Stephen Spender Prize 2009

Stephen Spender Prize 2009 for poetry in translation Stephen Spender Prize 2009 for poetry in translation Winner of the Winners of the Winners of the 14-and-under prize 18-and-under category Open category Johanna Reimann- First First Dubbers Naomi Ackerman Paul Batchelor ‘The Cricket from The Iliad, Book 24, ‘The Damned’ and the Ant’ by Homer from Inferno, Canto V, by La Fontaine (Ancient Greek) by Dante Alighieri (French) (Italian) Second Second Clara Yick Kay Fung Michael Swan ‘Phoenix Hairpin’ ‘God, My Good by Lu You Neighbour’ (Classical Chinese) by Rainer Maria Rilke (German) Third Third Jennifer Cearns Jane Tozer ‘Dead in the Water’ ‘Leper’ from Tristran by Georg Heym by Béroul (German) (Medieval French) Commended Commended Commended Maddy Cummins Claire Ewbank A. C. Clarke ‘Atalanta’ ‘The Rats’ ‘The Double Room’ by Ovid by Georg Trakl by Charles Baudelaire (Latin) (German) (French) Charlie Dowding Nadan Hadzic Timothy Taylor ‘The Miracles of Our Lady’ ‘Sarajevo’s Prayer’ ‘Corpse Washing’ by Gonzalo de Berceo by Abdulah Sidran by Rainer Maria Rilke (Spanish) (Bosnian) (German) Marwin Kalo Christina Macsween John Turner ‘The Aral Sea’ from Metamorphoses XII ‘Sonnet for Autumn’ by Raim Farkhadi by Ovid by Sully Prudhomme (Russian) (Latin) (French) Robert Longman Caitlin Spencer Stefanie Van de Peer ‘If My Voice Dies on Land’ Amores 1.12 ‘Psalm’ by Rafael Alberti by Ovid by Herman de Coninck (Spanish) (Latin) (Flemish) William Yates Saskia Volhard Dearman Mary Weatherburn ‘The Horse and the Wolf’ ‘Ode to Coastal Flowers’ ‘A Small Garden’ by La Fontaine by Pablo Neruda by Rin Ishigaki (French) (Spanish) (Japanese) 3 Introduction Once again, over 40 languages were represented, the new and good humour; to Erica Wagner, Literary Editor of boys on the block this year being Akkadian and Nepali. The Times, for not only publicising the prize in the Books There are no prizes for guessing that French, Spanish and section but also continuing to give work experience to some German (in that order) dominated but we were pleasantly of the eighteen-year-old winners (a more enduring reward, surprised by the number of entries from Portuguese this year I suspect, than the cash prizes they are given); and to Mrs and by the unprecedented volume of entries in the 14-and- Drue Heinz, whose Hawthornden Castle has for the fourth under category. If the judges’ enthusiasm faltered after the time hosted a gathering of Spender Prize-winning translators eleventh version of the same La Fontaine fable, they gave no – it is fitting that Jane Tozer’s rollicking translation of sign of it – and it was very interesting to see how different Tristran, an extract from which won third prize in the Open those versions could be. All the winning entries from this category, began life there. and past years, as well as the commended entries from The final vote of thanks goes, as always, to our sponsors. 2008 and 2009, can be read on the Trust’s website at www. The Eranda Foundation has been a generous supporter of stephen-spender.org the Trust and its work and we are indebted to it. My thanks to judges Susan Bassnett, Edith Hall, Karen Leeder and George Szirtes, who considered every entry Robina Pelham Burn before debating the shortlist with an abundance of wisdom Director of the Stephen Spender Memorial Trust Judges’ comments Judging this prize is a in which the translator has managed to and syntax it becomes impossible to great challenge and also find superb solutions to a deceptively understand a poem, let alone translate a great pleasure. There simple poem full of complex layers of it. Many of the young translators was a wide range of meaning and formal devices. openly admitted in their commentaries poems submitted this The commentaries are an important that they were at sea with the poems year, in ancient and aspect of this prize, shedding light they had chosen, even though they modern languages, some very well on the strategies employed by the enjoyed the struggle. known, others translated for the first translator and often reflecting the In contrast to previous years, a great time. As judges, we have the difficult reasons for choosing a particular poet many entries used rhymed verse forms. task of narrowing down the entries to a or poem. This year a lot of entrants Sometimes it was used brilliantly, but short list; this year we all agreed before stressed how much they had enjoyed sometimes it descended into doggerel. we came together on the winning the process and also how much they Rhyme in English is very tricky, entry for the 14-and-under category, felt they had learned, which is, after because it can seem deceptively easy a charming