Мы за все платим. Где-то деньгами. Где-то душой

In her – still brief, yet undoubtedly bright career, which deserved the acclaim from both the critics and the public, Eva Mayer released five musical albums – About Love, MUZA, ME, Masks Off and The jackals that hunt us – in which the young poet and artist, in her own unique way, gives the audience a chance to delve into the world of her poetry. Her single To Stay Alive («Выжить»), released in the spring of 2020 in collaboration with the DJ Legroni, earned special acclaim.

Eva's favored genre is blank verse – the genre that casts aside the strict mathematical rhythms and forces us to listen into the living voice of the author, rather than to merely – and blindly – follow the pace. Vers libre gives us a chance to engage in meaning, instead of simply guessing the next rhyme.

Eva Mayer's poetry encompasses a kaleidoscope of transformations, changes of rhythms, imagery and tones; she is not afraid to engage in direct dialogue with her partner, with the reader. This poetry is akin to an overflowing vessel, to the untamed force of nature; and these exact qualities allow us to come face to face with sincere, genuine, real images and fresh, unhindered, yet eternal perceptions of the world, of each other, of loss and of love.

The book that you are holding in your hands is the first full-scale publication of Eva Mayer's work, combining her poetry, prose and unique illustrations. Divided into five parts, the book takes us on a heart-clinching journey, which is evident in the title of every «compartment» of this literary ship: «Strength», "Weakness", «Pain», "Growth", "Reward.

It's not just a collection of poetry, it's a hero's (or heroine's) journey which – like a breath of fresh air – will allow us to rid ourselves of weariness, to discard the mundane, to fall in love with sincerity, and unveil the sincerity to fall in love with ourselves once more, regardless of whether we're searching for our independence in solitude or are looking for a person, with whom we can share our warmth and true happiness.

Посвящается всем людям этой большой планеты

Dedicated to all the people living on this great planet

* * *

Если ты закоренелый практик —
ты забыл навыки полёта, навыки любви, чувств и, возможно, даже свои мечты.
Если ты умеешь летать —
ты непрактичен.

А если тебе не хватает практичности в этом мире —
ты всё время выживаешь.

Моё творчество – это навигационная карта выживания непрактичного лётчика.

*

If you're firmly rooted in practicality,
You may have forgotten the art of soaring, feeling, dreaming, and loving.

For those who can fly,
Are deemed impractical.

Yet, lacking practicality in this world,
Leaves one in a perpetual struggle for survival.

My art serves as a navigational chart,
Guiding the impractical pilot through the journey of survival.

Сила / Strength

* * *

Иногда нужно бороться,
Встать,
Бежать,
Рычать
И драться,
Чтобы выжить.

А иногда нужно лечь,
Закрыть глаза,
Выключить все нервные окончания,
Стать сухим и бесчувственным,
Стать невидимым, воздушным,
Безучастным, равнодушным,
Ватным.

Чтобы танк,
Который хочет проехать по тебе,
Проехал,
И ты остался жив…

– выжить

*

Sometimes you need to fight,
To stand,
To run,
To roar,
And battle to survive.

But sometimes you need to lie down,
Close your eyes,
Switch off all nerve endings,
Become dry and insensate,
Turn invisible, airy,
Apathetic, indifferent, cotton-like.

So that the tank,
That’s rolling over you,
Passes by,
And you remain alive…

– to survive

* * *

Мы за все платим.
Где-то деньгами,
Где-то душой.

*

We pay for everything.
Sometimes – with money,
And sometimes – with our soul.