OCCT HT2021 Week 7 Updates
The Prismatic Jane Eyre project follows on from the AHRC-funded Creative Multilingualism programme (2016-2020) that explored the links between creativity and languages. Prismatic Jane Eyre has received funding for a year’s worth of impact and engagement activities, specifically to run workshops and competitions in translation and creative writing for pupils (ages 13-19) who are either learning modern languages, or speak English as an additional language. The project uses the Prismatic Jane Eyre website (https://prismaticjaneeyre.org/), one of Creative Multilingualism’s research outputs, as the starting point for creative translation activities. From the examples brought to life on the website, pupils will gain an understanding of translation's creativity and practical importance: this will inform and enhance their own language appreciation, comprehension, and use. The project’s activities, jointly run with the Stephen Spender Trust, will foster a sense of creative aspiration, whilst also enabling pupils to take ownership of the languages they already know or are learning. Although the workshops will take place in particular state schools, the competitions will be open to all schoolchildren across the nation, and the learning resources from the workshops will be available online to all pupils globally.
The project will be led by Dr Eleni Philippou (Principal Investigator), together with Professor Matthew Reynolds (Co-Investigator) and The Stephen Spender Trust (Project Partner). Prismatic Jane Eyre is part of the ongoing Prismatic Translation research strand hosted by the Oxford Comparative Criticism and Translation Research Centre (OCCT).
In our next Discussion Group session, on Monday (8 March), 1-2pm, we will be welcoming Christina Delistathi (University of Westminster), who will talk about Work Practices and the Construction of Truth in the Translation of Marxist Texts. For further details and to register, see here https://www.occt.ox.ac.uk/discussion-group-work-practices-and-construction-truth-translation-marxist-texts.
OCCT’s virtual workshop (11-12 March), Fictions of Retranslations: Retranslating Language and Style in Prose Fiction, takes place next week. The programme is available here: https://www.occt.ox.ac.uk/fictions-retranslations-retranslating-language....
EVENTS and CFPs
1. Call for Submissions: Edited Volume on Translating Russian Literature in the Global
Context (2023)
Scholars with expertise in research areas including English Studies, Modern Languages including Russian Studies, Comparative Literature, and Translation Studies are invited to submit essays for a new edited volume on the global translation and reception of Russian literary fiction in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Translating Russian Literature in the Global Context (2023) is intended to constitute the first geographically coherent,culturally inclusive, and theoretically consistent model of the distribution and influence of translated Russian literature on global cultures from 1900 to the present day. Given that many leading studies in this field have privileged Russian cultural transmission in Britain and/or Russian influence on British writers (May 1994; Kaye 1999; Beasley and Bullock 2013; Beasley 2020), the editors particularly invite new scholarship on the transmission of Russian culture and on intertextualities between specific Russian writers and nonAnglophone literatures. We envisage selecting up to 20 essays for our Open Access publication, which will be funded by the European Research Council under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme in connection with the University of Exeter-based RusTrans Project (www.rustrans.exeter.ac.uk), Grant Agreement no. 802437.
‘Translation is the foremost example of a particular type of consecration in the literary world’ (Casanova, 2007, p. 133). Translating Russian Literature in the Global Context examines the translation and consecration of Russian literature as a world-wide process. Marks (2002) was among the first Western scholars to demonstrate the significance of individual Russian authors, read in translation, on major writers in post-colonial states; for example, the influence of Dostoevsky on the Nobel Prize-winning Egyptian novelist Naguib Mahfouz; or of Tolstoy upon Gandhi. Recent monographs on the transmission and/or translation of Russian literature in Brazil (Gomide 2011), China (Gamsa 2008), Korea (Cho 2016), and South Africa (Jackson 2015), have demonstrated both the reach of Russian literary culture, and its enduring relevance in diverse milieux. This volume aims firstly to provoke new debate about the continued currency of Russian literature as symbolic capital for international readers, in particular for nations seeking to create or consolidate cultural and political leverage in the so-called ‘World Republic of Letters’, and secondly to examine and contrast the mechanisms of the translation and reception of Russian literature across the globe. Our overall research questions, given here for guidance, include the following:
• How have the receiving (target) cultures reacted, in terms of socio-cultural and
literary production, to the availability of Russian literature in translation?
• How and where have the Soviet and/or Russian governments funded translations of
Russophone literature as a form of soft power, and with what cultural impact?
• How does the translation and reception of contemporary Russian writers (in terms of
available funding, as well as audiences and sales) compare with how nineteenthcentury classics continue to be received outside Russia?
• Is Russian literature still relevant for international readers? How have translations of
contemporary Russian literature changed local perceptions of Russian national,
cultural and political identity?
• Have audiences for Russian literature declined globally since 1900?
• How and why have specific translators mediated Russian literature for their target
culture? What have the biggest challenges been in making new translations appeal to
target culture publishers and audiences?
• How has the rise of online publishing altered the viability of former models of
translation and distribution?
