Majkens report

This report and was originally posted at Patricia's
website Viggo's Celluloid Haven. Sadly the site is gone.
Seeing so many valuable materials disappearing from the web
I started to save all articles linked from my website.
So in case I can repost it here at Element Of Surprise.

Majken, I hope you're doing well and don't mind me doing this.

Majken's report in English. Thanks a lot!:

A couple of years ago I would never have dreamt of that I one day would be one of those people attending a poetry reading, but everything changes and my interest in Viggo Mortensen and all his art have expanded my horizon in many ways.

Magasinet was full of fans of the actor – and I was one of them. And after a very nice introduction by Lis Steincke, it was Viggo Mortensen’s turn.

He talked about the good weather outside and said that he probably should have prepared himself before this poetry reading, but as always he hasn’t done that. But that the poetry reading wasn’t prepared in every detail, just made it more interesting to be present at. The good atmosphere of the event already started while Lis Steincke made her introduction and he picked up a rose from the vase on the table and gave it to her when she finished, and the good atmosphere continued when the reason for why we where here started.
Viggo told he would read from his Danish book “Nye Falsknerier”, and he showed his first big laugh when his tongue made knots and he couldn’t pronounce the title of the book. He told that his Danish isn’t very good, but I can say without lying that there’s nothing to put your finger on when it comes to that. He has a richer vocabulary in Danish than many of the Danish people living here.

After that he said thanks to Søren Vad Møller who has translated the poems, and in an extra comment which was probably for the journalists in the audience he said that it wasn’t his fault if there was something which was hard to understand. And after he had said that he hoped we could forgive his Danish reading he said he should probably sit down now. Up until then he has walked around on the stage in front of the table where he shortly before placed an UN flag.
“Can you hear me? .. what a shame.” No, Viggo, it wasn’t a shame. We enjoyed every 45 minutes in every detail!

The first poem was “Beskæringer” which he ended with a big laugh and the comment to Søren Vad Møller who was at the second row in the audience, that it wasn’t what he meant. The comment was probably to be seen in continuation of a previously comment about the Danish journalists bad reviews of the poem collection.
After that he read the poem “Sten” which was introduced as being a rather encouraging poem and ended with the comment: That was that! A comment that made all us Danish people in the audience laugh because it was said in a way like ‘it’s not any longer – you can make your applause now’.

He continued with one more Danish poem, “Matiné”, which he told he wrote about 10-11 years ago and is about the feeling you have when you’ve been to the cinema to see movie and you feel different afterwards.
Then we reached the more serious part of the poetry reading which was also made clear by the t-shirt Viggo wore with the “War is not the answer” logo. The next poem was “Brev fra Nebraska” which he wrote after USA’s first invasion of Iraq in 1991 – a describing of how people feel about such a terrible experience.
After that he told that he would have liked to read a poem by Viggo Madsen but he couldn’t find any of his work in the bookstores in Odense, so instead he chose to read a very telling poem by Søren Ulrik Thomsen:
"En gang om dagen er ensomheden så stor, / at man ikke kan stille noget op med den. / Og én gang er lykken. / Indimellem må man så se at få ordnet sine ting."
The last line is, if I translate it: sometimes you just have to get control of things.

“Klipning” was the next poem he chose to read from and he chose it even though he said he had changed his opinion since he wrote it and has now accepted being an actor. After he had looked through the book for a while he approached Søren again – this time he wanted to tell him where the poem was – page 48.
He then chose to read a longer poem, “Frokost”; even though he wasn’t really sure if could read such a long poem in Danish. But it was perfect and he still continued in Danish with the poem “Bly” which he wrote 24 years ago when he worked at a factory in Glostrup – this poem he dedicated to all the Danish metal workers. He was afraid he would ruin it with all the long words and he ended the poem with a laugh like he wasn’t really satisfied with his contribution.

Then the Danish part of the poetry reading was over for this time, but before he started reading in English he also read a poem by Lone Munksgård Nielsen.
The more serious part of the world we live in was once again underlined – this time with the English poem “Back to Babylon” which he wrote in February – before the second American invasion of Iraq.
Viggo Mortensen is a multi language person which was showed next, when he first spoke in Spanish, then Danish… and then at last he decided he better had to speak in English so most of the audience could understand it. He then song the song “Silencio” and I’m sure I was not the only one in the audience who was touched deeply in my heart. It was really beautiful!
After he had touched all of us, some poems in English written by other artists followed, and among those was some sort of a riddle by M.K. Joseph followed by a comment from Viggo: “I still don’t understand it…”.
After he had ended the reading of other artist’s poems he asked how much time he had left and he concluded that he could read two more poems… but he was afraid to read any more in Danish! So he chose to start with “Fossils” in the English version – after he had asked Søren which book it was in. That he was afraid to read any more in Danish was apparently not so serious meant because he then started to look through “Nye Falsknerier” again and decided he will take one more in English and then finish with a Danish one. He chose “Hillside” and finished with “Forårsmarked” in Danish – dedicated to Søren.
“Thanks!” – and we’ll also say thanks for this time. It was a pleasure and I really hope I’ll be able to experience such an event another time.

Majken

Viggo Mortensen - Danish Articles

Odense by Patricia