V. Nabokov, M. Shrayer, "Letters to the American Translator"
Interesting that Nabokov wanted a 'literal' translation, like the playwrights from last week! These postcards are pretty dull, huh? His sign-offs (Yours very droozheski) are fun.
I. Vanderschelden, “Authority in Literary Translation: Collaborating with the Author”
“It is significant that author and authority share the same etymology”– a Christopher Ricks-style observation.
“Evidence shows that it is not rare for authors and translators to be engaged in correspondence.” Wow, what a revelation.
“no matter how much I love them, all translators must be closely watched.” This is funny. To me it comes across as grasping for impossible control.
“every author of some value transgresses against "good style," …The translator's primary effort should be to understand that transgression” Yes!
Love that Borges called his poems "mere rough drafts" for the English versions.
Borges, "Pierre Menard," tr. Andrew Hurley
I love this story! It’s fascinating to compare the different versions.
The Andrew Hurley version reads better right away. I like his “few and Calvinist (if not Masonic and circumcised) though they be” to Irby’s “though these be few and Calvinist, if not Masonic and circumcised.”
“Lugubrious” stands out as a strange choice for Irby to make for “infaustos” though I don’t know if I can explain why “dreary” is better. Lugubrious is so long, showy, and the sound is so different and loud. Lugubrious cypresses are hard to picture, whereas dreary cypresses—no problem.
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