The Biography of Paul Wilson
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MASARYK UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF EDUCATION Department of English Language and Literature THE BIOGRAPHY OF PAUL WILSON Diploma thesis Brno 2019 Supervisor Author Mgr. Martin Němec, Ph.D. Bc. Tereza Heřmanová Declaration I hereby declare that I wrote the thesis by myself and that I used only the sources listed in the bibliography. I agree with the deposition of the thesis in the library of the Faculty of Education at Masaryk University in Brno to make it accessible for further study purposes. Prohlášení Prohlašuji, že jsem diplomovou práci vypracovala samostatně, s použitím pouze citovaných literárních pramenů, dalších informací a zdrojů v souladu s Disciplinárním řádem pro studenty Pedagogické fakulty Masarykovy Univerzity a se zákonem č. 121/2000 Sb., o právu autorském, o právech souvisejících s právem autorským a o změně některých zákonů (autorský zákon), ve znění pozdějších přepisů. Souhlasím, aby práce byla uložena na Masarykově Univerzitě v Brně v knihovně Pedagogické fakulty a zpřístupněna ke studijním účelům. Brno, 2019 ……………………………... Tereza Heřmanová Abstract This diploma thesis deals with the description of biographical data and analysis of work of Paul Wilson, Canadian translator from Czech to English language. For the clarity of this paper, the thesis is divided into two main parts and that is Life of Paul Wilson and Works of Paul Wilson. The first part is dedicated to a detailed description of the translator’s life, starting with his youth, focusing on his ten year stay in Czechoslovakia, terminating with the contemporary life of the author, adding the information about his plans for the future. The second part consists of many subchapters, chronologically mapping Paul Wilson’s translations, articles, essays and other publications of his. The thesis is closed with the evaluation of the research of this dissertation. Anotace Tato diplomová práce se zabývá popisem biografie a analýzou díla Paula Wilsona, kanadského překladatele z českého jazyka do angličtiny. Za účelem přehlednosti je práce rozdělena na dvě hlavní části, a to život Paul Wilsona a dílo Paula Wilsona. První část se věnuje podrobnému popisu života překladatele, počínaje jeho mládím, soustředící se hlavně na jeho desetiletý pobyt v Československu, konče současností a jeho pracovními plány do budoucna. Druhá část je tvořena mnoha podkapitolami, které chronologicky mapují překlady, články, eseje a další publikace autora. Závěrečná část se zaměřuje především na zhodnocení přínosu této diplomové práce. Key words Paul Wilson, biography, translation, normalization, underground, The Plastic People, Czechoslovakia, Canada, Václav Havel, Josef Škvorecký, Ivan Klíma, Bohumil Hrabal Klíčová slova Paul Wilson, biografie, překladatelství, normalizace, underground, The Plastic People, Československo, Kanada, Václav Havel, Josef Škvorecký, Ivan Klíma, Bohumil Hrabal Acknowledgement I would like to thank Mgr. Martin Němec, Ph.D. for inspiring me to start writing this thesis. I express my gratitude for his helpful assistance, valuable advice, guidance and patience that he provided during my work on this diploma thesis. Also, my big thanks go to Mr. Paul Wilson, who was kind enough to cooperate with me and answer all of my questions regarding both himself and his translation work. Table of contents 1 Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 7 2 Life of Paul Wilson .................................................................................................................. 9 2.1 Youth ................................................................................................................................. 9 2.2 University of Toronto ...................................................................................................... 10 2.3 London and George Orwell ............................................................................................. 12 2.4 Moving to Czechoslovakia .............................................................................................. 16 2.5 Living in Czechoslovakia ................................................................................................ 18 2.6 1968 ................................................................................................................................. 21 2.7 Normalization .................................................................................................................. 23 2.8 The Plastic People of the Universe .................................................................................. 25 2.9 1970s ................................................................................................................................ 31 2.10 Expulsion......................................................................................................................... 34 2.11 Back in London ............................................................................................................... 38 2.12 Back in Canada as a Translator, Journalist and Essayist ................................................ 40 3 Works of Paul Wilson ............................................................................................................ 48 3.1 Translations of Václav Havel .......................................................................................... 52 3.1.1 The Power of the Powerless ..................................................................................... 55 3.1.2 Letters to Olga .......................................................................................................... 59 3.1.3 Disturbing the Peace: A Conversation with Karel Hvížďala ................................... 62 3.1.4 Open Letters: Selected Writing 1963 - 1989 ............................................................ 64 3.1.5 Summer Meditations ................................................................................................ 66 3.1.6 Toward a Civil Society: Selected Speeches and Writings ....................................... 68 3.1.7 The Art of the Impossible: Politics as Morality in Practice ..................................... 69 3.1.8 The Beggar’s Opera ................................................................................................. 71 3.1.9 To the Castle and Back............................................................................................. 73 3.1.10 Leaving ..................................................................................................................... 74 3.1.11 The Memo ................................................................................................................ 76 3.2 Translations of Josef Škvorecký ...................................................................................... 78 3.2.1 The Swell Season ..................................................................................................... 80 3.2.2 The Engineer of Human Souls ................................................................................. 81 3.2.3 Dvorak in Love......................................................................................................... 83 3.2.4 The End of Lieutenant Boruvka &The Return of Lieutenant Boruvka.................... 86 3.2.5 The Miracle Game .................................................................................................... 87 3.2.6 The Republic of Whores .......................................................................................... 88 3.2.7 Ordinary Lives.......................................................................................................... 89 3.3 Translations of Ivan Klíma .............................................................................................. 90 3.3.1 My Golden Trades .................................................................................................... 91 3.3.2 Waiting for the Dark, Waiting for the Light ............................................................ 92 3.3.3 The Spirit of Prague ................................................................................................. 93 3.4 Other translations ............................................................................................................. 94 3.4.1 Zdeněk Mlynář: Nightfrost in Prague ...................................................................... 94 3.4.2 Pavel Taussig: Blbé, ale naše / One (party) liners.................................................... 95 3.4.3 Arnošt Lusting: Indecent Dreams ............................................................................ 97 3.4.4 Bohumil Hrabal: I Served the King of England ....................................................... 99 3.4.5 Civic Freedom in Central Europe........................................................................... 102 3.4.6 Prague: A Traveller’s Literary Companion ............................................................ 103 3.4.7 Screenplay Translation: Dark Blue World ............................................................. 105 3.4.8 Bohumil Hrabal: Mr. Kafka and Other Tales from the Time of the Cult............... 106 3.5 Essays and articles ......................................................................................................... 109 3.6 Other publications.......................................................................................................... 119 3.6.1 We Are Children Just The Same ...........................................................................