Stephen Spender Prize 2011
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Stephen Spender Prize 2011 for poetry in translation Stephen Spender Prize 2011 for poetry in translation Joint winners of the 14-and-under prize Commended Giles Robinson Anamay Viswanathan ‘Breakfast’ by Jacques ‘Children of the Sun and Wind’ Derek Lam Prévert (French) by Mohammed Ebnu (Spanish) ‘The Ballad of Mulan’, anon (Classical Chinese) Charlie Mack ‘A Dream for Winter’ by Arthur Rimbaud (French) Winners of the 18-and-under category Commended Iman Ahmedani First Joint second ‘From the Child to His Foot’ Andrew Wynn Owen Joel Farrance William Kennaway Phoebe Power by Pablo Neruda ‘The Whale’ ‘As’ ‘In the Jaws of ‘Blood Orange’ (Spanish) anon by Robert Desnos Luxury…’ by Jacques Prévert Oscar Davies (Anglo-Saxon) (French) by Petronius (Latin) (French) ‘Open Windows’ by Victor Hugo (French) Isobel Gooder ‘Good Advice for Lovers’ by Victor Hugo (French) Holly Whiston ‘Fragment 31’ by Sappho (Ancient Greek) Winners of the Open category Commended First Second Third Jane Draycott Meghan Purvis Martin Bennett Henry Stead ‘The Man in the Moon’, anon (Old English) ‘The Collar’ ‘Toto Merumeni’ from Medea Adam Elgar from Beowulf, by Guido Gozzano by Seneca ‘Sonnet 32’, by Gaspara Stampa (Italian) anon (Italian) (Latin) Meghan Purvis (Anglo-Saxon) ‘Modthryth’, from Beowulf (Anglo-Saxon) Sam Riviere ‘Tristia’, by Osip Mandelstam (Russian) Patricia Roseberry ‘The Murderer’s Wine’ by Charles Baudelaire (French) John Turner ‘Sagesse III, XII’, by Paul Verlaine (French) John Turner ‘Parsifal’, by Paul Verlaine (French) Introduction This was a curious year in that we had a wonderfully high before deciding the winners at a meeting that new judge number of entries but fewer than usual in the Open category: Patrick McGuinness described as ‘convivial and edifying the total was swollen by an unprecedented number of entries and funny in the right parts’. This year’s sponsor has asked in the 14-and-under and 18-and-under groups. Forty-three to remain anonymous, so it remains only to thank Erica languages were represented, with Sindebele and Tibetan Wagner, Literary Editor of The Times, whose promotion of appearing for the first time. the prize makes an inestimable difference. My thanks to judges Susan Bassnett, Edith Hall, Patrick McGuinness and George Szirtes, who painstakingly read and Robina Pelham Burn made notes on every entry (there is no preliminary sifting) Director of the Stephen Spender Trust Judges’ comments This year’s entries, as Beowulf was our unanimous choice not only at the translations but also at ever, included some as winner of the Open category, with how the translators explain themselves magnificent translations a second poem commended. Whether in their commentaries. The quality by people of all ages, this reflects a renewed interest in Old of work submitted this year was from under-14 to over English poetry remains to be seen, so high that our list of commended 75, along with some but the translations were exceptionally entries is longer than usual. What this first-rate commentaries. Interestingly, strong. Classical languages also scored competition continues to show is that a lot of entrants chose to translate into highly, and several entries explored there are dozens of writers, old and rhymed verse forms. This works well if dramatic works. We all admired John young, experimenting with language the translator/poet can use rhyme in a Turner’s ‘Sagesse III, XII’ based on and producing beautiful, memorable versatile manner that shows he or she Verlaine and Dante. works of art. Stephen Spender would is comfortable with it, but though there Judging a competition such as this have been delighted. were some fine examples of rhymed inevitably raises questions of whether Susan Bassnett verse, there were also some cases where there are limits to the freedom a the use of rhyme damaged the impact translator may take with an original. Every year I read of the translation, making it read like Martin Bennett’s translation of ‘Toto the entries to the doggerel. My advice to anyone wanting Merumeni’ is significantly subtitled competition in a to translate into English rhyme forms ‘After Guido Gozzano’; a comparison different mood. This is not to do so unless you feel very, with the original shows the strategies year, I had spent very confident that the result will work used by the translator to create a fine July campaigning effectively. Just because there is a form poem in English that retains much of against the threatened closure of my of rhyme in an original does not mean the original without slavishly following Department of Classics, where Greek that it will translate easily into rhyme it. and Latin have been studied for over in another language where stylistic For a poem to live on in another a century. The proposal was made rules are