First published by Ekstasis Editions in 2013, Canadian Randy Kohan’s collection of poetry, Hammers & Bells, drew deeply on the treasury that is Russian literature. Zaira Makhacheva, originally from Dagestan, Russia, and currently living in Canada, initiated and directed the translation of a bilingual edition for presentation in locations across North America and Russia. Translated into Russian by two award-winning Russian writers, Alisa Ganieva and Anastasia Strokina, this edition includes a literary analysis by Dagestan State University professor Firuza Abilova. Cover art is by Dagestan artist Asya Dzhabrailova. Together, after several years of meticulous collaboration, they present this bilingual edition of Hammers & Bells as a lyric window on the expressive nature of two cultures’ languages.

Randy Kohan studied History at the Universities of Regina and Alberta. His poetry has appeared in Writing the City: Poets Laureate of Edmonton, 2005-2013 and the Canadian Russian News. He lives in Edmonton with his wife and their two sons. Hammers and Bells is his first collection of poetry.

Randy Kohan's profile page