rendering of a well known all, what the prize was established to but actually requires great skill and a poem by La Fontaine, and on the achieve. Interestingly, there were some lot of practice. The extent of the use winner of the Open category, a fresh, very thoughtful commentaries about of rhyme raised the question of how new version of Francesca’s address rather weak poems, though it was much contemporary poetry some of to Dante when he meets her on his wonderful to note how many times the translators are reading. The best journey through Hell. translators said they felt ‘passionate’ advice I was ever given about writing But although we reached consensus about the poem they had chosen. and translating was to read, and read on those poems and on our final list, As in previous years, there were and read, advice that I pass on to my we had some lively discussion about some splendid translations of classical students. The more one reads, the many of the other entries, and, as is to poetry, which again reflects the high more one opens doors to possibilities be expected, sometimes we had to agree quality of teaching in this field. Sadly, for one’s own writing. to disagree. One poem I particularly and no doubt a reflection of the decline I learned a great deal from reading liked was a translation by Marwin of modern language learning in schools, these poems, and have noted several Kalo of one of his grandfather’s poems a low level of linguistic competence was poets whose work I now intend to about the Aral Sea, which we all apparent in some poems. I would not seek out. Reading the entries has also agreed merited a commendation. I also want to impose on today’s pupils the raised some interesting questions: why admired Richard Harris’ translation of rote learning of irregular verbs that my do some great poets fail to come across St John of the Cross’s ‘Verses Written generation was forced to undergo, but in another language, why have certain in Ecstasy from Deep Contemplation’, without some knowledge of grammar writers such as Baudelaire become 4 Judges’ comments unfashionable to a degree that they that the opening stanza of the prize- This year, remarkably, are almost untranslatable, why does winning translation had stuck in my there was a large degree surrealist poetry read so awkwardly in memory. of immediate unanimity much English translation, what intrinsic Despite the prize going this year among the judges. In the qualities in a poem enable a translator to a translator of one of the world’s 14-and-under category to bring it back to life hundreds, if acknowledged greats, I would still we were delighted to not thousands, of years after it was encourage entrants to consider less well see a larger entry than ever before and composed? Perhaps the simple answer known works, and to use the required arrived quickly at our winner: Johanna to such questions is that what makes commentary in order to explain their Reimann-Dubbers’ translation from a poem translatable ultimately is the significance to the judges. There were French of ‘The Cricket and the Ant’ skill of the translator, its re-creator, almost too many versions of works by La Fontaine. It is tricky to catch the person, young or old, who can by some poets, especially in French the playful tone of these fables, and in excite, move or entertain a new world (all that Baudelaire!), and it would be keeping the lines taut and the rhyme of readers. This prize demonstrates wonderful to see more attempts to scheme buoyant, without being over annually how many people are capable translate from, for example, African- obtrusive, Johanna arrived at some of doing just that. language poets or modern Greek: there wonderfully poised solutions. Her Susan Bassnett was not a Cavafy in sight. concluding couplet, ‘I sang whenever When it came to translations from I had the chance.’ / ‘You sang did you? As a first-timer on the Latin and Greek in the adult category, That’s nice. Now dance.’ was one of judges’ panel I was I was just a little disappointed. The my favorites in the competition as a delighted to be taken suave, upwardly mobile Horace whole. I was particularly struck by on a roller-coaster was an unlikely choice for someone Robert Longman’s beautifully simple through poetry from wanting to write in the idiom of rendering from Spanish of ‘If My Japan to Mexico, Eminem. The lyrics of Sappho and Voice Dies on Land’, and his modest Chile to the Caspian Sea, and metres the theatre verse of Aeschylus are commentary gave a good insight into from the classical elegiac to the most two of the most difficult types of the real work, as well as the enjoyment, avant-garde free verse forms.

Load more