The editors particularly encourage new research on the transmission of Russian literature in
non-Anglophone literatures and post-colonial nations, including:
• Asia, including India and China
• Australia and Oceania
• Central and Southern African nations and regions
• Former Soviet states and regions
• Individual European states
• Latin American nations, including Mexico
• North Africa and the Middle East
Essays should conform to one of the following models, drawing on appropriate Translation Studies theoretical apparatus (such as Venuti 1995, Pym 1998, Casanova 1999/2007, Damrosch 2003, Heilbron & Sapiro 2007, Munday 2014), in addition to topic-specific criticism and theory:
a) A historical survey of the translation, publication, distribution and reception of Russian literature, or of one or more specific Russian authors, in a given nation, language, or region. Historical surveys may cover the entire period of study (from 1900 to the present) or focus on a specific period justified by its cultural significance.
b) A socio-cultural microhistory of how a specific writer, genre, or literary group within the target culture translated, transmitted, or adapted aspects of Russian literature in their own literary production. The writer(s) selected for the case study should be highly influential within the target cultural sphere, or otherwise exemplary of the reception of Russian literature in that culture.
While prose fiction for adults is this volume’s major focus, the editors will also consider proposals relating to poetry and plays. Following an initial selection process by the volume editors, authors of longlisted abstracts will be invited to submit a full-length essay by December 2021. Essays should range in length between 5,000 and 8,000 words; each essay should focus on the transmission and subsequent influence of Russian literature in the culture of a particular nation, region, or ethnic group. Following double-blind peer review and subsequent contributor revision, publication in print and online should take place no later than Spring 2023.
Please send abstracts of no more than 500 words, excluding bibliography, to the editors (Dr Muireann Maguire and Dr Cathy McAteer) at rustrans@exeter.ac.uk, by March 31st, 2021.
The language of publication is English, but abstracts in Russian and French will also be considered. Any enquiries should be sent to the same address.
2.The Centre for Philosophy and Critical Thought at Goldsmiths, University of London cordially invites you to its 2020-21 lecture series on "Critiquing Violence Today":
Eric Santner (Chicago) — Canine-ical Theory: On Kafka’s ‘Researches of a Dog’ (17 Mar 2021)
Wednesday, 17 Mar 2021
4:00-6:00pm GMT
Zoom
(To register please visit https://gold-ac-uk.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_g7WM5YjsQo-ObbbG6sVAlA)
In the paper I will present a reading of Kafka’s story about a dog’s effort to develop a new science. I will argue that this science has not only much in common with Freud’s innovation but also that it shares a great deal with what Foucault was after in his engagement with the Cynics, the stray dogs of philosophy.
Eric L. Santner is the Philip and Ida Romber Distinguished Service Professor of Modern Germanic Studies. He is the author of a number of books that explore the boundary zones between philosophy, literature, and psychoanalysis.
Contact: centreforphilosophyandcriticalthought@gold.ac.uk
3. Call for papers
Contemporary Fictions of Migration and Exile: Writing Diaspora in the 21st Century
Deadline for submissions is March 31st.
Guest editors:
María Alonso Alonso (University of Vigo)
Bárbara Fernández Melleda (University of Hong Kong)
Deadline for abstract submissions: March 31, 2021
Notification of acceptance: May 31, 2021
Submission of full articles: May 31, 2022
Tentative publication date: early 2023
James Procter (2007) defines 'diaspora' as both a geographical phenomenon and a theoretical concept that stands for the physical movement of people from one area to another, and for a particular way of understanding world order and cultural representations. Literature mirrors some of the most immediate challenges that contemporary society has to face as migration has turned 'glocal'. Many characteristics that shape contemporary migratory movements depend on the destination sought, the circumstances that force them, and the links maintained with the country of origin. This special issue is interested in exploring the ways in which contemporary fiction writes legal, illegal migration and the different shades between both. The European Union, as a comfort zone (Cafruny and Ryner 2003; Schmidt 2006; Geddes 2008) and the border between Mexico and the U.S., as a conflict zone (Anzaldúa 1987; Tokatlian 2000; Staudt 2008) are two of most productive 'diaspora spaces' (Brah 1996) for analysing the subaltern position of the migrant subject through literature, although not the only ones. Transoceanic movements of Afghan, Somali and/or Syrian refugees that seek shelter, the case of Hongkongers whose flexible citizenship has allowed them to ameliorate political risks, or the Windrush Generation being sent back to Jamaica by the UK Home Office are some of the myriads of diasporic experiences of interest for contemporary authors.
We are looking for innovative approaches to texts that offer new literary techniques, styles, aesthetics, voices and/or themes that shed light on the critical issues that contemporary migrations represent for society in a general sense at the dawn of the 21st century.
