On Thursday, September 17, faculty, staff and students gathered for the first poetry reading of the year at www.亚洲色 College. Since 2001, Redeemer has had the privilege of hosting some of Canada鈥檚 most influential poets, including and .
Ricardo Sternberg was the guest of honour for this reading. Born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 1948, he has been living in Toronto since 1979, where he taught Brazilian literature until his retirement last year. Sternberg has published four books of poetry, including听 (1990), 听(1996), 听(2003), and, most recently, 听(2014).
Sternberg read from each of his collections, taking the audience on a narrative journey through a barn, 鈥淪hafts of light on plaster walls, / rows of stalls like narrow, private pews,鈥 to a mythical island off the coast of Ireland, to a darkened kitchen where a couple dances after the dishes are done.
Dr. Ben Faber, an English professor at Redeemer, commented on the power of Sternberg鈥檚 writing to take him to both the 鈥渞eal and imagined places鈥 within his poetry.
, National Post鈥檚 Michael Lista describes Sternberg鈥檚 writing as 鈥渃onsistently shot through with sunshine.鈥 Indeed, the tragic vein running through his poetry is streaked with light, often in the form of a humourous last line or a playful undertone. 鈥淚f it鈥檚 successful I like to be right there at the edge [between funny and tragic],鈥 Sternberg said.
This humourous edge kept the audience laughing during the question-and-answer session as well. While discussing his poem 鈥淪ome Dance,鈥澨齋ternberg noted that his mother thinks there鈥檚 too much drinking in this poem. 鈥淐ritics,鈥 he added, with a laugh and a shake of his head.
Listen to Sternberg read “Some Dance,” the title poem from his latest collection of poetry:
Sternberg is certainly a welcome addition to the list of renowned poets Redeemer has had the honour of hosting.
For more information on Ricardo Sternberg, .
Anna Bolton is a third-year Honours English (Writing) major