Oddelek za primerjalno književnost in literarno teorijo,
Filozofska fakulteta, Univerza v Ljubljani
Department for Comparative Literature and Literary Theory,
Faculty of Arts, University of Ljubljana

  Slovensko društvo za primerjalno književnost
Slovenian Comparative Literature Association

  Društvo slovenskih pisateljev
19. Mednarodno literarno srečanje pesnikov, pisateljev in esejistov VILENICA 2004
19^th International Literary Gathering of Poets, Writers and Essayists

Kosovel: med etiko in poetiko
Kosovel: Between Ethics and Poetics  

(povzetki simpozija / symposium abstracts; razprave (pdf) / whole papers (pdf))

Lipica, 8.-10. september 2004

Vodji simpozija / Directors of the Symposium
Janez Vrečko, Boris A. Novak

Sodelavci / Participants
Darja Betocchi (Znanstveni licej F. Prešerna, Trst)
Marijan Dović (ZRC SAZU, Ljubljana)
Alenka Jovanovski (Filozofska fakulteta, Univerza v Ljubljani)
Marko Juvan (ZRC SAZU, Ljubljana)
Matevž Kos (Filozofska fakulteta, Univerza v Ljubljani)
Boris A. Novak (Filozofska fakulteta, Univerza v Ljubljani)
Darja Pavlič (Pedagoška fakulteta, Univerza v Mariboru)
Katia Pizzi (School of European Culture and Languages, University of Kent, Canterbury)
Bożena Tokarz (Šlezijska univerza, Katowice)
Janez Vrečko (Filozofska fakulteta, Univerza v Ljubljani)

Program / Programme (Lipica, hotel Maestoso)

Sreda, 8. septembra / Wednesday, September 8^th
18.30 Prihod udeležencev in večerja / Arrival of the participants, dinner  

Četrtek, 9. septembra / Thursday,  September 9^th
10.00-13.00   Referati / Speakers

-        B. A. Novak: Kosovel: velik pesnik in slab verzifikator / Kosovel: a Great Poet but a Poor Prosodist

-        D. Pavlič: Kosovel in moderna poezija: analiza podobja / Kosovel and Modern Poetry: an Analysis of Imagery

-        D. Betocchi: Analogije med poezijo S. Kosovela in C. Rebore: ali obstaja italijanski ekspresionizem? / Analogies Between S. Kosovel and C. Rebora, or: Is There Such a Thing as Italian Expressionism?

-        M. Juvan: S. Kosovel in hibridnost modernizma / S. Kosovel and the Hybridity of Modernism

13.30 Kosilo / Lunch 
15.00-18.00   Referati / Speakers

-        M. Kos:  S. Kosovel in nihilizem: poskus konstruktivne dekonstrukcije / S. Kosovel and Nichilism: An Attempt at Constructive Deconstruction

-        B. Tokarz: Ideja integrala v Kosovelovi poeziji / The Idea Behimd the Integral in Kosovel's Poetry

-        J. Vrečko: Srečko Kosovel in evropska avantgarda Srečko Kosovel and the European avant-garde /

Petek, 10. septembra / Friday, September 10^th

10.00-13.00:  Referati /Speakers        

-        K. Pizzi: Voices and Echoes from Italian Trieste  / Glasovi in odmevi iz italijanskega Trsta

-        M. Dović: Kanonizacija »odsotnega« avtorja / Canonization of the Absent Author

-        A. Jovanovski: Kosovelov kritični odnos do premikov v estetskem izkustvu / Kosovel's Critical Stance Towards the Shift in the Aesthetic Experience

Drugi mednarodni komparativistični simpozij, ki poteka v sklopu že tradicionalne Vilenice, je v letu stote obletnice rojstva Srečka Kosovela (1904 – 1926) posvečen prav temu pesniku. Čeprav je umrl že pri dvaindvajsetih letih, njegov nenavadno bogat opus obsega mehke, poznosimbolistične pesmi, v katerih opeva lepoto kraške pokrajine, vendar tudi radikalno eksperimentiranje, ki se navdihuje pri futurizmu, konstruktivizmu in dadaizmu. Po eni strani njegova poetika zaobjema globok in boleč izraz bivanjske izkušnje, po drugi strani pa vključuje močan element angažmaja in oznanja bratstvo vseh ljudi in stvari v kozmosu. Srečko Kosovel si zasluži častno mesto v galeriji evropskih pesnikov 20. stoletja, zato se bomo osredotočili na njegovo mesto in vlogo v zgodovini evropske zgodovinske avantgarde. Glavni poudarek naj bi torej bil na primerjalnoliterarnih vidikih Kosovelove poetike, h kateri pa bomo pristopili še nekoliko drugače, namreč z osvetlitvijo pesnikove poudarjeno etične drže.

The 2^nd Vilenica International symposium of comparative literature is dedicated to the work of Srečko Kosovel (1904-1926) – it is organized in the context of the celebration of the 100^th anniversary of his birth. Although he died at the age of 22, his incredibly rich opus ranges from mellow, late symbolist poems praising the beauty of his native Karst landscape to the radical experiments with poetic language parallel to futurism, constructivism and dadaism, as well as from the articulation of the deep and painful existential experience to direct political messages prophesizing the universal brotherhood of men. Believing that Kosovel deserves an honourable place in the gallery of the prominent European avant-gardists of the time, we would like to concentrate our discussions on his place and role in the history of the avant-garde. Our main goal is, therefore, to open the discussion about the comparative aspects of Kosovel's poetics, but we will do it also discussing about the poet's emphasized ethical stance.

