P.S.
I don't see why American poets should receive credit for being invited to
Royaumont as if it demonstrates their generous attitudes to foreign
culture. I know a number of British poets who would be happy to be invited
to Royaumont-- able linguists, experienced translators, and interested in
Parisian poetry; but British poets just don't get invited to Royaumont
(except Tom Raworth). I think they're not considered advanced enough.
And they've been working in the same translation zones (And others equally
valid) for decades. Anthony Barnett in particular has done a lot of
valuable translation of French poetry (in book form: Giroux, Albiach,
Delahaye) and Norwegian (Vesaas, Berg). Creative translation too, not just
the steady churning of french-to-english you get in some quarters
(including the francophile avant-garde). There are many more instances, but
I'd also like to mention (since it's the kind of thing unlikely to get
mentioned around here if I don't) Peter Levi's work with Serbo-Croatian
heroic song, for it isn't just a matter of translating the latest thing. As
for that, Kevin Nolan here in Cambridge has been doing some interesting
collaborative translation with Pierre Alferi, and dare I mention the well
established Paris-CCCP link? This usually brings two Parisian poets to
Britain each year, (and gets them translated) though it doesn't seem to
take any British poets to Paris. I suppose with all those Americans there
isn't much space left.
But you don't have to translate (or travel) to participate in the necessary
internationalism I've been talking about, it's also a reading matter and
how the reading goes creatively into the writing, and finally it's in the
writing, what breadth of offer you make.
PR
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
|