Translation of the Week Archives

Translation of the Week: Sisyphus and I by Ilja Kostovski

Translation of the WeekApril 30, 2024158Views 0Likes 0Comments

Sisyphus and I By Ilja Kostovski Translated by Jack Hirschman May 1, 2024, marks the birthday of Macedonian poet and literary scholar Ilja Kostovski. In celebration, we are featuring Sisyphus and I, translated by 2012 San Francisco Poet-Laureate Jack Hirschman. The poem and its translation were first read at the 1978 International Poetry Festival in San…

Translation of the Week: Vasyl Makhno “A Yacht Sails at Night”

Translation of the WeekOctober 12, 2022856Views 0Likes 0Comments

For this week's Translation of the Week we feature the poem "A Yacht Sails at Night" from our upcoming publication Paper Bridge, by Ukrainian poet Vasyl Makhno; translated by Olena Jennings. Vasyl Makhno is a Ukrainian poet, prose writer, essayist, and translator. He is the author of fourteen collections of poetry and most recently the…

Translation of the Week: Baiba Bičole – Two Poems

Translation of the WeekOctober 5, 2022937Views 0Likes 0Comments

For today's Translation of the Week, we would like to present two poems, "Ancestral Mother" and "I am the Skin of a Drum", from the bilingual collection To Taste the River by Latvian poet Baiba Bičole, translated by Bitite Vinklers. Baiba Bičole, born in Latvia in 1931, left as a refugee during World War II…

Translations of the Week – Jan Skacel: Wine Taken at its Word

Translation of the WeekApril 24, 20221KViews 0Likes 0Comments

Moravian writer and poet Jan Skácel was born in 1922 in Vnorovy, Czechoslovakia. He studied philosophy at Masaryk University. In 1948 he was the Cultural Editor for the daily Rovnost (Equality) and in 1954 he started work for the literary division of Radio Brno. In 1963 he became the Editor in Chief for the cultural…

Translation of the Week – Karel Kryl : Little Brother, Close the gate, will you?

Translation of the WeekApril 22, 2022992Views 0Likes 0Comments

Czech Singer-songwriter icon Karel Kryl was author of many protest songs in which he attacked the absurdity of the Communist regime after the 1968 occupation of Czechoslovakia. His first album was recorded at home and included songs such as The Angel and Morituri te Salutant. After being forced into exile his later albums were smuggled into his homeland, creating a nationwide underground following. His songs…

Translation of the Week – Rachelle by Vitezslav Nezval

Translation of the WeekApril 22, 2022806Views 0Likes 0Comments

Plamen Press launches its Translation of the Week (Literature from Central, Eastern or Southeastern Europe translated into English). Our first posting is Rachelle from Vítězslav Nezval’s collection of poems Farewell and a Handkerchief – Poems on the Road. This collection renders Nezval’s travels to Austria, France and Italy in 1933. Nezval returned that year to Czechoslovakia and…

Translation of the Week: Sisyphus and I by Ilja Kostovski

Translation of the Week: Vasyl Makhno “A Yacht Sails at Night”

Translation of the Week: Baiba Bičole – Two Poems

Translations of the Week – Jan Skacel: Wine Taken at its Word

Translation of the Week – Karel Kryl : Little Brother, Close the gate, will you?

Translation of the Week – Rachelle by Vitezslav Nezval

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