Četrtek, 9. septembra, 10.00 – 13.00  

Boris A. Novak

Kosovel, velik pesnik in slab verzifikator

Večina zgodnjih Kosovelovih pesniških besedil, ki jih slovenska literarna zgodovina z ne preveč natančno oznako imenuje »impresionistična lirika«, sodi po formalnih razsežnostih v okvir tradicionalne verzifikacije, točneje: v obdobje njenega razkrajanja in zatona. Gre za vezano besedo, določeno z metričnimi zakonitostmi silabotonične verzifikacije, ki so pa že zrahljane in kažejo v smer prostega verza.

Pesniški jezik v teh pesmih je zelo preprost: verzni ritem je utemeljen na najbolj pogostih in priljubljenih metrih, podedovanih iz dolge tradicije, za evfonijo so značilne že neštetokrat slišane in zlizane rime, kompozicija pesmi pa je členjena v najbolj razširjene  kitične oblike (najpogosteje štirivrstičnice).

Še posebej je zanimiva Kosovelova raba rime: njegov slovar rim je – če naj bomo povsem iskreni – izjemno reven, s prevlado tako imenovanih glagolskih rim. (Med vsemi besednimi družinami je zaradi sovpadanja končnic glagole v slovenščini najlaže rimati, rime, ki so prelahke, pa so pomensko – in torej tudi zvočno – revne.) Kot da Kosovel nenehno ponavlja rime, ki se jih je na pamet naučil iz pesniškega kanona slovenske poezije 19. stoletja. Pri vsakem drugem, manj nadarjenem sočasnem pesniku bi zatekanje k tako znanim in domačim verznim končnicam pomenilo znamenje obupno sentimentalne, zastarele in konzervativne poetike. Pri Kosovelu pa te neštetokrat uporabljene in zlorabljene rime nenadoma zazvenijo drugače, sveže, umetniško pristno. Znotraj okvirov tradicionalne verzifikacije se zgodi tih, a globok in daljnosežen prelom: drugačna raba jezika tudi tem podedovanim ritmom in rimam podeli nov zven in pomen (kajti v poeziji je zven vselej tesno povezan s pomenom).

Skratka: korpus Kosovelovih pesmi, napisanih v vezani besedi, nam ponuja obilo šolskih primerov, da umetniško močna poezija ni vselej zgrajena na enako spretni verzifikaciji. Srečko Kosovel je slab verzifikator in velik pesnik. K sreči verzifikacija v poeziji ni vse.

Boris A. Novak

Kosovel: A Great Poet But a Poor Prosodist

The majority of Kosovel's early poems, which the Slovenian literary history has unsatisfactorily brought under the label of “impressionist lyrical poetry”, formally fall within the framework of traditional versification, more precisely: they belong to the period of its disintegration and demise. Awkward in prosody, young Kosovel somewhat weakened the traditional accentual-syllabic versification, thus bringing it closer to free verse.

In this segment of his poetry, Kosovel's poetic language is very simple: verse rhythm is derivative of the most common and popular meters taken from the long-standing tradition, the verse endings are marked by hackneyed, unoriginal rhymes, and the poems’ compositions frequently divide into the most prevalent stanza structure (most often quatrains).

Particularly interesting is Kosovel's use of rhyme: his rhyme dictionary is – to be quite honest – extremely poor, with the prevalence of the so-called verbal rhymes. (Of all the parts of speech in the Slovenian language, verbs are the easiest to rhyme because of their corresponding inflections, and easily-formed rhymes tend to be semantically and – therefore – musically poor.) It is almost as though Kosovel were endlessly repeating rhymes he had learnt from the poetic cannon of the 19^th-century Slovenian poetry. For any other, less talented poet of Kosovel’s time, drawing on such familiar and worn-out domestic stock of rhyme endings would be a clear sign of a grossly sentimental and conservative poetics. Not so with Kosovel: in his verses, these rhymes, used and abused a thousand times, suddenly ring out in a different, fresh and artistically authentic quality. The traditional versification has thus received a silent, but a deep and far-reaching break: different usage of poetic language has breathed new sound and meaning into these inherited rhythms and rhymes (clearly showing that sound and meaning in poetry are always closely bound together).

In short: this segment of Kosovel's poetry offers plenty of textbook examples which show that great poetry does not necessarily rest on skilled versification. Srečko Kosovel is a poor prosodist, and yet a great poet. Fortunately, in poetry versification is not all.  

Darja Pavlič

Kosovel in moderna poezija: analiza podobja

Analiza podobja na strukturni ravni je pokazala, da je Kosovel sredst­va t. i. moderne metaforike uporabljal samo v manjšem delu svoje poezije. V "Integralih" je mogoče najti precej drznih metafor, nekaj primerov absolutne metafore ("enooka riba", "zeleni žabji kralj", "skrunilci sonca") in posamezne primere "analogij" oz. "identifikacijskih podob" ("moja misel - elektrika", "sonce, admiral"), kar pa je veliko premalo, da bi Kosovela lahko povezali s futurizmom ali nadrealizmom. Simbolističnih simbolov, ki izražajo horizontalne korespondence, Kosovel ni uporabljal, izjema sta "klavir" in "jezero". Kosovel je uporabljal veliko t.i. naravnih simbolov, toda njihov pomen je konvencionalen in največkrat dešifriran. Poleg naravnih je uporabljal tudi biblijske simbole, ni pa preoblikoval mitoloških simbolov ali spajal abstraktnega s konkretnim (izjema je "klavir"), kar je po mnenju Anne Balakian bistvena značilnost simbolizma. Kosovel je simbole največkrat vključeval v metafore ali kompara­cije, t.i. čistih simbolov je malo. Uporabljal je veliko deskriptivnih podob. Velik del Kosovelove poezije je bližji realizmu (predvsem v čistih impresijah) in romantiki (predvsem v pesmih, ki izražajo podobnost med naravo in človekom) kakor simbolizmu.