Suggested topics include both theoretical and practical approaches to fiction written in English, and avenues of research related to:
・ Transmigration through comfort and/or conflict zones
・ Mass migration vs individual migration
・ Refugee literature
・ Displacement and transterritorialisation
・ Migrants and host communities
・ First and second generation migrants
・ Climate migrants
Call for Papers
We invite authors to submit abstract proposals for the "Contemporary Fictions of Migration and Exile: Writing Diaspora in the 21st Century" special issue before March 31, 2021. The document should include a 500-word summary, 5 keywords and a bio note including the author's name, institutional affiliation and avenues of research. Abstracts should be sent to malonsoalonso@uvigo.es and bfernan@hku.hk under the subject "Writing Diaspora SI".
The selected abstracts will be compiled as the special issue's table of contents in order to be submitted for final approval to an international, top-tier journal. Full articles will be revised by the guest editors before submission for peer reviewing.
https://amstudy.hku.hk/news/images/20201028.pdf
4. Trinity Centre for Literary and Cultural Translation
Trinity College Dublin, the University of Dublin
www.tcd.ie/literary-translation
Book club, 6:30pm, Tuesday 16 March
We will be discussing Storm Birds by Einar Kárason, translated from the Icelandic by Quentin Bates. For more information about the book club and to book a place, please click here.
Literary Translator Studies, 1-2pm, Thursday 25 March
Editors Klaus Kaindl, Waltraud Kolb and Daniela Schlager, of the University of Vienna's Centre for Translation Studies, will be joining us for a discussion about their new book, Literary Translator Studies. Book your place here.
Translating Great Russian Literature, 1-2pm, Thursday 1 April
Cathy McAteer will be discussing her new book, Translating Great Russian Literature: the Penguin Russian Classics, with Conor Daly of Trinity's Department of Russian and Slavonic Studies. This book looks at the story behind Penguin's relaunch of the Russian Classics during the mid-twentieth century, which brought great works by Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Pushkin and many more to post-war readers. For more information and to book your place, please click here.
5. On behalf of the Organizing Committee I am pleased to announce that this week will be held the international conference "Translations of Aristotle’s Poetics ever since the 16th Century and the Forging of European Poetics”, organized by the Seminar on Literary Translations - Letra and the Dipartimento di Lettere e Filosofia of the University of Trento.
The conference brings together 27 scholars and will discuss the influence on modern poetics of the translations of Aristotle’s Poetics in Italian, French, Spanish, German, and English, through the centuries.
The conference will be held from March, 4th to March, 6th.
It is possible to register as auditors at this link: https://webapps.unitn.it/form/it/Web/Application/convegni/PoeticaDiAristotele
You can find more details at the conference page: https://webmagazine.unitn.it/evento/lettere/89717/la-poetica-di-aristotele
6. Pacific Ancient and Modern Language Association
Virtual conference / Las Vegas
Thursday, November 11 through Sunday, November 14, 2021
“The Art of War: Comparing Ancient China and the West”
Special session
There is a prolific production of books on strategy and leadership comparing Ancient China thinkers, such as Sunzi and Laozi (among others), with their Western counterparts, from the Greeks and Romans Aelianus, Voegelius, and Frontinus to Machiavelli and Clausewitz. However, these comparisons usually based on superficial similarities between the two worlds tend to end up in a cold and empty juxtaposition of opinions and sentences, or, even worse, they project onto these authors and their ideas a way of thinking that does not belong to either one.
This panel is therefore open to any contribution that presents an accurate and productive comparison among Ancient China and the West. Each contribution can address the thought
of two or more authors or a specific concept in different authors, and it can focus on any literary genre, e.g., political treatises, poetry, etc.
Please email Andrea Polegato at apolegato@csufresno.edu by Thursday, April 15 with talk title, abstract (max 50 words), proposal (approximately 250-500 words) and brief bio (40-100 words).
This panel will be held virtually.
For any questions, please contact Andrea Polegato at apolegato@csufresno.edu
7. Minor Oversight? Translation, World Literature and Indigeneity
https://modernlanguages.sas.ac.uk/events/event/23921
21 April 2021; 4.00pm - 5.30pm BST
Part of the Convocation Seminars in World Literature and Translation
Co-convened with LINKS (London Intercollegiate Network for Comparative Studies)
Speaker: Michael Cronin (Trinity College Dublin)
Michael Cronin is 1776 Professor of French and Director of the Centre for Literary and Cultural Translation in Trinity College Dublin. Among his published titles are Translating Ireland: Translation, Languages and Identity (1996); Across the Lines: Travel, Language, Translation (2000); Translation and Globalization (2003); Translation and Identity (2006); Translation goes to the Movies (2009), Translation in the Digital Age (2013), Eco-Translation: Translation and Ecology in the Age of the Anthropocene (2017) and Irish and Ecology: An Ghaeilge agus an Éiceolaíocht (2019). He is a Member of the Royal Irish Academy and a Fellow of Trinity College Dublin.
This free event will be held online, at 16:00 BST. Please note that you will need to register in advance to receive the online event joining link:
