Copyright 2013 catranslation.orgPodcast from the Center for the Art of Translation, with leading international authors and literary translators discussing new, important books from all around the world.http://www.catranslation.orgen-usPodcast from the Center for the Art of Translation, with leading international authors and literary translators discussing new, important books from all around the world.Podcast from the Center for the Art of Translation, with leading international authors and literary translators discussing new, important books from all around the world.No http://www.catranslation.org/blogpost/that-other-word-episode-10-esther-kinsky Mon, 15 Apr 2013 16:33:33 GMT Mon, 15 Apr 2013 16:33:33 GMT Podcasts Prompted by the forthcoming publication of Italo Calvino and rsquo;s Letters 1941-1985, hosts Daniel Medin and Scott Esposito embark on a discussion of literary lives and letters. They touch upon the marvelous correspondences of Thomas Bernhard and William Gaddis, and look forward to the lectures collected in Professor Borges: A Course on English Literature. Reiner Stach and rsquo;s Kafka: The Years of Insight, technically the final volume in a biographical trilogy, represents a welcome addition to English-language Kafka scholarship. Curzio Malaparte and rsquo;s The Skin, a grotesque and haunting semi-autobiographical tale of the Second World War, returns after many years out of print. The introduction closes with a plea from the hosts to Anglophone publishers not to ignore biographies produced elsewhere: Michel Winock and rsquo;s Flaubert and Madame de Staël, among many others, they argue, deserve a broader readership. Daniel Medin is then joined by Esther Kinsky, a poet and translator from Polish, Russian, and English into German. Her speciality is Polish literature from the First World War to the 1960 and rsquo;s, and she offers wonderful introductions to some of her favorite writers of that period, including Zygmunt Haupt, who lived in the United States and continued to write in Polish even though his own children did not speak the language, Wies and #322;aw My and #347;liwski, whose Stone Upon Stone recently appeared in English, and Joanna Bator, whose poetic works Kinsky is currently translating. Prompted by the forthcoming publication of Italo Calvino and rsquo;s Letters 1941-1985, hosts Daniel Medin and Scott Esposito embark on a discussion of literary lives and letters. They touch upon the marvelous correspondences of Thomas Bernhard and William Gaddis, and look forward to the lectures collected in Professor Borges: A Course on English Literature. Reiner Stach and rsquo;s Kafka: The Years of Insight, technically the final volume in a biographical trilogy, represents a welcome addition to English-language Kafka scholarship. Curzio Malaparte and rsquo;s The Skin, a grotesque and haunting semi-autobiographical tale of the Second World War, returns after many years out of print. The introduction closes with a plea from the hosts to Anglophone publishers not to ignore biographies produced elsewhere: Michel Winock and rsquo;s Flaubert and Madame de Staël, among many others, they argue, deserve a broader readership. Daniel Medin is then joined by Esther Kinsky, a poet and translator from Polish, Russian, and English into German. Her speciality is Polish literature from the First World War to the 1960 and rsquo;s, and she offers wonderful introductions to some of her favorite writers of that period, including Zygmunt Haupt, who lived in the United States and continued to write in Polish even though his own children did not speak the language, Wies and #322;aw My and #347;liwski, whose Stone Upon Stone recently appeared in English, and Joanna Bator, whose poetic works Kinsky is currently translating. http://www.catranslation.org/blogpost/shishkin-schwartz-esposito Tue, 9 Apr 2013 16:33:33 GMT Tue, 9 Apr 2013 16:33:33 GMT Podcasts Mikhail Shishkin, the only Russian writer ever to win all three of his country's major book awards, joined Two Voices for his first ever U.S. appearance to discuss his novel Maidenhair. Widely praised from London to Paris to Berlin, Maidenhair finally reached the United States in 2012 by way of Open Letter Books. In this event Shishkin was joined by his translator, Marian Schwartz, for a wide-ranging conversation with the Center's Scott Esposito. They began by discussing the Russian critical response to Maidenhair (with one critic vowing to eat his underwear in public if the book sold more than 50,000 copies - ;it did) before talking about Shishkin's relationship with his home country, the benefit of his years living in Switzerland, and why he claims he "hates" the Russian language. Mikhail Shishkin, the only Russian writer ever to win all three of his country's major book awards, joined Two Voices for his first ever U.S. appearance to discuss his novel Maidenhair. Widely praised from London to Paris to Berlin, Maidenhair finally reached the United States in 2012 by way of Open Letter Books. In this event Shishkin was joined by his translator, Marian Schwartz, for a wide-ranging conversation with the Center's Scott Esposito. They began by discussing the Russian critical response to Maidenhair (with one critic vowing to eat his underwear in public if the book sold more than 50,000 copies - ;it did) before talking about Shishkin's relationship with his home country, the benefit of his years living in Switzerland, and why he claims he "hates" the Russian language. http://www.catranslation.org/blogpost/that-other-word-episode-9-ethan-nosowsky Thu, 28 Feb 2013 16:33:33 GMT Thu, 28 Feb 2013 16:33:33 GMT Podcasts At the beginning of this episode, Daniel Medin and Scott Esposito are happy, along with the rest of the Anglosphere, to be rediscovering Nikolai Leskov and rsquo;s The Enchanted Wanderer and Other Stories, newly translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky. They also look forward to a recent success from the Netherlands that and rsquo;s been making waves abroad, Arnon Grunberg and rsquo;s Tirza, and take an anecdote-filled trip through modernity in Roberto Calasso and rsquo;s La Folie Baudelaire. They