Ob slovnični analizi modernih metafor je Hugo Friedrich opozo­ril na približevanje k popolni identifikaciji dveh predmetov ali členov. V skupino identifikacijskih metafor moder­nega tipa pri Kosovelu sodijo tiste redke metafore, ki so nastale z apozicijo. Njegove genitivne metafore so še povsem tradi­cionalne. Tehnike prelivanja v njegovi poeziji nismo zasledili.

Na kompozicijski ravni so za simbolistično poezijo značilne mreže simbolov, teh pa Kosovel ni uporabljal. "Integrali" so primer montaže disparatnih podob. Pobudo za tak način pesnjenja je Kosovel lahko dobil iz različnih virov, saj je značilen za vsa modernistična gibanja. Kosovel je mestoma uporabljal tudi nomi­nalni stil, vendar je, kot opozarja Lado Kralj, pravi zgled nominalnega stila v slovenskem ekspresionizmu Voduškova pesem "Mesto v noči". V Kosovelovi poeziji je - poleg povezanosti podob na tematski ravni - močan kohezivni element predvsem lirski subjekt. Impersonalne so samo nekatere pesmi iz "Integralov".

Motivna območja, iz katerih je Kosovel največ zajemal, so: rože, živali, voda, sonce, mesec, noč, zvezde, nebo, srce, duša, religiozne podobe, glasba, tehnika. Ker se isti motivi pojavljajo v različnih smereh in gibanjih, presoje o tem, v katero smer ali gibanje spada Kosovelova poezija, ne moremo opreti samo na katalog podob. Če upoštevamo tematsko funkcijo posameznih podob, lahko ugotovimo predvsem sorodnost z romantično in ekspresionistično poezijo.

Darja Pavlič

Kosovel and Modern Poetry: An Analysis of Imagery

A structural analysis of Kosovel's imagery showed that he used the tools of the so-called modern figures of speech only in the smaller segment of his poetry. “Integrals” boast a good many bold metaphors, a few specimens of the absolute metaphor (“a one-eyed fish”, “a green frog king”, “desecrators of the sun”) and individual instances of “analogy” or “identification images” (“my thought – electricity”, “the sun, admiral”) – which is not enough to link Kosovel with futurism or surrealism. Kosovel did not use symbolistic symbols which would express horizontal correspondences, the two exceptions being “piano” and “lake”. Kosovel used a lot of the so-called natural symbols, but their meaning tends to be conventional and most often transparent. He also employed Biblical symbols, but did not draw on mythological symbols or fuse the abstract with the concrete (with the exception of “piano”), which is – according to Anna Balakian - a fundamental trait in symbolism. Kosovel tended to subsume symbols into metaphors or similies; there are few “pure” symbols to be found in his poetry. He used a lot of descriptive images. The major part of his poetry is more akin to realism (especially that with pure impressions) and romanticism (particularly in those poems expressing similarities between man and nature) than to symbolism.

In subjecting modern metaphors to a grammatical analysis, Hugo Friedrich observed a shift towards a total identification between two objects or entities. The only metaphors in Srečko’s opus to fall into this category of identification metaphors are those emerging from juxtaposition. His genitival metaphors are still utterly traditional. We have not been able to detect in his poetry the usage of the merging technique.

On the level of composition, symbolic poetry is characterised by a network of symbols, which Kosovel never employed. “Integrals” exemplify a montage of disparate images. Kosovel could have been inspired to write in such a way from a number of different sources, since this was characteristic of all modernist movements. Occasionally he also resorted to the nominal style, though the poem to qualify as the prime example of the nominal style in Slovenian expressionism is – according to Lado Kralj – “A Town at Night” by Vodušek. The main cohesive element in Kosovel’s poetry, besides that of the thematic connectedness between images, is the lyric subject. Only a few poems from the collection “Integrals” are impersonal.

Kosovel drew most extensively from the following motive clusters: flowers, animals, water, the sun, the moon, night, the stars, heart, soul, religious images, music, technology. Since the same motives can appear in different literary trends and movements, it is impossible to situate Kosovel into a particular movement solely on the basis of the catalogue of imagery he used. By taking into account the thematic function of his images, Kosovel is above all seen to bear the closest relationship with romantic and expressionist poetry.

Darja Betocchi

Analogije med poezijo S. Kosovela in C. Rebore: ali obstaja italijanski ekspresionizem?

