vegetables. (I was cheered by a large bag of cherries, probably about 1.5kg, cost just a £1). Naturally, as is my wont -an interesting word deriving from the same stem as the German verb wohnen to live in a place- I headed for the books, DVDs and CDs. There is a rich vein of books on photography-e.g Peace Snapped by Rupert Hopkins 1986 about the Greenham Common Peace Camp.http://www.ruperthopkins.com/gallery.php. I also found an Art book valued new at £383-09 and in pretty good condition for just £8. This is the place to come if you are in search of your favourite type of music, I rather regret not spending £2 on the nostalgia of Manfred Mann! As Tony Benn once remarked,”There is nothing like finding something you have lost-it gives you more pleasure than anything else.”
There are rolls, cakes and drinks for sale and in the hall next to the field tea, sandwiches, scones and fairy cakes are on sale at very reasonable prices. There is something rather typically English and sempiternal about the ambiance, rather like a dance hall frozen into the 1960s with jovial and friendly staff presiding. After taking a break, it is interesting to note that the crowds of punters are a cosmopolitan group. There are locals picking up cheap supplies but also groups of visitors from abroad, discovering facets of popular culture by rooting through shed-loads of cheap DVDs. Everyone wanders through makeshift alleyways, surveying the more specialist stalls providing fishing rods, leather goods and cowboy hats and sturdy, wooden garden furniture.
It was a great pleasure to discover an old friend, MVB- www.rainydaygallery.co.uk– selling off the stock remaining from his recently closed gallery. This included postcards with various intriguing local artists and his family biographies. The latter containing an account of his grandfather; an early pioneer of flying machines. If you are looking for presents for children you will find everything from bags of lego in all shapes and sizes, strategy games and kids DVDs. A Bagpuss DVD retailed for £1 and two lego kits in good condition were about £5. It is a good idea to plan your budget before you start, although I don’t myself regret buying an unaccountably attractive Welsh vase for £1 and a cafitiere in fresh condition for £4 -at least £10 cheaper than on Amazon, say.
penwithlit 