different. language it has to be re-created. suddenly at the end of June, on the There were some very courageous Often that means rethinking the ground that the department is not entries this year: translators tackled poem, deciding what can and cannot expected to make a financial profit some of the best known and most be retained, perhaps changing the next year. It has therefore been more difficult poets such as Garcia Lorca and structure, reworking patterns of sound than usually heartening to spend time Pablo Neruda. I particularly admired and rhythm, sometimes substituting in the company of hundreds of people Adam Elgar’s translations of Gaspara images for ones that will have the who enjoy translating poetry from all Stampa (commended) and, in the under- desired effect. Ezra Pound, poet- kinds of contemporary and ancient 18 category, Isobel Gooder’s ‘Good translator of genius, was once castigated languages, for all sorts of reasons, Advice for Lovers’ by Victor Hugo, for his ‘unfaithfulness’ and replied none of them financial. also commended, and Charles Devas’ saying that anyone could produce a 2011 proved to be the year of rendering of Lorca’s ‘The Faithless literal version using a cheap crib. What Anglo-Saxon, which furnished the Wife’. might be attacked as unfaithfulness in texts of the winning entries in both There were several extremely good the translation of poetry may result in the Open category and the 18-and- Anglo-Saxon translations this year. a poem that does more justice to the under. Meghan Purvis’ evocation of Andrew Wynn Owen’s ‘The Whale’ original poet than any close following what she calls the ‘violent, feudal, won the under-18 category, while of the original. and supernatural’ world of Beowulf Meghan Purvis’ ‘The Collar’ from When judging, we look carefully in her arrestingly modern version of 3 Judges’ comments ‘The Collar’ proved our undisputed substantial examples. Here I think of what we might call the ‘afterness’ of Open winner. I will remember for Angus Wrenn’s lapidary version of translation. Did they take it to mean a long time the image of Hygelac’s Antoine Tudal’s ‘In the rue Nollet’, a long way after? A long time after? men sleeping with him still, ‘downed and Sean Scrivener’s tense ‘The Bow’, Going ‘after’ in the sense of pursuing? scarecrows / guarding a field of a rendering of a Spanish version of a Or taking ‘after’, perhaps in the sense corpses’. But the masterful alliteration medieval Arabic poem. On the other of resembling, the way you’d ‘take and visual power of Andrew Wynn hand, excerpts from epics or long after’ an ancestor? Owen’s rendition of ‘The Whale’ from narrative poems have to be chosen There were many excellent the Exeter Book would have won him carefully if they are to convey an translations, and some brilliant at least a commendation in the Open effect of aesthetic wholeness. ones. Many were so good I honestly category. Edith Hall wondered why I was judging, and I am pleased to say that the ancient from what perspective of qualification. languages of Greece and Rome While there were some But what makes the Spender prize attracted fine entries, too. Amongst disappointingly samey unique is the way in which it requires the 18-and-unders, Sappho prompted class-exercise-style the translators to think through their Holly Whiston’s brave attempt to versions, often of the choices and account for them. The make a familiar love song (Sappho same poem, the first commentary is important – knowing 31) speak to contemporary teenagers thing I noticed was the what you’re doing and why makes without betraying the poem’s archaic sheer range and variety of languages, you do it better – and I’m convinced simplicity. On the other hand, genres and periods from which it’s why so many of these translations the world-weary wit of William entrants had translated. The pile of were so good. This is a prize named Kennaway’s precociously knowing papers was a melting-pot of cultures; after a very fine poet, and one who in Petronius struck us as remarkable leafing through it was like walking his poetry and translation knew what in a translator still in secondary through an exciting multicultural it meant to be ‘after’: he understood his school. As a theatre enthusiast, I was street or visiting a busy international relations with his present and his past, delighted with the taut speakability music festival. What excited me was with his own culture and with those of Henry Stead’s excerpt from his the spectrum of fidelity and freedom of others. His work, which is limpid, version of the grim Senecan Medea. translators I saw. There were graceful, passionate and generous, is nonetheless I hope that it will encourage others precise, faithful but not grindingly unafraid to subject the emotions to the to submit translations from verse servile translations, and there were mind’s enriching scrutiny.