continue to be impressed by Karl Ove Knausgaard and rsquo;s My Struggle: Book Two: A Man in Love, the second volume in a hugely ambitious series that describes (albeit amid a number of digressions) how the author fell in love with his wife. Scott Esposito then sits down with Ethan Nosowsky, a former Editor-at-Large at Graywolf Press who has recently been named Editorial Director at McSweeney and rsquo;s. Nosowsky discusses his early career and several of his experiences with editing translations at Graywolf, most notably with regard to Daniel Sada and rsquo;s Almost Never. At the beginning of this episode, Daniel Medin and Scott Esposito are happy, along with the rest of the Anglosphere, to be rediscovering Nikolai Leskov and rsquo;s The Enchanted Wanderer and Other Stories, newly translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky. They also look forward to a recent success from the Netherlands that and rsquo;s been making waves abroad, Arnon Grunberg and rsquo;s Tirza, and take an anecdote-filled trip through modernity in Roberto Calasso and rsquo;s La Folie Baudelaire. They continue to be impressed by Karl Ove Knausgaard and rsquo;s My Struggle: Book Two: A Man in Love, the second volume in a hugely ambitious series that describes (albeit amid a number of digressions) how the author fell in love with his wife. Scott Esposito then sits down with Ethan Nosowsky, a former Editor-at-Large at Graywolf Press who has recently been named Editorial Director at McSweeney and rsquo;s. Nosowsky discusses his early career and several of his experiences with editing translations at Graywolf, most notably with regard to Daniel Sada and rsquo;s Almost Never. http://www.catranslation.org/blogpost/that-other-word-episode-8-nick-barley Tue, 22 Jan 2013 16:33:33 GMT Tue, 22 Jan 2013 16:33:33 GMT Podcasts Hosts Daniel Medin and Scott Esposito return in the new year enthralled by the and ldquo;absolutely insane and rdquo; game of literary telephone in the latest issue of McSweeney and rsquo;s, in which texts are translated in and out of English and by, among others, J.M. Coetzee, Enrique Vila-Matas, and Lydia Davis. They look forward to games of a slightly different nature in several forthcoming Oulipian works: the 65th anniversary edition of Raymond Queneau and rsquo;s Exercises in Style; Georges Perec and rsquo;s La Boutique Obscure, the dream journal that inspired much of his fiction; and Scott Esposito and rsquo;s own The End of Oulipo?, a critical examination of the movement co-written with Lauren Elkin. Pierre Michon and rsquo;s The Eleven promises to be one of the author and rsquo;s best since his widely-respected Small Lives; Yasutaka Tsutsui and rsquo;s Paprika is story of clinical dream-invaders from one of Japan and rsquo;s premier science fiction writers. Daniel Medin also announces the launch of the eighteenth volume in The Cahiers Series, Elfriede Jelinek and rsquo;s Her Not All Her, next month at the Goethe-Institut in Paris. Daniel Medin then interviews Nick Barley, the director of the Edinburgh International Book Festival, the largest and perhaps best-known literary festival in the world. He gives a lively account of Edinburgh and rsquo;s literary heritage and the influence it still exerts on the atmosphere of the festival, and testifies to the continuing importance of such festivals for both authors and readers. Hosts Daniel Medin and Scott Esposito return in the new year enthralled by the and ldquo;absolutely insane and rdquo; game of literary telephone in the latest issue of McSweeney and rsquo;s, in which texts are translated in and out of English and by, among others, J.M. Coetzee, Enrique Vila-Matas, and Lydia Davis. They look forward to games of a slightly different nature in several forthcoming Oulipian works: the 65th anniversary edition of Raymond Queneau and rsquo;s Exercises in Style; Georges Perec and rsquo;s La Boutique Obscure, the dream journal that inspired much of his fiction; and Scott Esposito and rsquo;s own The End of Oulipo?, a critical examination of the movement co-written with Lauren Elkin. Pierre Michon and rsquo;s The Eleven promises to be one of the author and rsquo;s best since his widely-respected Small Lives; Yasutaka Tsutsui and rsquo;s Paprika is story of clinical dream-invaders from one of Japan and rsquo;s premier science fiction writers. Daniel Medin also announces the launch of the eighteenth volume in The Cahiers Series, Elfriede Jelinek and rsquo;s Her Not All Her, next month at the Goethe-Institut in Paris. Daniel Medin then interviews Nick Barley, the director of the Edinburgh International Book Festival, the largest and perhaps best-known literary festival in the world. He gives a lively account of Edinburgh and rsquo;s literary heritage and the influence it still exerts on the atmosphere of the festival, and testifies to the continuing importance of such festivals for both authors and readers. http://www.catranslation.org/blogpost/two-voices-aron-aji-bilge-karasu Mon, 17 Dec 2012 16:33:32 GMT Mon, 17 Dec 2012 16:33:32 GMT Podcasts Aron Aji began his presentation on Bilge Karasu's A Long Day's Evening with a substantial statement: he called Karasu's project as an author both an attempt to develop a new Turkish literary language and an attempt to develop a readership for this language. However large a claim this was, by the end of this event Aji had borne it out. Aji noted that in order to even begin translating Long Day's Evening, which he said took him 6 years to complete, he had to first immerse himself in Karasu's work, translating two of his other novels, The Garden of the Departed Cats and Death in Troy. To give some idea of the complexity of the task of translating Karasu, Aji stated that for the graet Turkish author "literature is the memory of language." He went on to reinforce the great importance of A Long Day's Evening to Turkish literature . . . Aron Aji began his presentation on Bilge Karasu's A Long Day's Evening with a substantial statement: he called Karasu's project as an author both an attempt to develop a new Turkish literary language and an attempt to develop a readership for this