| Muses Review Online Short Interviews - Poets Spring 2007 - Apr May June |
| Poet of the Month: April 2007 Ilona Hegedus: Unearthly Poetry Short Interview Conducted by Andrew Angus |
| Note: The interview is cut short because the full interview will be published in the print edition of Muses Review. |
| Muses Review Spring 2007 Apr May June Table of Contents Editors Message Editor's Poem Poems Poem Reviews Book Reviews Interviews Book Ads |
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| Ilona Hegedus Poet from Hungary |
| Visit: Ilona Hegedus's website in Muses Review. |
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1. What motivated you to write poetry? I have always loved poetry, I read a lot, and after a while it just seemed natural trying to write poems. 2. Why do you like to compose poems? I find it a wonderful way to express myself. I'd like to make people think, but I'd also like to make them laugh. I always try to provoke some sort of emotional response, and I am always very pleased when I receive feedback from readers and it turns out that it actually works, that the poems really had that effect on them. That's a very good feeling. 3. Can people make a living out of poetry? Well, definitely not those people I know, but there may be a few. Maybe those who start podcasting now will have a chance ... 4. What makes a poetrybook a bestseller? Probably exposure. No matter how good or bad a book might be, if you cannot get the news out there about it, there won't be any people buying it, because readers just won't know about it. I think this is a tremendous problem for poets, because there's not a lot of money in poetry and poets cannot really afford to invest in advertising. So we can all be very grateful for the existence of ezines like the Muses Review which help us spreading the word about our writings. So thank you, Andrew. 5. What are your favorite themes in composing poems? I studied literature a lot and the classics have had a big influence on me and, consequently, on my writing. I like to tell good stories, so the most of what I write is story-telling in poetry form. Generally, I am very interested in traditional sci-fi, fantasy and horror themes and I use them a lot, and I am also open to new influences. Amongst other things, like humoros writings, I am also fascinated with mysteries and suspense, so that has also left a mark on my writing. However, I am very often inspired by non-genre themes for a start, basically, everything I come across, not only in literature, but also in songs and movies. 6. Why should people read poetry? I think human beings have a basic need for this form of _expression, right from Homer's time to our ever-stressful 'I have no time to read' age. Only, nowadays, most people satisfy this need via listening to songs instead. Nevertheless, I think we should make room in our lives for both, and I am quite sure that there will always be people who are interested in poetry and in what poets have to say and how they say it. 7. Name your favorite poems not in your poetrybook: I have included most of my favourites in the book, though I also have a couple of poems for the next one, (but I do not want to reveal too much of them in advance). My favourites include for example Mistress Awaited which will soon appear in Night to Dawn. It's a very atmospheric vampire piece. 8. Where are you based right now? I am Hungarian and I live in Budapest, Hungary. That's a small country in Central-Europe. Still, I can sell my stuff to ezines and print magazines in the US and Britain. Thank god for the internet. 9. Tell to the readers, what is your poetrybook (Unearthly Companion) all about? It is a book of story-telling genre poetry with 41 poems. These poems all include sci-fi, fantasy and horror themes, and I also added some humor to several of the stories. I hope to make people think about what they have just read, but, at the same time, I am also aiming to give them a collection that they will find entertaining and will want to read for the second time, too. I'm glad that it has been well received. It got some really wonderful reviews and there are now people who tell me they like it. You can read the reviews and some of the other comments at my website ( at http://ilonahegedus.topcities.com ) and the purchase information is also there. The book is available both in ebook form and in paperback at Lulu.com ( at http://www.lulu.com/ilonah ) . |
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