Na vprašanje, ali obstaja italijanski ekspresionizem, sodobna italijanska literarna kritika odgovarja pritrdilno, saj pripisuje delom mladih literatov, ki so začeli objavljati v florentinski reviji La voce (1908–1914, 1914-1916) in so zato znani pod imenom “ i vociani”, izrazite ekspresionistične slogovne in tematske značilnosti. Kritika Segre in Martignoni (Testi nella storia 4, La letteratura italiana dalle Origini al Novecento, 2001) trdita celo, da so “najboljši ‘vociani’ predstavljali resnično literarno avantgardo predvojnega obdobja”. Navedena ocena zveni tendenciozno in je verjetno ideološko pogojena; po drugi strani pa se poraja vprašanje, ali ni morda nekoliko preveč radikalna tudi trditev, da “italijanska literatura nima nobene tekstualne baze, da bi jo lahko označili za ekspresionistično” (Lado Kralj, Ekspresionizem, 1986).

V svojem referatu skušam načeti vprašanje o upravičenosti oz. neupravičenosti zgoraj navedenih ocen o obstoju italijanskega ekspresionizma. Kot eksemplaričen primer (domnevnega) italijanskega ekspresionizma navajam enega izmed najbolj uglednih in tipičnih “vocianov”, milanskega pesnika Clementeja Reboro (1885-1957). Pisma in pesmi, ki jih je napisal do leta 1926 oz. 1927 sem analizirala in jih primerjala s Kosovelovim opusom. Vodilo moje komparativne analize je bilo seveda iskanje skupnih in sorodnih ekspresionističnih prvin.

Zaradi potrebe po sintezi sem svojo primerjalno analizo z vsebinskega vidika omejila na tri tematske sklope, ki so najbolj značilni za literarni ekspresionizem, in sicer: prvič, zavest o krizi in polemika proti sodobni civilizaciji; drugič, občutek osamljenosti in samote, bivanjskega nesmisla, odtujenosti, notranje disharmonije in razklanosti, izgube identitete, skratka, t.i. “disociacije subjekta”; tretjič,  reakcije na zgoraj navedeno počutje, se pravi po eni strani poveličevanje preroške funkcije pesnika in odrešilne vloge poezije, po drugi strani pa oznanjevanje zatona sodobne civilizacije in rojstva novega sveta ter novega človeka.

Rezultati analize so pokazali, da so v Reborovi poeziji prisotne vse zgoraj navedene tematike in motivi; včasih je podobnost s Kosovelovimi pesmimi celo  presenetljiva (npr. motiv katastrofalne povodnji in rojstva novega sveta).

Slogovna analiza pa še dodatno krepi tezo o Reborovem ekspresionizmu.

Kaže pa, da Rebora – kot tudi drugi “vociani” - (obratno od Kosovela) ni poznal nemškega ekspresionizma. Poleg tega pa sta se literarna izkušnja “vocianov” in pojav nemškega ekspresionizma razvila istočasno, kar glede na slabo obveščenost italijanskih književnikov o nemški sodobni literaturi še dodatno izključuje možnost kakršnega koli vpliva nemškega ekspresionizma na “vociane”.

Na začetno vprašanje lahko torej verjetno odgovorimo na sledeči način: o ekspresionizmu kot pravem literarnem gibanju v Italiji ni mogoče govoriti; mogoče pa je govoriti o močni prisotnosti ekspresionističnih prvin pri posameznih avtorjih. Njihove včasih presenetljive analogije z nemškim oz. slovenskim ekspresionizmom izvirajo iz skupne zaznave kulturno-zgodovinske krize tedanje zahodne civilizacije.

Darja Betocchi

Analogies Between S. Kosovel And C. Rebora, or: Is There Such a Thing as Italian Expressionism?  

According to contemporary Italian literary criticism, there are examples of both futurism and expressionism to be found in Italian literature. Segre and Martignoni detect explicit expressionist characteristics of style and themes in the work of the so-called 'poeti vociani', who were first published in the Florentine review La voce (1908–1914, 1914–1916). In fact, they go as far as to say that "the best 'vociani' represented the true literary avant-garde of the pre-WWI period (Testi nella storia 4, La letteratura italiana dalle Origini al Novecento, 2001)." Their opinion seems rather tendentious, if not ideologically biased, but one can equally question the somewhat radical thesis of Kralj which claims a total absence of expressionistic texts in Italian literature (Lado Kralj, Ekspresionizem, 1986).

A close analysis of poems and letters of C. Rebora (1885-1957), one of the most eminent "poeti vociani", puts such propositions about the existence of Italian Expressionism to the test. Comparing Rebora's opus (up to 1926/27) with the opus of S. Kosovel, I searched for any shared expressionist elements, taking the major three Expressionist themes as the guideline clusters for my analysis: 

-        an awareness of crisis and a revolt against modern civilization;

-        feelings of loneliness, solitude, existential meaninglessness, alienation, inner disharmony, loss of identity, in other words – "dissociation of the subject".

-        responses to these feelings: either glorifying poet’s prophetic function and praising the soteriologic role of poetry, or profesying the demise of the European civilization and announcing the birth of a new world and new man.

Rebora's poetry deals with all these themes, revealing, at times, a striking similarity with certain motives in the poetry of S. Kosovel. Despite the fact that the stylistic analysis also confirms the thesis about Rebora's Expressionism, there is not enough evidence to show that Rebora – along with other "vociani" poets – was familiar with German Expressionism. This, on the contrary, cannot be said of Kosovel.

The lack of influence of German Expressionists on the Italian "vociani" may be explained first by the simultaneous appearance of the "vociani" poets and the German expressionists on the literary scene; and second by scarce information on contemporary German literature among the Italian writers at the time. Any possibility of German literature influencing the "vociani" poets should thus be excluded.