language. However large a claim this was, by the end of this event Aji had borne it out. Aji noted that in order to even begin translating Long Day's Evening, which he said took him 6 years to complete, he had to first immerse himself in Karasu's work, translating two of his other novels, The Garden of the Departed Cats and Death in Troy. To give some idea of the complexity of the task of translating Karasu, Aji stated that for the graet Turkish author "literature is the memory of language." He went on to reinforce the great importance of A Long Day's Evening to Turkish literature . . . http://www.catranslation.org/blogpost/that-other-word-7-stephen-henighan Mon, 26 Nov 2012 16:33:32 GMT Mon, 26 Nov 2012 16:33:32 GMT Podcasts Scott Esposito speaks to Stephen Henighan, a novelist, critic, and translator from Spanish, Portuguese, and Romanian. Since 2006, Henighan has been general editor for the International Translation Series at the Canadian-based press Biblioasis. He talks about immigrant experiences in Canada and his own and ldquo;deeply-rooted rootlessness, and rdquo; the Canadian relationship to English and translation, and the challenges of procuring and producing translations for the Canadian market. He discusses Mia Couto and rsquo;s and ldquo;rural modernism, and rdquo; his literary influences, and why the author travels well, despite being essentially and ldquo;untranslatable. and rdquo; Finally, Henighan tells the comical and haphazard story of how he came to learn Romanian, and describes the process of translating and trying to publish Mihail Sebastian and rsquo;s The Accident. Scott Esposito speaks to Stephen Henighan, a novelist, critic, and translator from Spanish, Portuguese, and Romanian. Since 2006, Henighan has been general editor for the International Translation Series at the Canadian-based press Biblioasis. He talks about immigrant experiences in Canada and his own and ldquo;deeply-rooted rootlessness, and rdquo; the Canadian relationship to English and translation, and the challenges of procuring and producing translations for the Canadian market. He discusses Mia Couto and rsquo;s and ldquo;rural modernism, and rdquo; his literary influences, and why the author travels well, despite being essentially and ldquo;untranslatable. and rdquo; Finally, Henighan tells the comical and haphazard story of how he came to learn Romanian, and describes the process of translating and trying to publish Mihail Sebastian and rsquo;s The Accident. http://www.catranslation.org/blogpost/bill-johnston-stone-upon-stone Mon, 19 Nov 2012 16:33:32 GMT Mon, 19 Nov 2012 16:33:32 GMT Podcasts In this audio, lauded translator Bill Johnston talks about his translation of Stone Upon Stone by Wieslaw Mysliwski, which received both the 2012 PEN Translation Award and the 2012 Best Translated Book Award. As Johnston mentions in the question-and-answer session at the end of this audio recording, it was a dream project for him, a book he had long wanted to translate and finally got the opportunity to do, once he found a publisher "crazy enough" to take a risk on it.For his own part, Johnston called it one of the greatest novels to come out of Europe in the past century. In this audio, lauded translator Bill Johnston talks about his translation of Stone Upon Stone by Wieslaw Mysliwski, which received both the 2012 PEN Translation Award and the 2012 Best Translated Book Award. As Johnston mentions in the question-and-answer session at the end of this audio recording, it was a dream project for him, a book he had long wanted to translate and finally got the opportunity to do, once he found a publisher "crazy enough" to take a risk on it.For his own part, Johnston called it one of the greatest novels to come out of Europe in the past century. http://www.catranslation.org/blogpost/that-other-word-episode-6 Tue, 23 Oct 2012 16:33:32 GMT Tue, 23 Oct 2012 16:33:32 GMT Podcasts In this episode, Daniel Medin and Scott Eposito revisit Robert Walser and rsquo;s Microscripts in its new illustrated paperback edition, and look forward to another take on that author and rsquo;s work, the strange and musical and ldquo;monologue for multiple voices and rdquo; that is Elfriede Jelinek and rsquo;s Her Not All Her: On/With Robert Walser. They discuss the reconstructed romances in Jacqueline Raoul-Duval and rsquo;s Kafka In Love and the well-earned praise for Stig Sćterbakken and rsquo;s Self-Control. They hope that Dalkey Archive Press and rsquo; Arvo Pärt in Conversation will bring about a resurgence in the genre of conversations, and tip their hats to Seagull Books for publishing two works by the 2012 Nobel Laureate Mo Yan, Change and the forthcoming Pow! Daniel Medin then speaks to two booksellers in Paris about introducing and promoting literature in translation, challenges to bookselling in the age of Amazon, and the idea of the bookshop as community center. In this episode, Daniel Medin and Scott Eposito revisit Robert Walser and rsquo;s Microscripts in its new illustrated paperback edition, and look forward to another take on that author and rsquo;s work, the strange and musical and ldquo;monologue for multiple voices and rdquo; that is Elfriede Jelinek and rsquo;s Her Not All Her: On/With Robert Walser. They discuss the reconstructed romances in Jacqueline Raoul-Duval and rsquo;s Kafka In Love and the well-earned praise for Stig Sćterbakken and rsquo;s Self-Control. They hope that Dalkey Archive Press and rsquo; Arvo Pärt in Conversation will bring about a resurgence in the genre of conversations, and tip their hats to Seagull Books for publishing two works by the 2012 Nobel Laureate Mo Yan, Change and the forthcoming Pow! Daniel Medin then speaks to two booksellers in Paris about introducing and promoting literature in translation, challenges to bookselling in the age of Amazon, and the idea of the bookshop as community center. http://www.catranslation.org/blogpost/two-voices-mary-jo-bang-graham-foust Mon, 22 Oct 2012 16:33:32 GMT Mon, 22 Oct 2012 16:33:32 GMT Podcasts In this audio, the Center welcomes translators and poets Mary Jo Bang and Graham Foust to read from their latest projects. Foust