Renowned poet opens up to crowd

Author: Grace Duggan

Say what you will about the word "networking," but sometimes it really is about who you know. In this case, it was Melissa Hammerle who proved to be a useful connection; this local resident put D.E. Axinn Professor of English & Creative Writing Jay Parini in contact with her a friend of hers, none other than Breyten Breytenbach, the world-famous poet, fiction writer, painter and activist. Breytenbach graciously accepted an invitation to come to the College, which culminated in a standing-room only reading in the Axinn Center's Abernethy Room on Nov. 20.

Interspersed between riveting introductions brimming with anecdotes seemingly out of the movies, Breytenbach read selections from "Windcatcher: New and Selected Poems, 1964-2006" and "Lady One: Of Love and Other Poems."

Said Parini, "He has a wonderful sense of language: highly particular, musical, and full of vivid images. He has an appealing sense of place, and he has a strong political angle."

Breytenbach's reading was an apt inaugural event for the Axinn Center's Abernethy Room. Sponsored by the Creative Writing Program as well as the Axinn Fund, the afternoon was much more than a poetry reading; for many it was the chance to hear a rare first-hand account of life both under and fighting against the now defunct - but still influential - Apartheid system. A prominent member of the resistance group "Okhela," Breytenbach was arrested and sentenced to nine years in prison in South Africa. He spent over seven years in jail, a time during which he continued to write poems on whatever scraps of paper he could find.

Breytenbach complemented his beautiful, haunting and lyrical poems with candid responses to audience members' probing inquiries into his past. Questions from students prompted him to reflect on his many years as an expatriate - he has traveled extensively, settling for some years in places like northern Spain, Paris and New York City - along with topics as varied as his time in prison, the nature of multilingualism, the meaning of "home" and his favorite used bookstores. First and foremost a poetry reading, the reading's true success stemmed from Breytenbach's willingness to discuss his part in South Africa's scarred past and still-healing present.