In March 2026, we began building the Belarusian–Danish literary bridge, verse X change. Four Belarusian poets and translators traveled to Denmark, where they met with Danish colleagues and worked together on mutual translations of each other’s poetry. As a result, contemporary Belarusian poetry will be published in Danish, while works by Danish authors will appear in Belarusian.
Representing Belarus were the poets Darya Bialkevich, Siarhiej Kalenda, Kseniya Stasiukevich, and Hrozya Vicík. Their Danish counterparts and creative collaborators were Christine Kærulv, Cecilie Rönnow Egerup, Katinka Bukdahl Søby, and Joakim Vilandt.
We were especially fortunate to be joined throughout the residency by three wonderful mentors — Tine Roesen, Harald Hartvig Jepsen, and Lotte Jansen. Their guidance helped participants connect across languages and cultures, navigate the subtleties and challenges of literary translation, and, ultimately, build lasting literary bridges between our two countries.
Day One
The workshop began with the participants gathering at the Danish Writers’ Union in Copenhagen, which warmly welcomed this international group of poets and translators.
The mentors proposed a working structure that was both clear and refreshingly unconventional. Each poet introduced their work while also identifying passages that might prove particularly challenging for translators. Wordplay, layers of meaning, cultural references, inventive language, and unique word formation—all the elements that make poetry translation a true art form—were brought into focus. At the same time, these very qualities often create obstacles that can seem almost impossible to overcome.
From the very beginning, the workshop became a space for close reading, lively discussion, and collaborative exploration, where every poem opened a door into another language, culture, and imagination.
The mentors then structured the workshop in a way that allowed each participant to work with the poems of at least two or three other poets. As a result, the pairs were reshuffled several times, giving participants the opportunity to translate authors with very different poetic voices and approaches. Most importantly, this format encouraged meaningful interaction across the entire group. Rather than remaining focused solely on their designated partner, participants were able to build direct creative connections with everyone involved in the project.
The day concluded with a shared dinner, followed by a concert by the renowned Belarusian singer-songwriter and poet, and PEN Belarus member, Lavon Volski, who happened to be performing in Denmark during those very days. The Danish poets remarked that it was a fascinating experience to hear the Belarusian language in a musical setting and to discover how poetry finds new life when transformed into song.
Day Two
The second day of the workshop took place in one of the classrooms at the University of Copenhagen. Participants returned with their first drafts and translation experiments, and the mentors worked closely with them to refine the texts—polishing lines, searching for the right words, and fine-tuning rhythm and rhyme wherever necessary.
The mentors also guided the group on a tour of the university, with a special focus on the university library. To the participants’ delight, the shelves held books written by some of the poets and mentors present, as well as a number of translations from Belarusian literature.
Reflecting on the workshop, Danish poet Joakim Vilandt highlighted both the challenges and the joys of literary translation:
“It’s really hard to explain something that doesn’t make sense in a literal way. You have to explain how it doesn’t make sense when the things themselves aren’t there. It’s a bit of a nightmare, in a way — but it’s also a lot of fun. I love playing with language, so getting the chance to do that together is always a great joy.”
For Vilandt, the workshop became an opportunity not only to translate poetry, but also to explore how language creates meaning, ambiguity, and imagination across cultural and linguistic boundaries.
The workshop concluded with a collective presentation of the translations that had emerged over the course of the two days. The collaboration proved both productive and inspiring. Participants left for home with nearly finished texts, which they will continue to revise and perfect in the coming weeks before they are published together in a bilingual anthology.
More importantly, they departed not only with translations, but also with new friendships, creative partnerships, and a deeper understanding of one another’s literary traditions—precisely the kind of connections that literary bridges are meant to create.
This publication has been produced with the financial support from the Nordic Council of Ministers. The content of this publication is the sole responsibility of the coordinators of this project and does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Nordic Council of Ministers.