began by reading from his translations of Ernst Meister, a 20th century German philosopher (co-translated with Samuel Frederick). Meister and rsquo;s poems, Foust notes in the introduction to the book are like Emily Dickinson and rsquo;s in that they and ldquo;at once entice and irritate the mouth and the mind. and rdquo; Translator and poet Mary Jo Bang then took the stage to discuss the genesis of her new translation of The Inferno: she read a poem that consisted of 47 previous translations of three lines from Dante. She began to think about how she would translate the lines, which led her to ponder the idea of what a full translation of Dante would look like. Bang than read her rendition of the famous meeting scene between Dante and the poet Virgil, moving on to Dante's account of how he left limbo. In this audio, the Center welcomes translators and poets Mary Jo Bang and Graham Foust to read from their latest projects. Foust began by reading from his translations of Ernst Meister, a 20th century German philosopher (co-translated with Samuel Frederick). Meister and rsquo;s poems, Foust notes in the introduction to the book are like Emily Dickinson and rsquo;s in that they and ldquo;at once entice and irritate the mouth and the mind. and rdquo; Translator and poet Mary Jo Bang then took the stage to discuss the genesis of her new translation of The Inferno: she read a poem that consisted of 47 previous translations of three lines from Dante. She began to think about how she would translate the lines, which led her to ponder the idea of what a full translation of Dante would look like. Bang than read her rendition of the famous meeting scene between Dante and the poet Virgil, moving on to Dante's account of how he left limbo. http://www.catranslation.org/blogpost/that-other-word-episode-5-september-2012 Tue, 18 Sep 2012 16:33:32 GMT Tue, 18 Sep 2012 16:33:32 GMT Podcasts Daniel Medin and Scott Esposito return to the second season of That Other Word energized by the translators and rsquo; duels at the Edinburgh International Book Festival and the great work being done at the UK-based press And Other Stories. They look forward to new works in translation this fall, including Antonio Tabucci and rsquo;s The Flying Creatures of Fra Angelico, Basque author and Edinburgh guest Bernardo Atxaga and rsquo;s Seven Hours in France, and the latest from César Aira, The Miracle Cures of Dr. Aira. Daniel Medin hopes that several novels generating interest in Germany and France - ; Jenny Erpenbeck and rsquo;s Aller Tage Abend, Clemens J. Setz and rsquo;s Indigo, and Jean Echenoz and rsquo;s 14 - ; will soon be translated as well. Afterward, Scott Esposito sits down with Margaret Jull Costa, a distinguished translator from Spanish and Portuguese who has brought Javier Marías, José Saramago, and Eça de Queiroz into English. Daniel Medin and Scott Esposito return to the second season of That Other Word energized by the translators and rsquo; duels at the Edinburgh International Book Festival and the great work being done at the UK-based press And Other Stories. They look forward to new works in translation this fall, including Antonio Tabucci and rsquo;s The Flying Creatures of Fra Angelico, Basque author and Edinburgh guest Bernardo Atxaga and rsquo;s Seven Hours in France, and the latest from César Aira, The Miracle Cures of Dr. Aira. Daniel Medin hopes that several novels generating interest in Germany and France - ; Jenny Erpenbeck and rsquo;s Aller Tage Abend, Clemens J. Setz and rsquo;s Indigo, and Jean Echenoz and rsquo;s 14 - ; will soon be translated as well. Afterward, Scott Esposito sits down with Margaret Jull Costa, a distinguished translator from Spanish and Portuguese who has brought Javier Marías, José Saramago, and Eça de Queiroz into English. http://www.catranslation.org/blogpost/two-voices-margaret-jull-costa-on-jose-saramago Tue, 28 Aug 2012 16:33:32 GMT Tue, 28 Aug 2012 16:33:32 GMT Podcasts On August 13, Margaret Jull Costa joined the Center to discuss her work with some of the greatest authors to emerge from Spain and Portugal in the 20th century. Translator of Javier Marias, Antonio Lobo Antunes, and Nobel laureate Jose Saramago, among many others, Costa gave an insightful overview of Saramago's long career while discussing his perculiar, beautiful, and wholly original prose style. Costa began her presentation by giving some idea of Saramago's context as a writer, developing a sense of his literary roots. On August 13, Margaret Jull Costa joined the Center to discuss her work with some of the greatest authors to emerge from Spain and Portugal in the 20th century. Translator of Javier Marias, Antonio Lobo Antunes, and Nobel laureate Jose Saramago, among many others, Costa gave an insightful overview of Saramago's long career while discussing his perculiar, beautiful, and wholly original prose style. Costa began her presentation by giving some idea of Saramago's context as a writer, developing a sense of his literary roots. http://www.catranslation.org/blogpost/that-other-word-june-2012-antoine-jaccottet Tue, 19 Jun 2012 16:33:32 GMT Tue, 19 Jun 2012 16:33:32 GMT Podcasts This episode and rsquo;s opening conversation celebrates literature from Eastern Europe: Daniel Medin, speaking from Book Expo America in New York City, is impressed with Mikhail Shishkin and rsquo;s forthcoming novel Maidenhair, and Scott Esposito loves Marek Bie and #324;czyk and rsquo;s genre-bending Transparency. They hope that Julius Margolin and rsquo;s memoir from the Gulag, Voyage au pays des Ze-Ka will make its way into English soon, and in the meantime they enjoy the biting humor of Éric Chevillard and rsquo;s Prehistoric Times and Demolishing Nisard. Finally, Contemporary Georgian Fiction, the latest in Dalkey Archive Press and rsquo; series of regional anthologies, provides a welcome introduction to writing from an often-overlooked country. Daniel Medin then speaks to Antoine Jaccottet, who founded the Paris-based press Le Bruit du Temps in 2008 and has since brought out an admirable collection of works in translation, collected works, memoirs, poetry, and philosophy. This