Translating the World

When reading a text in translation are you reading the author’s writing or the translator’s writing? 

Listen to this thought-provoking conversation in which author Claudia Hamm and translator Johnny Becker discuss Claudia's essay entitled, “Who does a translated text belong to?” published in Germany's leading intellectual review Merkur in April 2018. In this rich discussion our guests and hosts address issues of equivalency and voice in translation. This episode invites you to explore how to approach translated texts from a new perspective.

This conversation was recorded on September 10, 2021. 

In this episode, we speak with poet, translator, and professor Julia Leverone. Julia is the creator and editor of AzonaL, an online poetry-in-translation magazine. She has an MFA in poetry from the University of Maryland and a PhD in Comparative Literature with a primary focus on Latin America and a second focus on the poetry of the United States in the 20th century. Over fifty of her translations of poems from the Spanish have been published in literary venues such as Witness and the Boston Review and she has published two chapbooks. 

This conversation was recorded on August 16, 2021.

In this episode, guest host Shelby Vincent speaks with translator, writer, and editor Samantha Schnee. Schnee's translation of Carmen Boullosa’s penultimate novel, The Book of Anna, was published by Coffee House Press last year, and her translation of Boullosa’s Texas: The Great Theft was shortlisted for the PEN America Translation Prize. Listen to this insightful conversation to learn about Schnee’s process of translation, her experience as founding editor of Words Without Borders, which by now has published issues from 140 countries from more than 120 languages, and her exciting reading recommendations for listeners. Schnee's intellectual and creative energy is sure to inspire translators, writers, and readers alike.

This conversation was recorded on June 9, 2021.

Spanning six decades and circling the globe, Dr. Samuel John Hazo’s creative work includes poetry, fiction, drama, essays, and various works of translation. Listen to his conversation with Sarah and Rainer to learn about the remarkable founder and director of the International Poetry Forum, which ran from 1966 until 2009 in Pittsburgh. Sam Hazo recalls insightful memories about his experiences hosting hundreds of distinguished poets and performers from around the world, from poets like Yevgeny Yevtushenko to Nobel Prize winners like Octavio Paz to public figures such as the Princess Grace of Monaco. This episode also features Hazo’s beautiful poetry, which he masterfully recites by heart, inspiring listeners to fall in love with the art of poetry. His latest book, The Next Time We Saw Paris is now out. 

This conversation was recorded on August 13, 2021.

As civil engineer in Madrid since 2003, Javier García del Moral built highways and bridges in Spain, Ireland, the Middle East and the US. Then, he began to build cultural bridges through his love of books, literature, and languages. In 2014, Javier founded The Wild Detectives bookstore bar in Dallas, along with his longtime friend Paco Vique. He currently directs the bookstore with the help of many friends. In 2019, Javier also founded the Spanish restaurant Sketches of Spain. Listen to this delightful conversation with guest hold Shelby Vincent, to learn about Javier's story and The Wild Detectives bookstore. 

This conversation was recorded on June 8, 2021.

In this new episode, host Sarah Valente interviews multi Emmy-award winning American film director Rick Wallace. Learn about his decades of experience directing almost 100 hours of prime time television, both series and movies for television, and also producing over 250 hours of television. Some of the shows he has directed and produced include Hill Street Blues, LA Law, NYPD Blue, The Closer, and Law and Order SVU. Listen to this exciting episode to learn how the arts, humanities, and creative thinking set Rick Wallace on the path for a successful career in film and television. 

In this new episode of the New Poetic Visions series, Professor Rainer Schulte introduces one of the most influential writers of the nineteenth-century: Stéphane Mallarmé. His poetic creations deeply influenced the poetic thinking of twentieth-century poets. Listen to learn about the French poet Mallarmé (1842-1898). 

In this new episode of the New Poetic Visions series, Professor Rainer Schulte discusses the influential Austrian poet and author Ingeborg Bachmann (1926-1973). A recipient of the Prize of the Group 47, Georg Buchner Prize, and Anton Wildgans Prize, Bachmann's poetry reflects the political realities from her youth. 

Listen the our New Poetic Vision series today to travel through the world of 20th century literary translation and poetry with Professor Rainer Schulte and learn about poets whose works profoundly changed the way we interpret poetry and the world in the 20th and 21st centuries.

In this new episode of the New Poetic Visions series, Professor Rainer Schulte discusses the influential Mexican poet and diplomat Octavio Paz (1914-1998). Recognized as one of the major Latin American writers of the 20th century, Paz was awarded the Miguel de Cervantes Prize in 1981,  the Neustadt International Prize for Literature in 1982, and the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1990. In this episode, Schulte discusses how Octavio Paz introduces us to a different way of thinking in the 20th century when we are confronted with literary works or essayist works. 

Listen the our New Poetic Vision series today to travel through the world of 20th century literary translation and poetry with Professor Rainer Schulte and learn about poets whose works profoundly changed the way we interpret poetry and the world in the 20th and 21st centuries.

In this new episode of the New Poetic Visions series, Professor Rainer Schulte discusses the influential Bohemian-Austrian poet and novelist Rainer Maria Rilke (1875-1926), whose famous works include Duino Elegies (1922), Sonnet to Orpheus (1922), and Letter to a Young Poet (1929). In this episode, we learn how Rilke contributed to create a different way of creating situations through his writings. 

Travel through the world of 20th century literary translation and poetry with Professor Rainer Schulte and learn about poets whose works profoundly changed the way we interpret poetry and the world in the 20th and 21st centuries. Listen to the New Poetic Vision series today!