Literary Tram – Ulyanovsk City of Literature
By Dunedin UNESCO City of Literature | Posted:
The Ulyanovsk Literary Tram is an annual event that had its beginning in 2015. This project is extremely popular globally as it promotes the concept of fusing literature in urban places.
Ulyanovsk, this well-known Russian city, founded as Simbirsk, and was the birthplace of Vladimir Lenin (born Ulyanov) and was later renamed Ulyanovsk after Lenin’s death in 1924. It is also famous for its literary history and notable writers include Ivan Goncharov, Nikolay Yazykov and Nikolay Karamzin. Ulyanovsk was designated a UNESCO City of Literature in 2015.
Each year the Ulyanovsk Literary Tram travels around the city at night and passengers are treated to poems from around the globe, that have been translated into Russian and are then read by well-known Russian celebrities.
http://ulyanovskcreativecity.ru/en/news/literary-tram-2019-in-ulyanovsk-photos-and-video/
In 2020 Jenny Longstaff and David Howard took part in this annual celebration. The theme was ‘the rethinking of time, caused by the global pandemic”.
Literary tram 2020: Poets and Writers Represented
- Jenny Longstaff (Dunedin, New Zealand) - "Another Day’s Cycle" (translated Sergei Gogin)
- David Howard (Dunedin, New Zealand) - "Easy Piece for Beginners" (translated Sergei Gogin)
Poems selected for inclusion in 2021 related to the theme ‘New’ in response to the slight easing of restrictions globally relating to the COVID pandemic. Dunedin UNESCO City of Literature was represented by Iona Winter, David Howard and Carolyn McCurdie.
Literary tram 2021: Poets and Writers Represented
- Iona Winter (Dunedin, New Zealand) – “Waterfall” (translated Sergei Gogin)
- David Howard (Dunedin, New Zealand) – “Fitting” (translated Sergei Gogin)
- Carolyn McCurdie (Dunedin, New Zealand) – “Planting Cabbages” (translated Sergei Gogin)