Translate This, Part Deux January 12, 2008: Even across the gap between German and English, Paul Celan is one of my favorite poets. I’m not sure if one can really be “influenced”? by a writer as singular as Celan, but his work has been an important presence for me for many years. I have written about him twice on my blog, here and here. His intensity of vision, diction, and rhythm, [...] by Reginald Shepherd

Translate This, Part Un January 10, 2008: In my previous post, I wrote about some of the losses and gains of translating poetry in general. But, because I believe that generalities only have meaning when grounded in specifics, I wanted to talk about a few particular examples. Thus, for my next few posts I will be listing some poetic translations that have meant a lot to me. (more...) by Reginald Shepherd

A Few Thoughts About Translation January 8, 2008: I don’t read much poetry in translation; in fact, I tend to actively avoid it. As Robert Frost famously said, “Poetry is what is lost in translation.”? (more...) by Reginald Shepherd