Shortlist for top poetry translation prize
Works of poetry from Holland, Sweden, Turkey, France, and Romania are on the shortlist for the Corneliu M Popescu prize for poetry in translation. The list is:
Heavenly Life, Ramsey Nasr (Banipal Books) translated by David Colmer | Dutch. What the judges say: There is an exuberance and energy about these poems – poems for the voice and for performance, which nonetheless sit beautifully on the page and move easily between playfulness and a great humanity. Ramsey Nasr in David Colmer's translation has a strong appeal to new generations of poetry readers.
Chickweed Wintergreen, Harry Martinson (Bloodaxe) translated by Robin Fulton | Swedish. What the judges say: Martinson's large canvas – from the global to the local – and the extraordinary beauty of his poems make this a compelling and important addition to our understanding of European 2oth century poetry. Robin Fulton maintains the strangeness and the delicate apprehension of Harry Martinson's poetry.
Ikinci Yeni, The Turkish Avant-Garde (Shearsman Books) translated and edited by George Messo | Turkish. What the judges say: George Messo's important project reveals a new and hardly known group of poets in a selection of lively, haunting and distinctive translations. This is a book of voices from another poetic world, whose achievements (as Messo writes) are 'as relevant now as they ever were' and whose voices are as vivid as they ever were.
Into the Deep Street: Seven Modern French Poets (Anvil), translated by Jennie Feldman and Stephen Romer | French. What the judges say: Jennie Feldman's and Stephen Romer's generous act of advocacy gives us a fresh new insight into French poetry. Their subtle translations are worn lightly: the acuteness of their ear and their gentleness of touch seem a perfect match for the lovely unassuming originals.
Raptors, Toon Tellegen (Carcanet) translated by Judith Wilkinson | Dutch. What the judges say: Judith Wilkinson's translation captures the weird spoken nature of Toon Tellegen's 'novel in verse' and it matches the energy and rhetorical span of the original. These haunting monologues expand our understanding of the power of the voice in poetry.
Lines Poems Poetry, Mircea Ivanescu (University of Plymouth Press) translated by Adam J Sorkin and Lidia Vianu | Romanian. What the judges say: This engaging book, with its series of poetic short stories and its wry wit is a wonderful addition to the Romanian poetry we have in translation. The deadpan narratives, so deceptively simple and arch, are translated with rhythm and skill.
