What is it about?
In order to translate poetry we need to know what drove the poem; we need to understand the poetics of the poet. That is, the way the poet represents in the language of poetry a particular state of mind or way of thinking. The best way to gain insight into the poetics of a poet is to examine the style in detail, because poetic style results from conscious and unconscious linguistic choices.
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Why is it important?
We don't understand enough about the way poetry is translated. This article argues that poetic style is the most important element in translating poetry.
Perspectives
Celan is one of the greatest poets of modern times, but he is read in English-speaking countries almost exclusively in translation. That translation process needs to be better understood and examined, so that we know what we are doing when we read translated poetry.
Professor Jean Boase-Beier
University of East Anglia
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Translating Celan’s poetics of silence, Target International Journal of Translation Studies, December 2011, John Benjamins,
DOI: 10.1075/target.23.2.02boa.
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