Launched by the Odessa UNESCO City of Literature and made possible through generous funding from Reykjavík City of Literature, the project “Poetry in the Cities of Literature” began on February 24, 2024, as part of the “Not Just Words” reading initiative initiated by Milano City of Literature. This new cultural endeavor aims to connect Odessa’s vibrant literary community with its sister Cities of Literature across the globe.
As a member of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network since 2019, Odessa has built meaningful relationships with fellow literary cities worldwide. This project marks a fresh step in that journey by introducing Odessans to contemporary poetry from these international partners, starting with Reykjavík, Iceland — the very city that made this exchange possible.
Reykjavík was designated a UNESCO City of Literature in 2011, becoming the first non-native English-speaking city to receive the title. Literature has been at the heart of Icelandic culture for over a thousand years, from the medieval sagas to today's exuberant literary scene.
Beyond promoting literary art, the initiative highlights the crucial support UNESCO Cities of Literature provide: from festival invitations and translation assistance to artist residencies. These connections help Ukrainian authors cross borders, find new audiences, and preserve their creative voices on the global stage. At its core, “Poetry in the Cities of Literature” is about mutual cultural enrichment — fostering an open exchange where books, ideas, and traditions travel freely, inspiring and uniting people worldwide.
Poet of the Reykjavik City of Literature:
Pedro Gunnlaugur Garcia is an Icelandic writer, born in Lisbon in 1983. He is known for his poignant and introspective works, use of magic realism and exploration of the complexities of human relationships. His novel Lungs (Lungu, 2022) received the Icelandic Literary Prize and has been translated into several languages.
[Images from a Darkened Garden] [MYNDIR ÚR MYRKVUÐUM GARÐI]
Translated by Larissa Kyzer
come morning, it always continues
what blooms—eyes, dewdrops and all their colors
dregs
the black night holds her lips together
impenetrable in her depths, she sends me stones
entanglements—out in the open, inexpressible
spring flowers that bloom on cliffsides
and wither, lay down their torch
unmoved by the world
sunrise—heavy as lead
and this darkness
light as a feather
hope and night turn away from me
sunlight on a leaf seeking growth
everything’s spelled out on the page before me
and the weather leaves remnants behind: animal skulls, suffering
measured in distances and pockets full of keys
I have borrowed
my life, my beloved little day
rising without me in a different place
while here remains the image of an embrace
in a garden where all the lights are out
and the stones are smooth
softened by regret
—here creeps in
what once was
to wait
We also happy to introduce you to the translator Larissa Kyzer:
Larissa Kyzer is a writer and Icelandic to English literary translator. In 2019, she was awarded the American Scandinavian Foundation’s translation prize. That same year, she was one of Princeton University’s Translators in Residence. Larissa has received grant funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Fulbright Commission, the Icelandic Ministry of Education and Culture, the Icelandic Literature Center, and Finland’s Kone Foundation. She is a former co-chair of PEN America’s Translation Committee, an At-Large board member for ALTA, a member of the Translators Organizing Committee, and runs the virtual Women+ in Translation reading series Jill! For more: https://www.larissakyzer.com/
