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English language Szymborska poetry wins translation prize

PR dla Zagranicy
Peter Gentle 14.06.2011 12:10
Clare Cavanagh and Stanisław Barańczak are this year’s recipients of the ‘Found in Translation’ award for an English language version of the poetry of Nobel prize for literature winner Wisława Szymborska.

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The award is given by the Polish Cultural Institutes in London and New York, the Krakow-based Polish Book Institute and W.A.B. Publishers of Warsaw annually for published English language translations of Polish literary works.

The two translators were honoured for the translation of Wisława Szymborska’s volume of poetry Here published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt in the United States.

The citation says that Cavanagh and Barańczak worked on the translations of Szymborska’s poetry at a time when she had been known only to a narrow circle of poets and that it is thanks to their efforts that the work of the Polish Nobel Prize-winning poetess has been brought closer to a large audience.

The presentation ceremony is to be held on 2 October at the University of Illinois in Chicago during the closing event of the ‘After Miłosz’ Festival devoted to Czesław Miłosz, another Polish Nobel Prize winning poet.

Stanisław Barańczak is one of Poland’s most prominent poets. He lectured on Polish literature at Harvard University for many years and has earned a reputation for his translations of English poetry into Polish and of Polish poetry into English.

Irish-born Clare Cavanagh was Barańczak’s student at Harvard and even though her main field was Russian she has developed a deep interest in Polish poetry. (mk)

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