episode and rsquo;s opening conversation celebrates literature from Eastern Europe: Daniel Medin, speaking from Book Expo America in New York City, is impressed with Mikhail Shishkin and rsquo;s forthcoming novel Maidenhair, and Scott Esposito loves Marek Bie and #324;czyk and rsquo;s genre-bending Transparency. They hope that Julius Margolin and rsquo;s memoir from the Gulag, Voyage au pays des Ze-Ka will make its way into English soon, and in the meantime they enjoy the biting humor of Éric Chevillard and rsquo;s Prehistoric Times and Demolishing Nisard. Finally, Contemporary Georgian Fiction, the latest in Dalkey Archive Press and rsquo; series of regional anthologies, provides a welcome introduction to writing from an often-overlooked country. Daniel Medin then speaks to Antoine Jaccottet, who founded the Paris-based press Le Bruit du Temps in 2008 and has since brought out an admirable collection of works in translation, collected works, memoirs, poetry, and philosophy. http://www.catranslation.org/blogpost/two-voices-kate-bernheimer-ila-kaminsky-maria-tatar Mon, 18 Jun 2012 16:33:32 GMT Mon, 18 Jun 2012 16:33:32 GMT Podcasts This Two Voices audio brings you a panel on the unique role fairy tales play in international literature. Acclaimed writer Kate Bernheimer, widely praised poet Ilya Kaminsky, and folklore and mythology expert Maria Tatar discuss the tales and rsquo; role in literature, and how they function in translation. It begins, of course, with a reading of a fairy tale. Tatar introduces the tale as the French and ldquo;Story of the Grandmother, and rdquo; though any audience would immediately recognize it as one we know by the name of its protagonist, Little Red Riding Hood. Brief though it is, this version includes every detail American audiences know about the tale while still being remarkably unsettling; each familiar line is presented with an eerily sexual undertone, the threat seeming that much more dire. In the story and rsquo;s conclusion, Little Red becomes a trickster herself . . . This Two Voices audio brings you a panel on the unique role fairy tales play in international literature. Acclaimed writer Kate Bernheimer, widely praised poet Ilya Kaminsky, and folklore and mythology expert Maria Tatar discuss the tales and rsquo; role in literature, and how they function in translation. It begins, of course, with a reading of a fairy tale. Tatar introduces the tale as the French and ldquo;Story of the Grandmother, and rdquo; though any audience would immediately recognize it as one we know by the name of its protagonist, Little Red Riding Hood. Brief though it is, this version includes every detail American audiences know about the tale while still being remarkably unsettling; each familiar line is presented with an eerily sexual undertone, the threat seeming that much more dire. In the story and rsquo;s conclusion, Little Red becomes a trickster herself . . . http://www.catranslation.org/blogpost/two-voices-a-night-of-fairy-tales Mon, 18 Jun 2012 16:33:32 GMT Mon, 18 Jun 2012 16:33:32 GMT Podcasts In this audio from the Center for the Art of Translation's Two Voices events series we present four deliciously dark fairy tales. Author Kate Bernheimer is joined by fairy tale expert Maria Tatar and poet/translator Ilya Kaminsky. Plus, the Center's own Managing Editor and Literary Programs Manager CJ Evans shares a fairy tale that was much too dark for his infant daughter. In this audio from the Center for the Art of Translation's Two Voices events series we present four deliciously dark fairy tales. Author Kate Bernheimer is joined by fairy tale expert Maria Tatar and poet/translator Ilya Kaminsky. Plus, the Center's own Managing Editor and Literary Programs Manager CJ Evans shares a fairy tale that was much too dark for his infant daughter. http://www.catranslation.org/blogpost/that-other-word-episode-3-may-2012 Tue, 15 May 2012 16:33:32 GMT Tue, 15 May 2012 16:33:32 GMT Podcasts In this rather German conversation, Daniel Medin and Scott Esposito discuss the melancholy and pleasure in the most recent collection of W.G. Sebald and rsquo;s poetry to appear in English, Across the Land and the Water: Selected Poems 1964-2001. History is a found object in Sebald, and also in December, a wintry advent calendar of thirty-nine short stories by Alexander Kluge and thirty-nine photographs by Gerhard Richter. Robert Walser and rsquo;s The Walk may induce laughing out loud at the wilderness, and the thirtieth anniversary of Julio Cortázar and Carol Dunlop and rsquo;s Autonauts of the Cosmoroute should inspire some very leisurely drives from Paris to Marseilles. In the second half of the episode, Scott Esposito interviews Benjamin Moser, author of Why This World: A Biography of Clarice Lispector. Moser has recently re-translated Lispector and rsquo;s last novel, The Hour of the Star, and is currently editing a series of four of her earlier works for New Directions (Near to the Wild Heart, A Breath of Life, Agua Viva, and The Passion According to G.H.). In this rather German conversation, Daniel Medin and Scott Esposito discuss the melancholy and pleasure in the most recent collection of W.G. Sebald and rsquo;s poetry to appear in English, Across the Land and the Water: Selected Poems 1964-2001. History is a found object in Sebald, and also in December, a wintry advent calendar of thirty-nine short stories by Alexander Kluge and thirty-nine photographs by Gerhard Richter. Robert Walser and rsquo;s The Walk may induce laughing out loud at the wilderness, and the thirtieth anniversary of Julio Cortázar and Carol Dunlop and rsquo;s Autonauts of the Cosmoroute should inspire some very leisurely drives from Paris to Marseilles. In the second half of the episode, Scott Esposito interviews Benjamin Moser, author of Why This World: A Biography of Clarice Lispector. Moser has recently re-translated Lispector and rsquo;s last novel, The Hour of the Star, and is currently editing a series of four of her earlier works for New Directions (Near to the Wild Heart, A Breath of Life, Agua Viva, and The Passion According to G.H.). http://www.catranslation.org/blogpost/two-voices-novelist-sergio-chejfec