If slam is the new poetry, is Majka the new Babits?

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If slam is the new poetry, is Majka the new Babits?
If slam is the new poetry, is Majka the new Babits?
Anonim

On April 11, a huge line snaked in front of Corvintető in Budapest. This in itself would not be surprising, but it is even more so that the crowd wanted to get in so persistently not for a concert, but for a literary event. On Poetry Day, the joint presentation of the new volumes of three young writers - István Pion, Márton Simon and Mátyás Sirokai - titled Boys from the West Square was held here.

Even the choice of location already suggested that the event would not have the usual, coquettish and intimate atmosphere of such events. More than five hundred young people, most of whom were in their teens and twenties, took possession of the space, and the three authors were greeted by an ovation that sounded like rock stars. This is largely due to the fact that two of them are active and popular slammers, drawing crowds to the various slams week after week.

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The book launch was also attended by fans who otherwise would not have even set foot in such an event. The talk was followed by a reading with musical accompaniment: these guys are not kidding. They are professional, beautiful and skilled. "Listen, they say that slam is the new poetry," we can read in Simon Márton's text Mi új. But what makes young writers superstars? What is slam poetry anyway?

The guy next door

The history of slam poetry dates back to 1984, when a self-proclaimed poet from Chicago, Marc Smith, organized the first slam competition. The phenomenon soon completely outgrew itself and first gained national and then international popularity. Since then, anyone can participate in these competitions, regardless of whether the person is a poet, rapper, broker or university student. The text can be a maximum of three minutes, which will be scored immediately by the jury or the audience.

This form of poetry played an important role in Marc Levin's 1998 film Slam for the first time in cinemas. The 2002 film 8 Miles, starring Eminem, takes place in a similar environment, and it is not by chance: slam poetry is often compared to hip-hop, as it is on the border between music and poetry, which increases its consumption. At the same time, we find not only rhythmic matches: strongly system and social critical elements often appear in slam poetry as well. When the demand for this increases in a medium, then the popularity of slam poetry will certainly increase. In the basement room of Mika Tivadar Mulató in Budapest, slam championships have recently been organized every week, where known and unknown wordsmiths battle, with constant oversubscription and full houses. An amazing crowd, and in some cases more than fifty contestants - it's been a long time since a literary genre moved young people so much.

The competitions resemble a concert and a theater performance at the same time. The host's task is not only to confer with the contestants, he often speaks to the audience in rhymes. A slam can be open, themed, or invitation-based. The most common is the open competition, for which anyone can apply, and the contestants are passed on based on points, in a knock-out system. At the thematic evenings, by definition, texts must be written on a specific topic, which can be almost anything from current politics to abstract art.

The invitation-based competition is the rarest. This was, for example, the case of the 1st National Slam Poetry Championship held at the Trafó House of Contemporary Art in October 2012, and this will also be the case at József Attila Kör's Silent Child event at the Budapest International Book Festival on Saturday, April 20. The guests are usually already known slammers, such as Simon Márton, Péter Závada or Zsófi Kemény. They are like the nice guys next door. We believe them because they look like us.

Is Majka the new Babits?

Slam poetry is sometimes called SMS poetry: this term clearly shows that its popularity actually lies in its ability to adapt to the accelerated pace of life, take advantage of technological innovations, and sharply reflect on today's problems. The situation of universities and emigration are among the favorite topics of Hungarian slammers, as are the crisis, alienation, or relationship problems.

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High school and university students, who until now felt that literature was old and dusty, now feel addressed: it is easy to be enthusiastic about a poet who is standing in front of them, who is writing about their own life, and who is still young. As can be seen from the crowd gathered at the book launch, literature is slowly being released from the ivory tower, and the pathos of eternity is melting away from it. The presented volumes were not (only) about slam poetry, since one of its main characteristics is the live performance, the fast-paced and unrepeatable performance. Slam poetry is open, inclusive, fast and party.

Almost rap, but more like poetry, almost politics, but more like criticism, almost a genre, but more like a feeling of life. Here and now everyone is interested in your opinion, that's what slam poetry says. If you like, it can also be therapy: at least one evening you can talk about grievances, pain, disappointments, as well as success, joy and happiness. This is no longer fifteen, but three minutes of fame: that's all everyone really deserves.

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