Guest of the ilb 2004
Marjana Gaponenko was born in Odessa, Ukraine, in
1981. She spent her childhood writing her diary and reading
fairytales, which have remained a source of her inspiration.
During that time she also became fascinated by the theatre. At
the age of fourteen she wrote her first poem in German as an exercise
to memorise new vocabulary. From this pragmatic interest she
developed a deep love for the German language and has since
continued writing poems in German. Since 1998 her poems have been
published in literary magazines and anthologies, including
'Muschelhaufen', 'Lichtungen', and 'The Book of Hope'. In 2000,
her first volume of poetry, 'wie tränenlose ritter' (t: Like Tearless
Knights), was published; its subtle nuances in wording and its powerful
imagery were enthusiastically received by the critics. She draws
much from her childhood memories, from her dreams and hopes, and
focuses her attention on the beauty in everyday life. Rain is one
of her recurring motifs. "To me, rain is mature, fertile, pure
and in autumn something very tragic. As is the night, and also
love". In 2001, she published volumes of love poems
entitled 'Rotes Blatt in der Mähne des reitenden Pferdes' (t: Red Leaf
in the Riding Horse’s Mane) and 'Tanz vor dem Gewitter' (t: Dance
Before the Thunderstorm). The same year she was granted a
literary scholarship for the artists’ village of Schöppingen near
Münster, Germany. In 2002, she was a guest author at the House of
Literature in Lower Austria. During that year 'Freund' (t:
Friend), her first volume of prose, appeared. In it she creates
cameos of mock autobiographies depicting both a romantic relationship
and her affinity for certain landscapes and places. Her "poetry
2004-2007" was published under the title "Nachtflug" (2007; t: Night
Flight). The magazine 'Deutsche Sprachwelt' elected Marjana Gaponenko
Author of the Year in 2002. Her texts have been translated into
various languages. She studied German language and literature at the
University of Odessa from 1998 to 2002, and lived in Krakow for the
following two years. She stayed in Dublin from 2004 to 2006.
© international literature festival berlin
Maryana Gaponenko online: www.marjana-gaponenko.de | 