Thu, 10 May 2012 16:33:32 GMT Thu, 10 May 2012 16:33:32 GMT Podcasts In his Two Voices presentation on May 8, lauded Argentine author Sergio Chejfec started by explaining the biographical roots of his strange, compelling novel The Planets. The book is about an Argentine who goes missing during the military dictatorship of 1976-82, and Chejfec began by explaining that the plot of the book actually has to do with a friend of his who did disappear during the military dictatorship for the 1970s. He was one of an estimated 30,000 Argentines to disappear during that span. In his Two Voices presentation on May 8, lauded Argentine author Sergio Chejfec started by explaining the biographical roots of his strange, compelling novel The Planets. The book is about an Argentine who goes missing during the military dictatorship of 1976-82, and Chejfec began by explaining that the plot of the book actually has to do with a friend of his who did disappear during the military dictatorship for the 1970s. He was one of an estimated 30,000 Argentines to disappear during that span. http://www.catranslation.org/blogpost/richard-howard-out-in-the-bay Thu, 3 May 2012 16:33:32 GMT Thu, 3 May 2012 16:33:32 GMT Podcasts In this audio, Pulitzer-winner poet and legendary translator Richard Howard discusses his career and reads his work. He talks about works he's written in the voice of famous individuals, such as Isadora Duncan - ;and about how this writing relates to his work with translation. Howard touches on his famous translation of Baudelaire's Les Fleurs du mal, particularly how he chose to deal with Baudelaire's challenging rhyme scheme. (He chose, controversially, to abandon the terminal rhymes.) Howard explain show he translated the poems so as to evoke the feeling of rhymes without actually making the lines rhyme as did Baudelaire. He also reads from his translation of Stéphane Mallarmé's "Afternoon of a Faun." In this audio, Pulitzer-winner poet and legendary translator Richard Howard discusses his career and reads his work. He talks about works he's written in the voice of famous individuals, such as Isadora Duncan - ;and about how this writing relates to his work with translation. Howard touches on his famous translation of Baudelaire's Les Fleurs du mal, particularly how he chose to deal with Baudelaire's challenging rhyme scheme. (He chose, controversially, to abandon the terminal rhymes.) Howard explain show he translated the poems so as to evoke the feeling of rhymes without actually making the lines rhyme as did Baudelaire. He also reads from his translation of Stéphane Mallarmé's "Afternoon of a Faun." http://www.catranslation.org/blogpost/that-other-word-episode-2-april-2012 Tue, 17 Apr 2012 16:33:32 GMT Tue, 17 Apr 2012 16:33:32 GMT Podcasts In this episode, Scott Esposito eagerly anticipates the Dirty War in Sergio Chejfec and rsquo;s The Planets, and Daniel Medin shares a delightful description of a freeloader from Nescio and rsquo;s Amsterdam Stories. They discuss Daniel Sada and rsquo;s Almost Never and the general robustness of contemporary Mexican fiction, attempt to explain why reading Can Xue and rsquo;s Vertical Motion is like running downhill in the dark, then hesitate over whether to call Daniel Levin Becker and rsquo;s Many Subtle Channels a memoir or a work of criticism, but agree that it is about Oulipo and very candid. Daniel Medin then speaks to Petra Hardt, head of the rights department at Suhrkamp Verlag and author of Rights: Buying. Protecting. Selling. Suhrkamp is one of the most prestigious presses in Germany and in Europe, and since its founding in 1950 has published not only many of the greatest German-language writers of the twentieth century - ; among them Paul Celan, Theodor W. Adorno, and Thomas Bernhard - ; but foreign authors as well, including Samuel Beckett, Marcel Proust, and Julio Cortázar. In this episode, Scott Esposito eagerly anticipates the Dirty War in Sergio Chejfec and rsquo;s The Planets, and Daniel Medin shares a delightful description of a freeloader from Nescio and rsquo;s Amsterdam Stories. They discuss Daniel Sada and rsquo;s Almost Never and the general robustness of contemporary Mexican fiction, attempt to explain why reading Can Xue and rsquo;s Vertical Motion is like running downhill in the dark, then hesitate over whether to call Daniel Levin Becker and rsquo;s Many Subtle Channels a memoir or a work of criticism, but agree that it is about Oulipo and very candid. Daniel Medin then speaks to Petra Hardt, head of the rights department at Suhrkamp Verlag and author of Rights: Buying. Protecting. Selling. Suhrkamp is one of the most prestigious presses in Germany and in Europe, and since its founding in 1950 has published not only many of the greatest German-language writers of the twentieth century - ; among them Paul Celan, Theodor W. Adorno, and Thomas Bernhard - ; but foreign authors as well, including Samuel Beckett, Marcel Proust, and Julio Cortázar. http://www.catranslation.org/blogpost/jay-rubin-j-philip-gabriel-translating-murakami Thu, 5 Apr 2012 16:33:32 GMT Thu, 5 Apr 2012 16:33:32 GMT Podcasts On April 3, 2012, translators Jay Rubin and J. Philip Gabriel - ;best-known as the main English translators of Haruki Murakmai's novels and short stories - ;discussed their work with the Japanese master of the surreal's latest book, 1Q84. The event got off to a proper start with a discussion of one of the primary questions surrounding 1Q84: how do you pronounce its title? Jay Rubin canvassed the audience for answers, which ranged from "nineteen-eighty-four" to "eye-que-eight-four" (which Rubin ruled out, since the first character is a number one). He then went on to a discussion of the role that the title plays in the novel . . . On April 3, 2012, translators Jay Rubin and J. Philip Gabriel - ;best-known as the main English translators of Haruki Murakmai's novels and short stories - ;discussed their work with the Japanese master of the surreal's latest book, 1Q84. The event got off to a proper start with a discussion of one of the primary questions surrounding 1Q84: how do you