AZURIA #10
In this, the tenth edition of Azuria, writers from Geelong, elsewhere in Australia and overseas, have explored the theme ‘In War and In Peace’. We tremble on the brink of disaster; there is a very real possibility for the war being waged by the present Russian regime to trigger a nuclear disaster, diplomacy and persuasion may fail to avert catastrophe in the Taiwan Straits, and all the while fire, flood and famine afflict many parts of our planet. We fear for our children and grandchildren.
These fears are reflected in the essays by Tania Lestal and Paul Morgan, the poetry of Grant Fraser, Julija Musakovska and Chris. Ringrose, and in the art of Mindaugas Simankevičius and Pauline Butler. Past conflicts still cast their shadows across the poems of Angela Costi, Christopher Konrad and Mocco Wollert.
Yet, our writers remain hopeful…
Guenther Sahr
This edition is themed “In Peace and In War” and pays respect to the war in Ukraine.
Lithuanian writers in this edition include:
Juratė Sasnaitis, Jura Riley, Mindaugas Simankevičius, Lidija Šimkutė, Dr. Eve Podžiunaitė Wicks, Irena Praitis, and Donaldas Kajokas.
Take only what is most important.
Take the letters. Take only what you can carry. Take the icons and the embroidery, take the silver,
Take the wooden crucifix and the golden replicas.
Take some bread, the vegetables from the garden, then leave.
Serhij Žadan
Azuria#10
205 pp.
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The Aggressor Next Door
Anti-Russian sentiment didn’t exist in Estonia prior to World War Two. In fact, many Russians like the Old Believers, sought refuge in Estonia to escape persecution in their homeland and they, like many other Russians lived peacefully in Estonia for generations. Estonia has always had a small Russian minority.
In 1939, eight percent of Estonia’s population were ethnic Russian and they lived normal lives in society, some of them serving in the Estonian armed forces and in public office. There was no inter-ethnic tension to speak of. It was only in 1940 when the Soviet Army invaded Estonia and began repressions that anti-Russian sentiment appeared.
For the past seventy-five years the words ‘never again’ referred to the civilized world’s vow never to allow the atrocities committed during World War Two to be repeated. Yet on 24 February 2022, Estonia’s Independence Day, the unthinkable happened, Russia invaded Ukrainia.
Image: M.Simankevičius