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Friday evening, 24 January 2025, the United Nations Society of Writers, which I founded on 14 August 1989, together with Leonor Sampaio and Sergio Chaves, held its 30th poetry salon with 36 literature lovers in the audience and 16 readers -- including myself. True to our synergies with PEN Centre Suisse romand and the Société vaudoise des écrivains, they too were invitees.
Some photos of the evening can be viewed here
In its forthcoming 36th issue, the Ex Tempore board will be publishing a bouquet of the poems and short stories read at the salon. These will also appear on our website: www.extempore.chLiving and working in multicultural, multiethnic, multireligious Geneva, we all recognize that literature helps us celebrate the commonalities of human existence -- and facilitates our work for peace and understanding as envisaged in the UNESCO constitution.
At the salon we heard poetry in Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish. Alas we had no arabic-language readers this time -- which coincides with the cold and flu season in Geneva. Toward the end of the evening, I read one of my own poems -- with a Russian translation by the mother of one of my doctoral students at the Geneva School of Diplomacy.
The new president of the WHO "Poetry Garden", Dr. Ivana Knezevic, read poetry in Serbian with translation into French. The mood in the room was magic -- optimistic and fraternal -- a living prayer for peace, reconciliation and reconstruction.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ex_Tempore_(magazine)A lively event -- Aline Dedeyan, our thespian, was extremely funny. We started the evening with a CD of Neil Diamond's -- who celebrated on 24 January his 83rd birthday. For many of us, it was memory lane... Sweet Caroline! I also made reference that the building where we hold our ET salon is the "salle de paroise" of the Protestant Parish here in Crêts -- 64 square meters where during World War II the religious services were held and where catechism, the sewing club and many other parish events took place, including tennis and petanque. Our house was build in 1925, and we will be celebrating our centennial with another poetry reading in the not too distant future. Let us also not forget that 150 years ago Rainer Maria Rilke was born -- on 4 December 1875 in the center of Prague. Surely at his grandmother's palace on the Herrengasse, and not at the modest apartment on the Heinrichgasse, because Sophia Rilke had gone to visit her parents on 3 December and Prague was hit by a blizzard, unlikely that Sophia would have endeavoured to walk back to the Heinrichsgasse in the snow storm, being very pregnant at the time. Rainer -- actually René -- was born at dawn. Two hundred and fifty years ago Jane Austen of Pride and Prejudice was born (1775). And this year several greats would have turned 100, including Gore Vidal, Celia Cruz, Robert F. Kennedy, Paul Newman (died 2008), Richard Burton (died 1984). And Dick van Dyck of Mary Poppins and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang will be turning 100 later on this year.
Imagine – inverso mundus
Close your eyes and see the universe within,
explore in sleep the journey – end to origin.
Dream rhythms of the swaying trees,
drink perfumes of the balmy breeze.
Now listen to the siren call of your own muse,
sail safely through the songs that namelessly seduce.
Swim high in starry froth in blue celestial seas,
fly past the blinking underwater galaxies.
Touch hushed arpeggios of the vesper prayer
velvet-flavoured vestiges of incensed air.
Taste sweet nostalgia of your future memories,
the melancholy of continuous metamorphosis.
Imagine and transcend all trifles, glitter, gold,
embrace instead all generations, young and old.
Now, close your eyes – behold that deeper truth:
the universe renews and serenades of youth.
5 December -- Issue 35 of Ex Tempore is now in print.
Copies available from
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The electronic version is available here
ET 35 consists of 160 pages in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish, with additions in modern Greek, classical Latin and even Vietnamese. 44 authors contributed to this very successful number
15 November 2024 -- 15 November is Writers in Prison Day, Alfred deZ read a poem by Antonio Guerrero, who spent 16 years in US prisons as a political prisoner.
On 9 February 2024 - The 26th January salon was attended by 31 UN writers, of whom 18 read their poems and short stories. UNSW noted inter alia the 100th birthday on 30 September of Truman Capote, author of Breakfast at Tiffany and In Cold Blood, as well as the 99th birthday of Jimmy Carter on 1 October and the 100th birthday of the late George H.W.Bush on 12 June. Charles Aznavour would have turned 100 on 22 May, and his song "Que c'est Triste Venise" was read out, as well as a poem on the absurdity of the mega cruise ships in the Lagoon.15 December 2023. We did not forget to honour the 79th birthday of Mia Farrow, former wife of Frank Sinatra and conductor Adré Previn, the 81st birthday of the Nobel laureate in Economics, Joseph Stiglitz, and the 77th birthday of Carla del Ponte -- all on the 9th of February.
Some photos of the event can be found here
Ex Tempore 34 is printed and has been forwarded to members. A digital version can be viewed here
5 May 2023 - General Assembly of UNSW/SENU.
Martine Thevenot becomes the new treasurer to replace the late Ivaylo Petrov. Marko Stanovic announces the new MOU with the WHO staff union and New Special. The new board consists of Marko Stanovic, President, Carla Edelenbos, Vice-President, Martine Thevenot, Treasurer, Amos Taporaie, Secretary, and Alfred de Zayas, editor-in-chief. We discuss possibilities of future literary events at the Villa Dutoit, Ferme Sarasin, and, of course, the tee littéraire in the North Garden.
 
21 March 2023
Together with the UN library, UNSW invited UN staff to the celebration of International Day of Happiness and International Poetry Day. I read several of my poems in English, French and German, Karin Kaminker read hers, Cristiana Giordano and others. A very successful event -- and we got two new members!
27 January 2023
After a 2-year hiatus because of Covid-19, UNSW held its traditional January literary salon. 25 members came to read and listen in the six UN languages. The staff journal New Special reported on the event in the March 2023 issue, p. 16. The issue can be viewed here
10 January 2023
The 33rd Edition of the Ex Tempore Now Online
We are pleased to announce that the 33rd edition is now available online and can be viewed or downloaded here
With essays, short stories and poetry in all six UN languages. Reviews are more than welcome!
For previous editions of the magazine, click here
Membership
Membership in the United Nations Society of Writers/ Société des Ecrivains des Nations Unies -- is open to active and retired staff of the United Nations, specialized agencies, CERN, Permanent Missions and Observer Missions, inter-governmental organisations, NGO’s and the press corps. Unfortunately we are unable to publish even very meritorious submissions from non-UN persons. There must be a genuine link to the United Nations organization or any of its subsidiaries.
Membership in UNSW entitles you to receive the annual number of Ex Tempore. Authors who contribute poetry, short stories or essays to Ex Tempore are entitled to receive two copies. They can obtain additional copies at 10 CHF per copy.
We invite you to subscribe to Ex Tempore and support the Society of Writers of the UN Staff Socio-Cultural Commission. The membership fee is SFr. 40.— per year.
Please send your generous donations directly to Ex Tempore’s account with the Union de Banque Suisse, Geneva
IBAN CH56 0027 9279 CA10 0855 0
Pax optima rerum -- maxim of the Peace of Westphalia of 1648 -- Peace is the highest good.
Si vis pacem, para pacem -- if you want peace, prepare for peace by establishing the conditions for living together in harmony.
Contact: Alfred de Zayas
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and/or Marko Stanovic
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