Poetryzine Magazine presents the interview with the English writer, author, publisher and artist Robin Barrat made by Irma Kurti
Writer, author, publisher and artist. Which of these passions attracts you more? May you divide one from the other?
At the moment my passion is publishing and promoting poetry to a global audience. For so many years, and in many cultures (especially in the West) poetry has been high-brow and elitist, and only written (and read) by intellectuals and academics. Poetry has also often been arrogant and insular; keeping at a distance those who have not studied poetry, or trained as a poet, and whose poetry doesn't conform to traditionalism. Not everywhere of course; many Asian and Middle East cultures poets are revered and poetry is literary food for the common people, but in many countries if you say you are a poet, or that you publish poetry, people don't really want to know. So, my quest is to try to change this a little; I think poetry should be for everyone, regardless of their background and experience, training or qualifications. It is a brilliant medium of expression; concise and precise and significant. In poetry you can deliver your message quickly and easily, and I like this a lot. Why read pages and pages of prose about something that can be described beautifully in just a few well-chosen words?
Do you remember the first moment when you began writing?
I didn't come from a literary background, nor a particularly educated one either. I don't think my parents ever once helped me with school work, or inspired or motivated me in any academic way whatsoever. Education didn't really interest them, so it was difficult for me to be interested in it too. However, I do remember having a love for words and writing stories when I was at junior school. But sadly, I had an unsettled and unhappy childhood, and like many unhappy children, had trouble focusing on school and education. At just seventeen years-old left home to live in a squalid bedsit with nothing but a coat as a blanket and a tin of beans as a meal and there my writing and publishing career ended, before it even began. It wasn't until many, many years later did my love for writing stories manifest itself once again when, in early 2004, I published my first book based on my experiences working in the security industry. I had a small security company, sold it in the year 2000, had a little money, took a year off and began writing. It took a year to write, and a couple of years to get published, but that first book became a best-seller (in its genre), which motivated me to do more, and have since gone onto publishing with Random House/Penguin, Constable Robinson and Mainstream. But still no poetry! It wasn't until I was living in Bahrain did the world of poetry enter my immediate environment. When I first arrived in the Kingdom, I formed the Bahrain Writers' Circle - just as a way of getting to meet other writers - but over time it grew and became one of the most significant writers' groups across the region. And from this The Second Circle was formed – focusing on poetry. I then compiled My Beautiful Bahrain, a collection of poetry and short prose about life and living in the Kingdom of Bahrain. And the rest is history; since that first title I have gone onto produce, compile and publish over 40 international anthologies, and have featured over 2000 poets from virtually every country worldwide.
When did you realize that writing would become a part of your life?
I think I realized writing would become a part of my life after my first book. I knew I no longer wanted to work in the security industry, and really didn't know what else to do - or rather what else to do that I could enjoy and have a passion for! And I loved my year off writing my book; every minute of every hour of every day. Plus, I was living in Moscow at the time, so writing my book looking out of my apartment window at the snow falling upon Moscow's streets was, for me, my Nirvana. I didn't want to do anything else, or be anywhere else. I left Moscow after a few months, but have been writing and publishing ever since.
You have created one of the largest and most important online platforms, THE POET. Can you tell us something more about it?
Before THE POET, I had already published a number of poetry collections including: Poetic Bahrain, and the acclaimed Collections of Poetry and Prose series of books. As we know, it is almost impossible for most poets to ever see their work published, or to have themselves internationally showcased. So, THE POET really comes from a sense of giving people an opportunity that they would not normally have; a chance to have their work published and their words read. Three years later, what started simply as an interest, and then something to fill my time under lockdown, has become so very popular, with over 1000 poets featured from 60 countries and over 100 interviews. THE POET also compiles and publishes some of the largest collections of poetry on particular themes and topics ever published. It has become a full-time commitment but a real struggle to keep it going, as it has almost no funding and virtually no income. But I have hundreds of emails every week from poets all around the world wanting to be showcased, so I have to keep at it!
The anthologies published by THE POET contain a vast number of poets and writers from all over the world. In your opinion, is there anything in common that connects the art and writing of all the poets and writers?
Poets are different, very different to other people, because they see the world differently, very differently; poetry is concise and precise, and because the world around us is not concise and precise, many poets I find struggle and are often troubled. Unlike writers of prose who can describe (and often beautifully) what they see, or experience, with hundreds if not thousands of words, poets have only a very limited number of words to convey meaning and substance to our experiences, emotions, thoughts and feelings. We have to be so selective, so careful, so precise, so exact. And that can be extremely challenging. Also, for many, their poetry is their escape. Reality is messy, chaotic, disorganized, wild, unfair, unkind, inhuman, whereas poetry is often very much the opposite. It brings order to the chaos outside. It brings serenity to the turbulence that surrounds us. It brings calm to the madness of the world in which so many people live. Poetry is a beautiful escape where just a few words can mean so much.
Can you share with us any memories or impressions from your extraordinary activity in bringing together and publishing the works of so many authors in English?
What I love about THE POET more than anything, are the emails I get every week from poets I have either featured on the website, or in one of its anthologies. People are often so excited and grateful; it is this that keeps me going. To bring a little joy to people on a daily basis is a wonderful thing. At the end of the day, it isn't what you do for yourself that matters, it is what you can do for others, and this is genuinely how I like to live my life. It often means I struggle, but if by doing so a light has shined in someone else's life, then that is all that matters.
We have been through a difficult period due to the pandemic. How did this affect your work as an author and editor?
The arts make us human, otherwise we will be just robots, in a bland, blank world, just working and sleeping and working and sleeping. Words and music and art are what makes the world beautiful, and humans kind. And poetry is part of this kind, human world.
I think the pandemic made so many people reflect on their own lives, and of course on the lives of friends, loved ones, and of society in general. And because of this, during the pandemic I wanted to publish a lot more poetry in order to try to show this impact the pandemic was having to individuals, and to give people a chance to share their thoughts, feelings and experiences with others.
Yours has been a long journey of great challenges and successes. Any advice for the beginners?
There are two main pieces of advice I can give aspiring poets. 1) - learn the techniques of writing poetry and, while you are doing this, 2) - write poetry every single day. You can't be a singer without singing, or a musician without learning an instrument, or an artist without learning to paint. And it is the same with poetry. You don't have to write a whole poem every day; as some poems can take days or weeks or even months to complete, but you do have to write something. This gets you thinking and living as a poet. Also, an extra piece of advice is to try and read a poem a day, and try different styles and periods and poetry from different countries and cultures. But just one poem a day, no more, and this will get you thinking about and examining different styles and types of poetry in a lot more detail. Sure, poetry can be mind-bogglingly confusing, but it can also be ever-so simple; choose what you feel most comfortable with and your passion for poetry will grow and develop into something remarkable.
Get writing!
Interviewed by Irma Kurti
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