Olga Zondberg. Poems. Translated by Josie von Zitzewitz

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Olga Zondberg. Poems. Translated by Josie von Zitzewitz

 
THE BOTTOM (WHAT WE STAND ON)
 
the victors

write history

by dipping

the tiny tails

of dead

kittens

in the victims’ blood
 

he survives who

stepped

farthest away from

the strongest man

for those close to him

nothing will ever

come to an end
 

TRAFFIC
 
at the door

to the event

space

a metal detector

ensures security
 

each day

I run past

and laugh so hard

I fear I’ll drop my

portable

one-person

sanctuary
 

DECAYING
 
well yes,

the devil

is in the detail
 

first a skeleton

leans in

for a hug
 

then a rabid

maw wants

a kiss

 

or a chat

while

decaying
 

that means

holding

hands
 

looking for

and concealing

the way
 

so that the smoke

won’t follow

close behind
 

AT MIDNIGHT
 
the clock has struck

a passage through the gloom

by feel
 

the fairy tale

feels

terrifying

 

the dance

feels

like the last
 

tenderness

feels

like shelter
 

DISPOSITION
 
everyone

not fleeing

is a shield
 

for defenders

to set up position

and shoot
 

during the wait for

the inevitable

return fire
 

there’s a moment

long enough

to fire off
 

a wish

for

survival
 

AND NIGHT
 
near her home

a woman

asks into her phone:

“was everything as usual

last night,

no shooting?”
 

in a dormitory town

in a bad dream

in an adjustment lesson

for the eternal flame

we are putting together

a sentence

containing the words
 

“as usual”

“to shoot”

and “night”
 

The Originals
 
ДНО (НА ЧЁМ СТОИМ)
 
победители

пишут историю

обмакивая

в кровь жертв

хвостики

мёртвых

котят
 

выживает

шагнувший

подальше от

сильнейшего

для ближних его

ничего никогда

не закончится
 
07.06.22

 
ТРАФИК
 
в пространство

для проведения

событий

на входе рамка

безопасности
 

каждый день

пробегая мимо

боюсь от смеха

уронить свой

переносной

одноместный

заповедник
 
06.10.22

 
СКВОЗЬ ТЛЕНИЕ
 
дьявол

ну да

в деталях
 

то скелет

обниматься

лезет
 

то пасть

бешеная

целоваться
 

или сквозь

тление

поговорить
 

значит

держать

за руку
 

искать

и прятать

дорогу
 

пока дым

не вышел

следом
 
12.10.22
 

ДИСПОЗИЦИЯ
 
за каждым

кто не бежит

как за щитом
 

засели

защитники

и стреляют
 

в ожидании

неизбежного

ответа
 

можно

вослед

выстрелам
 

успеть

пожелать

выжить
 
31.03.22

 
И НОЧЬ
 
возле дома

женщина

спросила

в телефон:

«а ночью было

нормально,

не стреляли?»
 

в спальном районе

в дурном сне

в классе коррекции

вечного огня

составляем

предложение

со словами
 

«нормально»,

«стрелять»

и «ночь»
 
16.10.22

About the Author:

Зондберг
Olga Zondberg
Moscow, Russia

Olga Zondberg’s poems were published in many journals, including Arion, Vestnik Europa, Vozdukh, Novoye Literaturnoe Obozrenie, Writers’ Union, Ural, the almanac Babylon, etc. Her books of poetry include “Book of Confessions” (1997), “Seven Hours One Minute” (2007), “In Spite of Unwillingness and Employment” (2017), “Chrysanthemums to the Basement Rat” (2022), “A Simple Outgoing Number” (2025), prose collections “Winter Campaign of Year Zero” (2000), “A Very Quiet Story” (2003), “Messages: Imerologio (2003-2008)” (2010), and “Messages: Graffiti” (2014). Her poems have been translated into English, Italian, and Czech.

About the Translator:

Josephine-von-Zitzewitz
Josephine von Zitzewitz
UK

Josephine von Zitzewitz is a scholar of Russian literature and translator specializing in Russian poetry. After working at the Universities of Oxford, Bristol, and Cambridge (UK) she is presently Marie Skłodowska Curie Fellow at UIT The Arctic University of Norway.

Olga Zondberg Ольга Зондберг
Bookshelf
Version 1.0.0
by Nina Kossman

 

A new book of poems by Nina Kossman. “When the mythological and personal meet, something transforms for this reader…” -Ilya Kaminsky

book one
by Sergii Mazurkevych

From the myths of the ancient Near East to the secluded palaces of forgotten empires, Harems: Origins and Eunuchs uncovers how the idea of the harem first emerged — not only as a symbol of power and beauty, but also as a reflection of human desire, faith, and control. With the precision of a historian and the sensitivity of a storyteller, Sergii Mazurkevych traces the hidden world of eunuchs, devotion, and intrigue that shaped entire civilizations. A thoughtful and visually rich journey into one of history’s most secret institutions.

100 pms war
by Julia Nemirovskaya, editor

This excellent anthology, compiled and edited by Julia Nemirovskaya, showcases poems by Russian (and Russian-speaking) poets who express their absolute rejection of Russia’s war against Ukraine.

Videos
Play Video
EastWest Literary Forum Bilingual Poetry & Prose Reading. July 13, 2025.
Length: 2 hrs. 08 min