The author Dana Ranga is fascinated by the endless expanses of space.
Now she has made a volume of poetry out of quotes from astronauts.
Completely weightless lyrics.
“Cocmos!” Is the name of Dana Ranga's new volume of poetry.
The author condensed quotes from astronauts into poetry.
Recordings from space complete this wonderful volume of poetry.
Little do we know about the line between life and death, about that last step from here to there.
But there are moments when this unknown area can be grasped concretely and also a little soberly, in space, for example.
"The wall / the station / is only a tiny 1.5 cm thick / made of aluminum," begins a poem in Dana Ranga's "Cosmos!"
At the end it says: "It is an / oppressive feeling / although you / get used to it at some point".
Dana Ranga was born in Bucharest in 1964
Shortly afterwards we accompany the cosmonaut Georgi Grechko on a mission in space.
"Outside / only a layer separates you / from resin or rubber / from space / When I was outside / I thought / the earth is 400 km away / and around me / is / that / nothing."
It is an unusual book that the author, who was born in Bucharest in 1964 and has lived in Berlin for many years, presents here.
For “Cosmos!” She condensed statements from astronauts into poetry.
That sounds simple, but it has an amazing effect.
The strict concentration in the form ensures when reading that - yes, let's call it that - an inner space expands.
With the book in hand, we can at least guess what the legendary US astronaut Story Musgrave means here: “The journey into space / is a journey of the spirit / why we fly into space / if not to find out something / about ourselves . "
About Story Musgrave, Dana Ranga made the film "Story" in 2003
The author spent a long time working with the now 85-year-old.
Musgrave, who was the only one who flew all five space shuttles, is at the center of her documentary film “Story” from 2003. The Romanian never let go of the endless expanses;
“Cosmonaut Polyakov” (2007) and “I am in Space” (2012) completed their space trilogy.
“Cosmos!” Is divided into three parts
For “Cosmos!” She now turns her gaze upwards again.
The volume is divided into three parts: the prologue takes place before the start, announces preparations as well as the biographies and sensitivities of the astronauts and cosmonauts.
In a touching poem Susan Helms recalls Sally Ride, the first American woman in space.
"She was so human / not an eccentric or / superwoman. / So I thought to myself / that it was within the scope / of the possibilities / because astronauts / yes / normal people / seem to be."
While the poems are left-aligned in the prologue, the texts in the main part float around a central axis and give an impression of weightlessness - "because the whole world / with you has to turn".
Due to its alignment to the right, the epilogue is firmly anchored again after its successful return.
"Cosmos!", The volume was supplemented with images of space from Nasa and Esa, not only demonstrates the ability to overcome boundaries, but also the most beautiful bookmaking art.
“Cosmos!” Brings together more than 80 poems
The more than 80 poems are not just completely detached reflections on being.
Wonderful humor flashes up (“You can't imagine / how much it is to clean / this station /”).
The German astronaut Thomas Reiter enables a new look at the perception of everyday life: "You need nine minutes / to fly over Europe / over / you put certain problems / political problems / into an appropriate perspective".
But the most impressive are those verses that tell of the enormous strength of every human being.
"I am my own world / in the now."
Information about the book:
Dana Ranga: "Cosmos!". Matthes & Seitz, Berlin, 114 pages; 20 Euros.
