Personal and literary profile
Marian Sidlík, man, Slovak writer, poet, self-taught etymologist. Marian i(from Maria) s the male name in Slovak language.
Curriculum vitae: I was born in 1954 in regional historical town Trnava, not far from Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia. I graduated from high school in humanities, languages – English and Latin. Since my youth I have been engaged in research of several languages, mainly from the Indo-European family. I have a “sixth sense” for languages. It is not focused on learning them, but on perceiving their nature. For example, I can derive from a specific word in Latin the modified forms in Romance languages.
I was working 25 years in Slovak National Radio like announcer. Since 2010 I am in freelance occupation. Fate played a cruel trick on me. At the age of 37, I was diagnosed with osteoporosis – I didn’t develop enough bone mass in my youth. After 50, I became disabled. In 2019, the rare Paget’s disease became active. My bones “go crazy”, they increase in volume, weaken, become crooked, and they hurt terribly. There is no diagnosis for a long time, no treatment. I gradually learned to live with it. I am a childless widower. In 2012, I took in an adult nephew with Asperger’s syndrome – a milder form. We are each other’s support.
I write my own poems and translate oriental poetry (Indian, Japanese, Chinese) from the English version. In the case of Japanese, currently from the original – I have passive knowledge of this language. In poetry I strongly perceive the sound side. I like to play with words… Sometimes it's hard to translate into another language.
I describe my own poetry like lyric impressionism. It is about capturing a fleeting perception, feeling, impression. I don't have perfect knowledge of English, but it's enough for poetry (absence of demanding grammar). The translation of a poem should not be literal, but not too loose either. First, I translate word by word, then I think about the content and look for nuances (or rhymes) in Slovak. I always try to maintain a clearly given form – sonnet, tanka, etc. Finally, I breathe (my) Slovak soul into the poem... Slovak has three advantages: many verbal prefixes (nuances of the original meaning), diminutives (it's not just about a smaller measure, but about emotional coloring), and free word order in a sentence (rhymes in poetry).
I apologize to the authors for whom English is their native language. English is a communicative language, but not a poetic one. I cannot express all emotions in it... I am sorry for my imprecise English. Nevertheless, I hope that my poems are understandable and will leave a good impression on the reader.
About author:
“Sidlik´s perception is like a dream of love and faithfulness. In his poetry is repeating a dynamic lyric cycle – sadness for life, life for sadness and everything for joy.” Alexander Halvonik, literary critic
Bibliography
Authentic poetry:
Adolescence step by step – debut, 1999
Dreams under surveillance, 2000
Sad oracle (augur), 2003
At the mercy or not, 2014 (magical realism)
Just here to live, 2017
The scraps of my mo(u)rnings, 2023
The scent of desire – in Czech language (samizdat 2025)
Poetry translated into Slovak language:
Edgar Allan Poe: Raven, 2004, two different versions as part of the book with 13 Slovak translations from 9 authors.
The traces of lost dreams – anthology Ogura Hyakunin-isshu, 2020, translated from English – Japanese version (thanks to the interest in etymology), the first edition in Slovak language!
St. Therése de Lisieux – part of poetic creation, spiritual poetry, from French language
The Heaven is reward – selected poems from the poetry of St. Therése de Lisieux.
Winnie the Pooh – several tittles from the famous children´s book with my own verses.
Authentic prose:
Light trembling in the blue grass, 2018, lyricized novelette, story from Buddhist monastery in Southeast Asia.