A Poet Can Do Anything

An Interview with Bulgarian Writer Toma Markov

by Jasmina Tacheva
source

As a poet, novelist, playwright, journalist and musician, Bulgarian writer Toma Markov needs no introduction. If you haven’t read his latest book – the romance novel Luizza Hut – make sure to do it, and if you have – don’t miss his next collection of poems – ANTI-KURT-COBAINIAN DEEDS.

Can a poet write, if they are not in love or wounded by it?

A poet can do anything. Love, unlike poetry is not constant. A poet can do anything, because they sleep with words.

What do you think the future of Bulgarian poetry is?

I don’t look at it that way and don’t divide the poetry into nationalities. The future sucks. People are so rude to poets while they are alive – they first start noticing them when they are dead, that is ridiculous…

Is poetry a child of instinct and the spontaneous emotion of the moment, or should it first ripen in the womb of the poet’s mind, before it is then born on the page in black and white?

I always laugh when somebody thinks that poetry is a matter of inspiration; then I become sad. Normally, you know they say that “in abundance of wisdom is abundance of sadness”.

Do you have a favorite part of the day for writing?

Basically, I don’t have a favorite part of the day. I am a gloomy person. As for writing poetry, I do it just like Steve Jobs makes iPhones. I guess Mr. Jobs doesn’t drink until he is done. I don’t drink only when I write poetry. Therefore, until I finish a poem, I am pretty nervous.

Where do you feel more free – in the realm of verse or prose?

I never feel free. Neither in the realm of verse nor of prose. The only thing which I aspire to is to always aspire.

Is the author (in Bulgarian “creator” – Editor’s Note) solitary by nature, or are they bound to be in the company of other writers?

I don’t like the word “creator”, when used for a human. The sole creator is God. I am an ordinary artist. As for solitariness… I generally try to avoid people. This, however, will not save me from them.

What do you think of the Beat movement, and was or is it still present in Bulgaria the way it was in America of the ’60s, when it propelled a fascinating boom of cultural life?

The Beat? Yes, it was inevitable. The book of poetry in greatest circulation is “HOWL” by Mr. Allen Ginsberg, a great book. In Bulgaria there is nothing, it’s the land of imitation. And each copy, as you know, is a bad copy.

Do you have a guiding star in the field of literature (Bulgarian or World literature) – someone whose work has given you strength in the difficult moments and at the same time has been a well of inspiration to you?

This is a funny question. I am a professional, because I have no other choice – I am honest only when I write, and this is the only thing I can do. Therefore, I have more than two or three hundred writers who have formed my drop-dead style.

What would you say to those who consider you their guiding star?

I would tell them to try and not give up, to be brave, because talent requires a strong character. I would tell them this very quietly.

Would you share with us your unique ability to create verse for every occasion, and write something that comes to your mind right now?

No, I wouldn’t. And not because of selfishness. I don’t know who starts and who finishes my poems. I only know about the middle.