TUES JUNE 11
7.30p.m.-9p.m.
Hamilton Room,Central Branch, Hamilton Public Library
самизда́т
Samizdat
is a Russian word describing literature that must be written and copied
in secret. It describes literature that is shared and read through
clandestine distribution networks. This is writing that governments and
the ruling elite view as dangerous.
“I
was most happy when pen and paper were taken from me and I was
forbidden from doing anything. I had no anxiety about doing nothing by
my own fault, my conscience was clear, and I was happy. This was when I
was in prison.”
― Daniil Kharms, Today I Wrote Nothing: The Selected Writings
Our publishing house is called Samizdat Press, and we produce Hamilton Arts & Letters
magazine (HALmagazine.com). When we began this project, Samizdat was
very much on our minds. In this LitChat session we’re going to talk
about why.
Dostoyevsky
will face the firing squad. Satan will visit Moscow. There will be eggs
and false moustaches. Canadian history will be rewritten by the
Ministry of Truth.
Paul Lisson is a librarian at the Hamilton Public Library and the Editor of Hamilton Arts & Letters. He studied the History of Books and Printing with Desmond Neill. He studied Rare Books and Manuscripts with Richard Landon. He studied Russian History with R. H. Johnston. He misses these professors; they were great teachers and died too soon. Paul’s writing has appeared in The Beloit Poetry Journal, Prism, Descant, Mid-American Review, Versal magazine out of Amsterdam, and Rampike. He has written about libraries in the Soviet Union for the Canadian Library Journal.