To conclude: Expressionism as a literary movement proper did not exist in Italy. It is, however, possible to talk about strongly present expressionist elements in certain authors of the period. The surprising analogies observed between German and Slovenian Expressionism can, on the other hand, be explained by a general awareness of the culturo-historical crisis of the Western civilization of the time. 

Marko Juvan

Srečko Kosovel in hibridnost modernizma

Zaradi anomalij v distribuciji in recepciji pesniških tekstov Srečka Kosovela so se o njem oblikovale kontradiktorne predstave (zapozneli dedič slovenske moderne, ekspresionistični vizionar, radikalni avantgardist), literarna zgodovina pa se je soočila s problemom, kako periodizirati njegov heterogeni opus. V Kosovelovih poetikah (impresionistično-simbolistični, ekspresionistični, proletkultovski, avantgardistični in modernistični) se sicer očitno spreminja model pesniške komunikacije: gre za preseganje estetske avtonomije in odpiranje pesniškega teksta za govorice, sporočila, tekste, teme in podobe sodobnega sveta. Toda Kosovel si je svojo pesniško identiteto do konca življenja vzpostavljal prav v hibridni koprezenci raznorodnih poetik, ki se je ne da vkleniti v tradicionalno literarnozgodovinsko naracijo o razvoju in prelomih. V tem vidim ne samo značilno mladostniško iskanje 'svojega izraza', temveč pomemben simptom modernizma – modernistično večjezičnost, relativizem, ambivalenco, prezentizem in perspektivizem. Hibridnost stilov in poetik je ena izmed razpoznavnih potez umetnosti modernizma, pojavlja se tudi znotraj opusov posameznih avtorjev.

Marko Juvan

Srečko Kosovel and the Hybridity of Modernism  

The anomalies in the distribution and reception of Srečko Kosovel's poetry texts have engendered various contradictory perceptions of the poet (as a belated heir of Slovenian Impressionism, an expressionist visionary, a radical avant-garde author), and literary history had to face the problem of the periodisation of Kosovel's heterogeneous oeuvre.

Kosovel's poetics (impressionist and symbolistic, expressionist, proletarian, avant-garde and modernist) do reveal perceptible changes in their model of poetic communication, in which the author aims to transcend aesthetic autonomy and open up his text to the various discourses, texts, messages, themes and images of the modern world. But Kosovel – throughout his entire life –  forged his own poetic identity precisely through the hybrid coexistence of diverse poetics; thus his identity refuses to be contained within the narrow bounds of the traditional historical narrative of literary evolution and breaks. This reveals not only a youth's search for his own “authentic expression”, but constitutes an important symptom of modernism – modernist heteroglossia, relativism, ambivalence, presentism and perspectivism. Stylistic and poetic hybridity is one of the trademarks of modernist art; it can emerge also within the oeuvre of an individual author.

Četrtek, 9. septembra, 15.00 – 18.00

Matevž Kos

Kosovel in nihilizem: poskus konstruktivne destrukcije 

Prispevek se loteva vprašanja Kosovelovega odnosa do nihilizma. Natančneje: kaj je Kosovel razumel pod tem pojmom, ki ga je sam poznal in uporabljal, in v kakšni smeri je nihilistično problematiko skušal preseči. V tem kontekstu se razprava ustavlja zlasti ob Kosovelovem odnosu do Nietzscheja, kakor ga lahko rekonstruiramo s pomočjo Kosovelovih formulacij v njegovih pismih in dnevniških zapiskih. S pomočjo teh navedkov se da podrobneje argumentirati tezo, da za Kosovela alternativa nihilizmu ni volja do moči kot aktivno počelo življenja v Nietzschejevem smislu, temveč gre Kosovelovo prizadevanje v drugačni smeri. Pesnik govori namreč o etični revoluciji, ki je obenem duhovna revolucija, in sicer ne v imenu nadčloveka kot izpostavljene in osamljene figure volje do moči, ampak v imenu novega človeka, novega človečanstva in njegovih moralnih atributov.

Če Nietzsche odpravlja moralno razlikovanje med dobrim in slabim in nasploh moralo kot tako (morala je nemorala), pa je Kosovelova zahteva ravno nasprotna: gre mu za poudarjeno etično-moralno držo, saj se mora človek – človek kot etični subjekt – vsakič znova odločati med dobrim in zlim, pravičnim in krivičnim. Od tod tudi Kosovelove besede o človeku kot »poosebljenem etosu«.

Nietzsche ni ključna oseba, ki bi odpirala vrata Kosovelovega pesniškega sveta. Je pa v Kosovelovem odnosu do Nietszcheja neka pomenljiva ambivalenca. K tej ambivalenci je svoje prispevalo tudi tisto, čemur bi lahko rekli nehote napačno razumevanje Nietzscheja.  

Matevž Kos

Kosovel and Nihilism: an Attempt at Constructive Deconstruction

The paper proceeds with the question of Kosovel’s attitude towards nihilism. More precisely: what Kosovel understood under this term, which he was acquainted with and himself used, and in what sense did he try to transcend the subject of nihilism. In this context, the discussion primarily turns on Kosovel’s attitude towards Nietzsche, as far as it can be reconstructed with the help of Kosovel’s own formulations in his letters and dairy entries. On the bases of these, it is possible to advance the thesis that the alternative to nihilism for Kosovel was not “will to power” as the active life principle in Nietzsche’s sense. Kosovel’s aspirations followed a different path. Namely, the poet spoke of the ethical revolution, which was simultaneously a spiritual revolution, but not in the name of superman as an exposed, isolated figure of will to power, but in the name of new man, new humanity and its moral attributes.