pronounce its title? Jay Rubin canvassed the audience for answers, which ranged from "nineteen-eighty-four" to "eye-que-eight-four" (which Rubin ruled out, since the first character is a number one). He then went on to a discussion of the role that the title plays in the novel . . . http://www.catranslation.org/blogpost/that-other-word-episode-1-march-2012 Tue, 20 Mar 2012 16:33:32 GMT Tue, 20 Mar 2012 16:33:32 GMT Podcasts In this first episode, Scott Esposito interviews Lorin Stein, editor of The Paris Review and former senior editor at Farrar, Straus and Giroux. They discuss editing the English version of Jean-Christophe Valtat and rsquo;s 03 (translated by Mitzi Angel), procuring the rights to Roberto Bolańo and rsquo;s works and editing Natasha Wimmer and rsquo;s translations, and Stein's translation of Edouard Levé's book Autoportrait. Daniel Medin and Scott Esposito also chat about César Aira and rsquo;s Varamo, László Krasznahorkai and rsquo;s Satantango, and Robert Walser and rsquo;s Berlin Stories. In this first episode, Scott Esposito interviews Lorin Stein, editor of The Paris Review and former senior editor at Farrar, Straus and Giroux. They discuss editing the English version of Jean-Christophe Valtat and rsquo;s 03 (translated by Mitzi Angel), procuring the rights to Roberto Bolańo and rsquo;s works and editing Natasha Wimmer and rsquo;s translations, and Stein's translation of Edouard Levé's book Autoportrait. Daniel Medin and Scott Esposito also chat about César Aira and rsquo;s Varamo, László Krasznahorkai and rsquo;s Satantango, and Robert Walser and rsquo;s Berlin Stories. http://www.catranslation.org/blogpost/two-voices-peter-constantine-on-3000-years-of-greek-poetry Thu, 15 Mar 2012 16:33:32 GMT Thu, 15 Mar 2012 16:33:32 GMT Podcasts In this audio, translator Peter Constantine argues passionately against the notion that there is a past to Greek poetry and a present, but no middle. Here, Constantine offers ample evidence of all the great Greek poetry written between the ancient and modern eras. In this audio, translator Peter Constantine argues passionately against the notion that there is a past to Greek poetry and a present, but no middle. Here, Constantine offers ample evidence of all the great Greek poetry written between the ancient and modern eras. http://www.catranslation.org/blogpost/two-voices-richard-howard-stephane-mallerme Thu, 23 Feb 2012 16:33:32 GMT Thu, 23 Feb 2012 16:33:32 GMT Podcasts The Center was joined by legendary translator Richard Howard on February 16, 2012 to discuss his work with some of the greatest French writers of the 19th and 20th centuries. In this audio event he focuses on Stéphane Mallarmé's most famous - ;and likely most challenging - ;poem, "Afternoon of a Faun," which encompasses seven pages and includes several challenges of syntax, typography, and form. He characterizes the work as "for the spoken word only," and it can be heard as Howard intends in the audio in his dramatic reading. The Center was joined by legendary translator Richard Howard on February 16, 2012 to discuss his work with some of the greatest French writers of the 19th and 20th centuries. In this audio event he focuses on Stéphane Mallarmé's most famous - ;and likely most challenging - ;poem, "Afternoon of a Faun," which encompasses seven pages and includes several challenges of syntax, typography, and form. He characterizes the work as "for the spoken word only," and it can be heard as Howard intends in the audio in his dramatic reading. http://www.catranslation.org/blogpost/two-voices-perry-link-liu-xiaobo Mon, 6 Feb 2012 16:33:32 GMT Mon, 6 Feb 2012 16:33:32 GMT Podcasts On January 26, translator and China scholar Perry Link joined the Center, the Asia Society, and the Mechanics Institute in San Francisco for a discussion on imprisoned Chinese activist and 2010 Nobel Peace Prize Winner Liu Xiaobo and rsquo;s No Enemies, No Hatred, a collection of his political essays and poetry. In his role as translator, editor, and scholar, Link reviewed the process of publishing the collection, Liu and rsquo;s literary background and career as writer and activist, and both the personal and political influences of his development into one of China and rsquo;s most notorious and celebrated and ldquo;dissidents. and rdquo; On January 26, translator and China scholar Perry Link joined the Center, the Asia Society, and the Mechanics Institute in San Francisco for a discussion on imprisoned Chinese activist and 2010 Nobel Peace Prize Winner Liu Xiaobo and rsquo;s No Enemies, No Hatred, a collection of his political essays and poetry. In his role as translator, editor, and scholar, Link reviewed the process of publishing the collection, Liu and rsquo;s literary background and career as writer and activist, and both the personal and political influences of his development into one of China and rsquo;s most notorious and celebrated and ldquo;dissidents. and rdquo; http://www.catranslation.org/blogpost/counterfeits-release-reading Thu, 5 Jan 2012 16:33:32 GMT Thu, 5 Jan 2012 16:33:32 GMT Podcasts On November 9, the Center for the Art of Translation celebrated the release of Counterfeits, its 18th annual anthology of world literature, with a star-studded event in New York City. You can listen to the audio from that event right here. On November 9, the Center for the Art of Translation celebrated the release of Counterfeits, its 18th annual anthology of world literature, with a star-studded event in New York City. You can listen to the audio from that event right here. http://www.catranslation.org/blogpost/anglo-saxon-poetry-robert-hass-delanty-matto Thu, 15 Dec 2011 16:33:31 GMT Thu, 15 Dec 2011 16:33:31 GMT Podcasts This event brought together editors, poets, and translators Robert Hass, Greg Delanty, and Michael Matto to talk about some of the great richness of Anglo-Saxon poetry. Delanty and Matto are coeditors of The Word Exchange, which features over 70 contemporary poets (Hass included among them) translating a wealth of Anglo-Saxon verse into modern English. In this audio you can hear Hass, Delanty, and Matto read in both English and Anglo-Saxon