Literature
Summer 2012
Poetry through Translation
“Poetry is what gets lost in translation”: Robert Frost’s infamous dictum has frequently been challenged in recent times, not least by George Steiner and Seamus Heaney. There is in fact a great tradition of translation into English, from Chaucer to the present. The purpose of this course will be to question the negative implications of Frost’s statement through:
- an examination of a selection of translations of modern European poets by British & American writers
- a consideration of the value of translation to individual poets
- an exploration of what we, as readers, can learn about poetry and poetic language through a study of translation.
The course will focus on translations of poems by Valery, Brecht, Montale, Tsvetayeva and Neruda by such poet-translators as Lowell, Morgan, Feinstein
and Mahon. Some knowledge of one modern language will be useful but not
essential.
Recommended Reading
A booklet of original texts and selected translations will be distributed at the start of the course. (A small charge will be made to cover photocopying costs.)
For preliminary reading: George Steiner After Babel and Charles Tomlinson Metamorphoses: Poetry & Translation.
Day: Thursday Time: 10.30am – 12.30pm
Dates: 26 April– 31 May 2012
Venue:
Vestry Room,
St Peter’s House,
Oxford Road,
Manchester
M13 9GH.
| Price | Concessions |
Minimum No. | Maximum No. |
|---|---|---|---|
£60 |
n/a |
8 |
16 |
Send booking to (preferably at least one month before the start of the course) to:
Barry Wood
12 St Brannock’s Road, Chorlton, Manchester, M21 0UP.
Email: barrywood42@hotmail.com
The Novel Between the Wars
We will study three novels placing them in their historical context, one of which, Wigs on the Green, has only recently become available. We encounter great wealth, abject poverty & characters who make some dubious choices, both personal and political.
The novels are:
England made Me (1935) by Graham Greene
Wigs on the Green (1935) by Nancy Mitford
Keep the Aspidistra Flying (1936) by George Orwell
Day: Friday Time: 10.00 am-12.00
6 sessions, starting 27th April - 1st June 2012
Venue:
Prestbury Village Hall
Macclesfield Road,
Prestbury,
SK10 4BW
| Price | Concessions |
Minimum No. | Maximum No. |
|---|---|---|---|
£42 |
n/a |
10 |
20 |
Send booking to:
Beech Court, Beech Hall Drive, Tytherington, Macclesfield, SK10 2EF
email: creinam@tiscali.co.uk phone: 01625 - 511581