If Nietzsche abolishes the moral differentiation between good and bad and morality as such (morality is immoral), Kosovel’s endeavours go in the opposite direction: he aspires for a pronounced ethical and moral stance, since man – man as an ethical subject – needs to decide between good and bad, justice and injustice every time anew. It is in this light Kosovel’s formulation of man as “ethos incarnate” should be understood.

Nietzsche is not the key figure to open the doors into Kosovel’s poetic world. And yet in Kosovel’s perception of Nietzsche there is some kind of a significant ambivalence. This ambivalence was in a way bolstered by what could be referred to as an unintentional misreading of Nietzsche.

Bożena Tokarz

Ideja integrala v Kosovelovi poeziji

Podobno kot še mnogo avantgardističnih ustvarjalcev je tudi Kosovel verjel v omejenost sveta in človeka, Zemlje in Vesolja. Poezija je bila zanj izraz občutljivosti, razuma, čustev in človekovega vživljanja. Pomenila mu je vir estetskih doživetij in sredstvo spoznavanja. V želji, da bi se približal celostnemu človeku, je videl potrebo po umetniški analizi in sintezi pojavov, čemur m.dr. ustrezajo konsi in integrali; te literarne parazvrstne oblike vsebujejo njegova estetsko-nazorska iskanja.

Integral je v slovenskem jeziku oznaka za matematično-fizični pojem, katerega analitično-sintetično uporabnost je Kosovel odkril v obdobju svojih konstruktivističnih iskanj. Integral je namreč izid procesa integriranja, ki temelji na iskanju prvotne funkcije s pomočjo izpeljane. Z izpeljavo funkcija omogoča odkriti prvotno ali prvotnejšo informacijo s kar najmanjšim številom neznank. S procesom integriranja raziskujemo nekaj, kar je hkrati samostojen pojav in izpeljava drugega, pomembnejšega oz. temeljnega, vsebuje torej informacijo o nečem, kar je prvotnejše.

Na tak način je dana povezanost in kontinuiteta pojavov, ki neposredno ni opazna. Konsi vsebujejo na videz neodvisne elemente (so izpeljave); z njimi skuša pesnik m. dr. v integralih priti do celostnega človeka, do bistva človečanstva, torej do prvinskega človeka.

Bożena Tokarz

The Idea behind the Integral in Kosovel's Poetry  

Like many avant-garde artists, Kosovel believed in the connection between world and man, the Earth and the Universe. He regarded poetry as an expression of human sensitivity, man’s reason as well as his emotional and emphatic faculties. Thus, he recognized the aesthetic, as well as gnoseologic value of poetry. In striving towards the integral human being, he saw the need for art and literature to analyse and synthesise life phenomena. His efforts resulted in poems denominated as "konsi" (“cons” poems) and "integrali" (integrals) – both of which encapsulate his aesthetic search as well as his Weltanschauung.

The word integral designates a concept belonging to the fields of mathematics and physics. Kosovel discovered its analytic and synthetic usefulness in the period of his constructivistic experiments. Integral is the outcome of the process of integration, in which the primary function is determined with the aid of a derived one. The derived function enables the discovery of a primary and more elementary piece of information on the basis of the smallest possible number of unknowns. The process of integration is therefore used for researching what is simultaneously an autonomous phenomenon and a derivative from another, more elementary or fundamental phenomenon.

This yields a sense of the interconnectedness of phenomena and their continuity, which is not always immediately apparent. Kosovel's "cons" poems include elements that seem to be autonomous, but are, in fact, derivatives. The poet subjects them to the process of integration in order to reach or construct the integral human being, the essence of humanity, that is, the quintessential human being.

Janez Vrečko

Srečko Kosovel in evropska avantgarda

Kosovel velja za osrednjo osebnost slovenske zgodovinske avantgarde, ki je sintetizirala raznolikost evropskih gibanj dvajsetih let in ustvarila simbioze, ki pomenijo posebnost v evropskem konstruktivizmu in najradikalnejši pesniški eksperiment dotlej na Slovenskem. Iz Kosovelove korespondence v letih 1924 - 1925 je mogoče prepričljivo pokazati, da je bila pomemben posrednik pri tem revija Zenit. Po vrnitvi prijatelja Grahorja iz Sovjetske zveze ga je ta lahko seznanil z načeli ruskega literarnega konstruktivizma. Poslej so  njegovi konsi nastajali v znamenju gruzifikacije in fokusizacije, dveh temeljnih načel Literarnega centra konstruktivistov. Ker svojih "konsov" ni mogel  družbeno funkcionalizirati, se je Kosovel poleti začel naglo usmerjati k politični levici in s tem k socialnorevolucionarni poeziji. Za prehod od konstruktivizma h "konstruktivnosti" si je najprej izbral področje proze: snoval je romana An-Arh in Kraševci, serijo zbirk z naslovom Integrali in založbo "Strelci". Pri tem pa ni sprejel modela sovjetskega proletkulta, zato bi ga smeli imeti za začetnika t.i. "spora na levici".

