Rochallyi's poems 'Desperate leprosy' and 'Biological mimicry' are in our Cyber Smut anthology. Join us at our virtual launch on 15 September. For pre-orders visit: gutspublishing.com/books
Tell us about your work and how you got into writing. Which of your books have been translated into English?
It all started with reading. Even before I started primary school, I read very intensively. I read everything I found at home and in the city library. Sometime in my eight years, I came across Lermontov's poems. It was love on the first line. I started writing poetry as a ten-year-old boy. I don't know what the motive was. Perhaps very early and repeated encounters with death in the family. Maybe my extreme difference from peers. Too serious a little boy, drowning in a dream ... I don't know. Poetry as a therapy for otherness?
To your question about translations. It is probably not right to say that they have been translated. For example, I wrote the book, Golden Divine, in English and only then wrote a translation into Slovak and Czech. It is similar to the DNA collection, which I wrote in German and only later I wrote it in English .. and I did not translate it into Slovak. Anyway, published in English was: Golden Divine, DNA, Mythra Invictus, and ESSE, which is a philosophical essay.
Your bio says you’ve written eleven books. Are these all books of poetry?
Most of them are poetry books. I love experiments and in the Golden Divine collection, for example, I tried to connect the form of a poem-the number of syllables in a line with the letter Fi (φ), which is equal to the number 1.618034
What differences have you found in your writing in Slovak, English, and German? Are there particular themes/topics that each language suits better?
I don't know if I can evaluate it. Every language is different. Paradoxically, I consider English and Slovak to be very close languages in their expression. They are treated almost the same. English seems very scalable to me, so it works well. German sounds extremely good to me for short poems. Slovak is my native language.
Do you write in your native language, Slovak?
There are two reasons why I have not written anything in Slovak for more than a year. The first reason is the archaic nature of the backwardness of the Slovak cultural environment. Although Slovak is a beautiful language, the Slovak poetic environment is tragic. Most academics and critics live mentally in the nineteenth century. There is no space for experimental or teasingly poetry in the Slovak language. The second reason is "cultural corruption" in the literature. The Slovak state funds organizations to support and research the literature like a LIC, Slolia, etc. Of course, the selection committees also include literary stick-in-the-mud persons from communist times and omniscient academics, who are often themselves writing literature. Surely you understand that I do not want to and cannot create poetry in such an environment. It would be best if the state stopped completely subsidizing literature and everything would be in the hands of the authors themselves and their ability to assert themselves through non-corrupt methods.
What kind of poetry is written in Slovakia?
I don't want to be overly critical, but primarily lyrical and romantic poetry is produced. The work is sometimes refreshed by ego-onanistic or even vulgar work. Which is refreshing in a flood of love, disappointment, hope, etc.
What is the relationship between poetry, mathematics, and philosophy?
I love all three things. Each in a different way. From my point of view, each of them speaks of the same epistemic thing in their own language. Of course, mathematics cannot talk about ontology or metaphysics. Just as philosophy cannot speak of irrational rationality as poetry can.
How did you decide to submit to Cyber Smut, or was it Cyber Lives when you submitted?
My poetry is an experiment, an attempt to connect the unconnected. Where else should I sign up if not into Cyber Smut? :-)
How do you feel about your poems being published in an anthology titled Cyber Smut?
I like it.
Describe yourself in three words.
Mein Herz Brennt = My Heart Burns= Moje Srdce Horí
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Rochallyi was born in Bardejov, today the Slovak Republic. The author finished his studies in Philosophy at the Faculty of Arts of the UNIPO and completed postgraduate Ph.D. studies. Rochallyi is the author of eleven books. He writes in Slovak, English, and German. He debuted with the collection of poetry Panoptikum: Haikai no renga (2004), written in Japanese haiku. Rochallyi has a close relationship with mathematics and philosophy. He has four children and his wife Gabriela Rochallyi is a Slovak painter.
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Cyber Smut is a daring collection of fiction, nonfiction and poetry about the effects of technology on our lives, our sexuality and how we love. Some are playful and romantic. Some deal with loneliness and disconnection. Some address struggles with addiction, alienation, and the burning desire for fame. An edgy read on contemporary culture.
Buy the paperback from Guts Publishing and we'll send you a free ebook: gutspublishing.com/product-page/cyber-smut
Cyber Smut is also available from many online retailers including The Book Depository, Amazon worldwide and others.