It’s always difficult to say when a dream came true, a project became reality.
Let’s have, in this New Year’s Eve, right between 2018 and 2019, a bit of history about HÖFN…
The organisation (Association as we rather say in French) was founded in 2007. Pure administrative procedure !
What’s more important to point out is that the place where we were going to receive « our » residents was created during the summer 2008.
We welcome our firts resident, Caroline Duchatelet, in 2009… SPRING TIME !
(See, at the bottom of the page, on our homepage : In 2009, 3 residents stayed at HĂ–FN. Here they are:)
Therefore, if we wanted to celebrate the 10th anniversary of HÖFN existence, it would have to be exactly at the intersection between 2018 and 2019…
HĂ–FN is a small, modest, never "prestigious" organisation (we never pretended otherwise!) ;
our means were, have been, are modest, and we always managed to work, and somehow grow, harmoniously, according to our actual ressources…
Yet, we entertained some hope : to be able to publish, at least once, a book : a collection of short stories, a volume of poetry…
... AND HERE IT IS !
We received, during Fall 2018, Ăžorvaldur S. Helgason, a young and talented Icelandic poet.
(See, at the top of the page: In 2017, 5 residents stayed at HĂ–FN. Here they are:)
Dominique Poulain, HÖFN coordinator, read Draumar á þvottasnúru , a poetry collection he had come with, that he offered her, which had just been published in Iceland by PARTUS…
Dominique liked it so much (its -seeming- simplicity, its limpidity, the -still fresh and unspoiled- connection to childhood) that she decided to translate it in French.!
Ăžorvaldur was generous enough to give away some of his -precious- time during his residency and sit at her side, now and then, to assist her through her wavering, second thoughts, difficult choices !
After he left, Dominique went on reading again and again her translation, sometimes listening – or not !- Jean’s (her man) suggestions,
until she decided it could be THE occasion to produce a little bilingual edition : Draumar á þvottasnúru / Rêves sur un fil à linge.
Libe Elody Sanchis, a young visual artist (studying at the lArt School of' Aix en Provence - 5th and last year student),
much interested in edition, poetry page setting, drawing,
worked for a whole year, tenaciously, but when she could, considering all she had to do for her studies at the same time (!) on the editing project…
Carlos Casteleira (Assistant Professor in Art : Photography, at the Art School of Aix en Provence) gave us the best of advices when we were looking for a good printer… at the last minute, on the eve of Christmas time !
Fifty copies to-day of this bilingual edition – a very « intimate » edition indeed : Draumar á þvottasnúru / Rêves sur un fil à linge !
Some, of course, will be sent to Þorvaldur ; (he’ll let Valgerður Þóroddsdóttir of PARTUS, (who generously gave her agreement for this new edition) get a few of them ;
On the right, the first edition, published in Iceland, by PARTUS (in 2016)
We’ll offer a few copies to Elody and Carlos...
... and we’ll keep at HÖFN what will be left of them, to be shared, to be read by future residents, (in Icelandic or French, or both ?), to be offered to … other poets...
Within the same book, on one side the original poems, in Icelandic; on the other side, the poems in French
In the middle of the book, another drawing by 'Elody Sanchis -(print preview)
You'll find HERE In 2017, 5 residents stayed at HĂ–FN. Here they are:
not only precise information about Ăžorvaldur S. Helgason , but some of his poems and their translation in French.