Janez Vrečko

Srečko Kosovel and the European avant-garde

Literary historians agree about Kosovel's central place in the context of the Slovenian historic avant-garde. His work, a synthesis of the various literary movements in Europe in the 1920s, is not only the most radical poetic experiment in Slovenian literature before the Second World War, but also deserves a special place within the European constructivist movement. The author's correspondence in the year 1924-25 testifies to the prominent role of the journal “Zenit” (“Zenith”) in mediating between Kosovel and the wider European literary influences. The return of his friend Grahor from the Soviet Union brought Kosovel into contact with Russian literary constructivism. Thereafter, his “cons” poems were heavily influenced by the two basic poetic concepts of the Russian Literary Centre of Constructivists: "gruzification" (the principle of maximum loading of the poem) and focalisation. But Kosovel was aware of the fact that he could not put his “cons” poems to social use. This explains his sudden and rapid turn towards Marxism and communism in the summer of 1925 and in this way also towards socio-revolutionary poetry. This transition from constructivism to “constructiveness” as a new phase in Kosovel’s poetic evolution, however, was to be first carried out in the field of prose fiction: thus, he sketched an outline for two novels, An-Arh (An-Arch) and Kraševci (The Karst People). At the same time he was also fully engaged with setting up the publishing house “Strelci” (Riflemen) with the aim to publish a series of poetry books named “Integrali” (Integrals). It is significant that Kosovel did not blindly accept the model of the Soviet “prolet-kult”, for which he deserves to be seen as the initiator of the so-called “left-wing conflict” – long before it was provoked by Kocbek and others.

Petek, 10. septembra, 10.00 – 13.00  

Katia Pizzi

Glasovi in odmevi iz italijanskega Trsta

Prispevek se osredotoča na italijanski Trst in na kar se le da obširen korpus sočasne tržaške pesniške produkcije, da bi tako razprl pogled na Kosovela "od zunaj". Posebno pozornost bom posvetila futuristični avantgardi: Marinetti, vodja italijanskih futuristov, je v Trstu videl futuristično mesto par excellence, prve futuristične soareje pa so v Gledališču Rosetti prirejali med leti 1909 in 1910. Futurizem je privlačil veliko skupino lokalnih umetnikov, med katerimi je nekatere (Carmelicha in Černigoja) Kosovel celo osebno poznal ali pa so mu bili blizu. Podobno velja za pesnika Sanzina in Milettija, ki sta se navdušeno predajala futurističnim jezikovnim eksperimentom in narodnostnim oziroma nacionalističnim tendencam futurističnega gibanja. V kontekstu tržaške poezije je prav tako izredno pomemben narodnostno obarvan tip romantične poezije: komparativistična obravanava bo ravno zato zajela tudi Slataperjev vitalistični pristop k skalnatemu/razklanemu Krasu izpred začetka prve svetovne vojne. V tržaško kulturno pokrajino dvajsetih in tridesetih let 20. stoletja pa sodi tudi nacionalistična poezija, ki se je pogosto uradno spogledovala s fašističnim režimom (Cambon, Corraj, Alma Sperante). Prispevek skratka osvetljuje dobršen del poezije v italijanščini, ki je nastajala v razburkanem, a (Slovencem?) večinoma sovražnem tržaškem kulturnem okolju, in na ta način ponuja bolj kot ne implicitno oceno o Kosovelovem mestu v kontekstu evropske avantgarde in prispevku njegove poezije k avantgardni umetnosti.

Katia Pizzi

Voices and Echoes from Italian Trieste

In focusing on Italian Trieste and, in particular, on as large as possible a corpus of Triestine poetry contemporary to S.Kosovel, my paper provides a perspective that is all peripheral and ‘outside’. Special attention is paid to the Futurist avant-garde: the Futurist leader Marinetti considered Trieste as Futurist city par excellence and the first Futurist soirees took place at Teatro Rossetti between 1909 and 1910. Futurism attracted a large group of local artists, some of whom (e.g. Carmelich and Cernigoj) were personally known by and became close to Kosovel, including the poets Sanzin and Miletti who espoused enthusiastically the Futurist linguistic experimentalism, as well as the movement’s national/nationalist tendencies. Poetry of national and romantic inspiration is also of fundamental importance: Slataper’s vitalist approach to the rugged Karst region, though pre-Great War, provides scope for comparative approaches. Nationalist poetry, much of which officially compromised with the Fascist regime (Cambon, Corraj, Alma Sperante), is equally integral to the Triestine cultural landscape of the 1920s and ‘30s. By shedding light on a significant portion of poetry in Italian arising from the vibrant, if largely hostile, cultural environment of Trieste, my paper invites an implicit rather than explicit assessment of Kosovel’s role and contribution to the European avant-garde.