while discussing these poems. This event brought together editors, poets, and translators Robert Hass, Greg Delanty, and Michael Matto to talk about some of the great richness of Anglo-Saxon poetry. Delanty and Matto are coeditors of The Word Exchange, which features over 70 contemporary poets (Hass included among them) translating a wealth of Anglo-Saxon verse into modern English. In this audio you can hear Hass, Delanty, and Matto read in both English and Anglo-Saxon while discussing these poems. http://www.catranslation.org/blogpost/natasha-wimmer-daniel-alarcon-audio Tue, 6 Dec 2011 16:33:31 GMT Tue, 6 Dec 2011 16:33:31 GMT Podcasts In this audio, celebrated author and Guggenheim fellow Daniel Alarcón talks with Natasha Wimmer about her translators of Bolańo's masterworks, The Savage Detectives and 2666. The audio was originally recorded on October 7, 2009. They start the conversation by discussing why Wimmer got into translation to begin with. As she notes, translation is often seen as the closest form of reading . . . In this audio, celebrated author and Guggenheim fellow Daniel Alarcón talks with Natasha Wimmer about her translators of Bolańo's masterworks, The Savage Detectives and 2666. The audio was originally recorded on October 7, 2009. They start the conversation by discussing why Wimmer got into translation to begin with. As she notes, translation is often seen as the closest form of reading . . . http://www.catranslation.org/blogpost/two-voices-with-translators-steven-t-murray-and-tiina-nunnally Mon, 21 Nov 2011 16:33:31 GMT Mon, 21 Nov 2011 16:33:31 GMT Podcasts On November 11, 2011, the Center for the Art of Translation's Two Voices events series hosted the pre-eminent translators of Nordic crime fiction, Steven T. Murray and Tiina Nunnally. Since 1984 they have produced award-winning translations, including books by Henning Mankell, Peter Hřeg, Camilla Läckberg, and Mari Jungstedt. Murray is best-known as the translator of the Stieg Larsson Millennium Trilogy, and Nunnally is well-known for translating another runaway bestseller (from the Danish), Smilla's Sense of Snow. The couple were presented in conversation with Sedge Thomson, host of West Coast Live. On November 11, 2011, the Center for the Art of Translation's Two Voices events series hosted the pre-eminent translators of Nordic crime fiction, Steven T. Murray and Tiina Nunnally. Since 1984 they have produced award-winning translations, including books by Henning Mankell, Peter Hřeg, Camilla Läckberg, and Mari Jungstedt. Murray is best-known as the translator of the Stieg Larsson Millennium Trilogy, and Nunnally is well-known for translating another runaway bestseller (from the Danish), Smilla's Sense of Snow. The couple were presented in conversation with Sedge Thomson, host of West Coast Live. http://www.catranslation.org/blogpost/two-voices-carmen-boullosa-and-pura-lopez-colome Mon, 17 Oct 2011 16:33:31 GMT Mon, 17 Oct 2011 16:33:31 GMT Podcasts Mexico is traditionally thought of as a country in love with machismo, and that fact can be seen in the Mexican writers who succeed in English - ;among them Carlos Fuentes, Juan Rulfo, and Octavio Paz. Yet there are many women in Mexico writing landmark literature, and this audio presents two of them. As part of the annual Litquake literature festival in San Francisco, the Center for the Art of Translation partnered with the Mexican Consulate to present two of Mexico's most vital female writers: Carmen Boullosa and Pura López Colomé. Mexico is traditionally thought of as a country in love with machismo, and that fact can be seen in the Mexican writers who succeed in English - ;among them Carlos Fuentes, Juan Rulfo, and Octavio Paz. Yet there are many women in Mexico writing landmark literature, and this audio presents two of them. As part of the annual Litquake literature festival in San Francisco, the Center for the Art of Translation partnered with the Mexican Consulate to present two of Mexico's most vital female writers: Carmen Boullosa and Pura López Colomé. http://www.catranslation.org/blogpost/two-voices-joshua-beckman-presents-micrograms-by-jorge-carrera-andrade Thu, 13 Oct 2011 16:33:31 GMT Thu, 13 Oct 2011 16:33:31 GMT Podcasts "The purpose of this book is to send readers off to new places--new places of the mind." So began Joshua Beckman's Two voices presentation of Micrograms by Jorge Carrera Andrade, described, in part, as the Japanese concept of haiku translated into the Latin America of the 20th century. "The purpose of this book is to send readers off to new places--new places of the mind." So began Joshua Beckman's Two voices presentation of Micrograms by Jorge Carrera Andrade, described, in part, as the Japanese concept of haiku translated into the Latin America of the 20th century. http://www.catranslation.org/blogpost/two-voices-michael-henry-heim-and-the-three-eras-of-modern-translation Thu, 15 Sep 2011 16:33:31 GMT Thu, 15 Sep 2011 16:33:31 GMT Podcasts Translator of Thomas Mann, Milan Kundera, Hugo Claus, and many more, Michael Henry Heim joined the Center for the Art of Translation in its new offices in downtown San Francisco. Heim has worked with translation since the 1960s, and his presentation focused on how he has seen the translator slowly been brought brought out from "under the carpet" since then. Throughout, Heim came across as a passionate advocate of translation, one who has had the pleasure of seeing it emerge more and more, to the point that now, in Heim's opinion, it has developed serious momentum and has a bright future. Translator of Thomas Mann, Milan Kundera, Hugo Claus, and many more, Michael Henry Heim joined the Center for the Art of Translation in its new offices in downtown San Francisco. Heim has worked with translation since the 1960s, and his presentation focused on how he has seen the translator slowly been brought brought out from "under the carpet" since then. Throughout, Heim came across as a passionate advocate of translation, one who has had the pleasure of seeing it emerge more and more, to the point that now, in Heim's opinion, it has developed serious momentum and has a bright future.