Hanna Komar at the Start of a Very Promising Career as Poet and Translator

Abstract

This article aims to introduce to a new audience of English speakers, a talented poet and translator who, like so many other young Belarusians, now lives outside her country of birth. Hanna Komar's enterprisingly original poetry, at a still relatively early stage, is already striking in its thematic boldness and honesty, making use of wide-ranging and original imagery, great assonance and a broad lexical spectrum, without succumbing to the influence of Russian, so ubiquitous elsewhere. Deeply patriotic, she not only describes the protests and their barbaric suppression, but also attempts to record in verse, based on interviews, the feelings and impressions of those who have been driven abroad by a ruthless regime. Her poetry has been widely translated and she has shown herself to be resourceful and capable in translating Charles Bukowski's work into Belarusian. It is hoped that Komar will soon receive the wide recognition she undoubtedly deserves.