Marijan Dović

Kanonizacija »odsotnega« avtorja

Avtor kot literarni proizvajalec je običajno neločljivo povezan z drugimi vlogami v literarnem sistemu: vlogo posrednika, sprejemnika in obdelovalca. Kosovelov primer se zdi s tega vidika še posebej zanimiv, saj kot literarni proizvajalec Kosovel ni dejavno posegal v sistemske odnose oziroma je vpliv tovrstnih posegov (redke objave, uredništva, grupiranje), ki jih je utegnil udejanjiti v kratkem času svojega življenja, zanemarljiv v primerjavi s tem, kar so za »Kosovela« storili tisti, ki so prevzeli nase vloge, ki jih v običajnih okoliščinah vsaj deloma prevzema, gotovo pa vsaj nadzira in usmerja, sam literarni proizvajalec. Zato je mogoče trditi, da je kanonizacija Kosovela, ki danes nesporno velja ne le za enega najboljših slovenskih pesnikov, temveč tudi za najradikalnejšega predstavnika zgodovinske avantgarde, potekala docela »mimo« njega. Kosovel je posmrtno zmagovito vstopil v literarno areno, a pri tem so odločilno vlogo odigrali drugi akterji v literarnem sistemu, saj natančnejših načrtov, kaj in kako storiti z obsežno in hierarhično neurejeno zapuščino, ni zapustil. Zato se zdi še posebej zanimiv za preučevanje različnih procesov v literarnem sistemu in vloge avtorja v njih. Hkrati pa je mogoče trditi, da večina dosedanjih obravnav Kosovela in njegovega dela spregleda ta pomemben kontekst in obravnava »Kosovela« kot nekaj vnaprej danega in razpoložljivega, kar zlahka vodi k poenostavitvam.

Marijan Dović

Canonisation of the “Absent” Author  

Author as a literary producer is inextricably linked with other related roles in a literary system: the role of a mediator, receiver, editor, critic. In this regard, Kosovel’s case seems particularly interesting, since as a literary producer Kosovel did not actively engage in systemic relations, or rather, the impact of his very few engagements in his short life (scarce publications, editorial work, socialising) is negligible in comparison to what was “done for” Kosovel by those who have taken it upon themselves to do what in normal circumstances is undertaken or at least directed and supervised by the literary producer him/herself. Thus it is possible to claim that the canonisation of Kosovel, today unanimously regarded as not only one of the best Slovenian poets but also the most radical representative of the historical avant-garde, had taken a course which totally “bypassed” the poet. Posthumously, Kosovel victoriously entered the literary arena, but the primary role was played by actors of the literary system other than him, for he did not leave behind any instructions as to what should be done with his extensive and hierarchically disordered legacy. For this reason he seems all the more interesting a case study for various processes in the literary system and the author’s role in them. By the same token, most discussions of Kosovel and his work to date have overlooked this important context, approaching “Kosovel” as something pre-given and at disposal, which can easily lead to simplifications.

Alenka Jovanovski

Kosovelov kritični odnos do premika v estetskem izkustvu  

Obravnava Kosovelovih pesmi z vidika recepcijske estetike se osredotoča na prelom v komunikativni zmožnosti estetskega izkustva, kolikor ga kaže pesnikov prelom z baržunasto liriko in iskanje novega pesniškega izraza. Referat gradi na razmerju med sprejemnikovo zaobrnjenostjo vase in razprtostjo v zunajestetsko polje. Kriza Kant-Schillerjeve sheme estetskega izkustva je avantgardiste vodila k poskusu, da bi sprejemnikovo nasladno zaobrnjenost vase prek revolucioniranja pesniške forme uravnotežili z razprtjem v družbo, v življenje samo. Kosovelovi konsi z ironizacijo "lepe duše" bralcu onemogočajo nasladno samozazrtost in ga silijo v estetsko distanco, od koder naj kritično presoja samega sebe in družbene norme. Nekateri konsi sicer uravnotežajo oba pola komunikativne zmožnosti estetskega izkustva, drugod zaradi prevlade estetske distance to ravnotežje ne uspe. Konstitucijo smisla teksta tu omogoča sprejemnikova poudarjena interpretativna dejavnost, vendar ta napor sovpada z naporom, da bi sprejemnik konstituiral lastno subjektiviteto. Ker je nasledek obojega zgolj (subjektiviteta kot) interpretacija, se sprejemnik znova ne razpre dovolj v družbo. Izhod iz takega stanja je Kosovel videl v socialističnem delovanju in v integralih, ob katerih bi sprejemnik kritični premislek o sebi in družbi pretvoril v akcijo in ga tako neposredno vgrajeval v družbo.

Alenka Jovanovski

Kosovel's Critical Stance Towards the Shift in the Aesthetic Experience

A reader's response analysis of Kosovel's poems focuses on the break in the communicative function of an aesthetic experience, in as much as this is suggested by the poet's shift away from his “velvety” lyrics in search of a new poetic expression. The paper's starting point is the relationship between the recipient's turning in on him/herself and his or her openness into the extra-aesthetic sphere. The crisis of the Kant-Schiller scheme of aesthetic experience led the avantgarde artists to revolutionise their poetic forms in an attempt to counterbalance the recepient's self-indulgent introspection with opening out into society, into life itself. Through ironisation of the “beautiful soul”, Kosovel's “cons” poems prevent the reader from indulging in introspection; rather they force him to adopt aesthetic distance, from where he/she is able to evaluate him/herself as well as the values of society. In some “cons” poems the two poles of the aesthetic experience's communicative function are in balance, but in others this balance is disrupted through too great an aesthetic distance. In these poems, the constitution of meaning is enabled through a pronounced interpretative activity on the part of the recipient, whereby the interpretative effort corresponds to the effort needed to constitute one's own subjectivity. Since the outcome of both is merely (selfhood as) interpretation, the recipient once again fails to open out into society to the satisfactory extent. Kosovel saw a way out from such a condition in socialist activity and in integrals, which would lead the recipient to transform his/her critical self-evaluation and an evaluation of his/her society into action, thereby directly incorporating it into society.