Antonio Colinas: Poetry and Life (1967-1988), a Critical Introduction to the Foundational Poetic Works with Selected Translations
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ANTONIO COLINAS: POETRY AND LIFE (1967-1988), A CRITICAL INTRODUCTION TO THE FOUNDATIONAL POETIC WORKS WITH SELECTED TRANSLATIONS Maria C. Fellie A dissertation submitted to the faculty at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of Romance Studies (Spanish), College of Arts & Sciences. Chapel Hill 2016 Approved by: Irene Gómez Castellano Samuel Amago Emilio del Valle Escalante N. Grace Aaron Carmela Ferradáns © 2016 Maria C. Fellie ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ii ABSTRACT Maria C. Fellie: Antonio Colinas: Poetry and Life (1967-1988), A Critical Introduction to the Foundational Poetic Works with Selected Translations (Under the direction of Irene Gómez Castellano) Antonio Colinas (La Bañeza, León, Spain, 1946) is a well-known and important contemporary poet in the Spanish-speaking world (Premio Nacional de Literatura, Spain 1982); however, the wide appeal of his verses makes his work a perfect candidate for an introduction and translation into English. The present critical anthology of Colinas’s early and mid-career poetic works deploys the lens of translation theory to frame an image-centered analysis of his poetry. The dissertation argues that the poetic image is the most tangible medium through which poet, translator, and reader connect, through which ideas flow between languages. This study consists of an introduction to the theory and practice of poetic translation, a biographical introduction to Colinas, four chapters of critical overview and analysis of Colinas’s first nine books of poetry (written 1967-1988), and a bilingual anthology of representative translated poems from each of the books discussed. My project is the first to give a scholarly overview of his poetic works in English and includes the first anthology of his poetry in English translation. Through Antonio Colinas’s poetry, readers can transcend historical time and geographical space, and enter into a unique aesthetic and symbolic poetic world that constantly strives for beauty, plenitude, knowledge, and harmony. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to offer my sincere thanks to the committee and especially to my director, Dr. Irene Gómez Castellano, for making me a better reader of poetry; to Dr. Samuel Amago, for advising me in all things practical over the years; and to Dr. Grace Aaron, for encouraging me to learn more about Translation Studies and inspiring me to become a better translator. Thank you to my friends and colleagues in Dey Hall with whom I have worked throughout my years at UNC, who have always given their support and advice, especially Anca, Emily, Stella, Sydney, Becka, Adriana, Rosa, Mary, Sam, Chelsea, and Zully. Thank you also to Dr. Christopher Maurer, who sparked my interest in Spanish poetry and literary translation at Boston University. Your guidance and mentorship are invaluable. I appreciate the support of the Graduate School and the Department of Romance Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for funding research and travel related to this project on several occasions. My heartfelt thanks to Antonio Colinas, who has been supportive of my translations and of this project from the start. I am grateful to my family –Mom, Dad, Sarah, Ian, and Amy– for their boundless love and support. Though I can never thank you enough, I dedicate this work to you. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Figures and Images ............................................................................................................ vii Preface: The Goals of this Study .................................................................................................... 2 Chapter I: Theories of Translation and of Translating Poetry ........................................................ 4 Postmodern Visions of Translation ............................................................................................. 4 Translating Poetry ....................................................................................................................... 9 Translating Visually .................................................................................................................. 12 Chapter II: Introduction to Antonio Colinas (1946), Poet ........................................................... 17 Biographical and Literary Contexts .......................................................................................... 17 Antonio Colinas as Translator .................................................................................................. 24 Chapter III: Early Sentimental Poetry, 1967-1969 ...................................................................... 26 Junto al lago (written 1967, published 2001) ........................................................................... 31 Poemas de la tierra y de la sangre (written 1967, published 1969) ......................................... 39 Preludios a una noche total (written 1967-68, published 1969) .............................................. 47 Chapter IV: Culturalist Poetry, 1972-1975 .................................................................................. 65 Truenos y flautas en un templo (written 1968-70, published 1972) ......................................... 65 Sepulcro en Tarquinia (written 1970-74, published 1975) ....................................................... 79 Chapter V: Poetry of Night and Contemplation, 1976-1983 ...................................................... 100 Astrolabio (written 1975-79, published 1979) ........................................................................ 101 En lo oscuro (written 1980, published 1981) ......................................................................... 107 v Noche más allá de la noche (written 1980-82, published 1983) ............................................ 111 Chapter VI: Turning Point and Conclusion, 1984-1988 ............................................................. 121 Jardín de Orfeo (written 1984-88, published 1988) ............................................................... 122 Conclusion .............................................................................................................................. 135 Bilingual Anthology of Selected Poems ..................................................................................... 138 Translator’s Note .................................................................................................................... 138 Antonio Colinas: Selected Poems, 1967-1988 ........................................................................... 143 WORKS CITED ......................................................................................................................... 203 Critical Bibliography on Antonio Colinas’s Works: Books, Articles, Press ......................... 203 General Critical Bibliography: Modern & Contemporary Spanish Literature ....................... 205 Works by Antonio Colinas: Poetry, Novels, Articles, Translations, and Other Publications 207 Works Cited by Other Poets (Including Translations) ............................................................ 209 Texts on Translation: Theory and Practice ............................................................................. 211 Other Works Cited .................................................................................................................. 213 vi List of Figures Figure 1: The Process of Visually/Sensorially Translating a Poem .............................................14 Figure 2: Cover Image of Antonio Colinas’s Obra poética completa (2011; reproduced with permission from Antonio Colinas and Ediciones Siruela) ............................................................86 vii Antonio Colinas: Poetry and Life (1967-1988), A Critical Introduction to the Foundational Poetic Works with Selected Translations “Escribir [mis poemarios] ha sido un proceso muy unido a mi vida, aunque no siempre el poema refleja la vida; el poema metamorfosea la realidad, la enriquece y trasciende.”1 – Antonio Colinas “Writing [my books of poetry] has been a process deeply connected to my life, although the poem does not always reflect life; the poem metamorphoses reality, enriches and transcends it.”2 – Antonio Colinas 1From an interview by Manuel de la Fuente for ABC, “Antonio Colinas: ‘La poesía puede sanar y salvar’.” 2All translations in this study, including citations and poems, are mine unless otherwise noted. 1 Preface: The Goals of this Study The principal aim of this study is to present the poetic works of Spanish poet Antonio Colinas (1946, León, Spain) for the first time in English, accompanied by a representative collection of translations. This critical introduction and bilingual anthology will complement one another and enhance the reading experience and quality of access that English speakers and readers have to Colinas’s work. As one of the best known and most popular poets of the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries in Spain, Colinas has published a remarkable procession of poetic works –among other texts– that have formed a symbolic universe and visual-literary aesthetic unique to him. The flow that he creates among ideas, symbols, images, words, and other elements of his poems unites individual books into a coherent and important body of work that speaks to readers of all times and cultures. In the first chapter I engage with established theories of translation. Here I examine the ideas of scholars