Translating the World with Rainer Schulte

In this new episode, host Rainer Schulte sits down with Mark Polizzotti for a virtual conversation about poet Arthur Rimbaud. Most recently Mark Polizzotti published The Drunken Boat by Arthur Rimbaud. In this volume, renowned translator Mark Polizzotti offers authoritative and inspired new versions of Rimbaud’s major poems and letters.  Polizzotti has translated more than 50 books from French and he is the recipient of numerous prizes and the author of eleven books, including Revolution of the Mind: The Life of André Breton, Highway 61 Revisited, and Sympathy for the Traitor: A Translation Manifesto. His essays and reviews have appeared in The New York Times, The New Republic, The Wall Street Journal, ARTnews, The Nation, Parnassus, Bookforum, and elsewhere.

In this new episode, host Rainer Schulte sat down with Harvard Professor Louis Menand for a virtual conversation on the future of the humanities. In December 2021, Menand published an essay in The New Yorker titled “What’s so Great about Great-Books Courses,” which is certain to be of interest to those who study and teach the Humanities. Menand was previously an associate editor of The New Republic, editor of The New Yorker, and contributing editor of the New York Review of Books. He is currently a staff writer at The New Yorker. In 2016 he was awarded the National Humanities Medal by President Barack Obama. His most notable book, The Metaphysical Club won the 2002 Pulitzer Prize in History, the Francis Parkman Prize from the Society of American Historians, and the Heartland Prize from the Chicago Tribune. Dr. Menand’s most recently published book, The Free World, offers a new intellectual and cultural history of the postwar years and is one of The New York Times’s 100 best books of 2021.

In the season finale, Sarah Valente sat down with Pulitzer Prize winning author Benjamin Moser, for a virtual conversation about their shared love of Brazilian writer Clarice Lispector. Ben is responsible for making Clarice widely available in translation in the English-speaking world. Because of his work, Sarah was able to organize a single author course on Clarice Lispector last spring, where American university students, for the first time in their lives, heard the name and studied the works of this beloved giant of Brazilian literature. Benjamin Moser is the author of Why This World: A Biography of Clarice Lispector, which was a finalist for the National Book Critics’ Circle Award and a New York Times Notable Book of 2009. For his work bringing Clarice Lispector to international prominence, he received Brazil’s first State Prize for Cultural Diplomacy. He won a Guggenheim Fellowship in 2017, and his latest book, Sontag: Her Life and Work, won the Pulitzer Prize in 2020. This conversation was recorded on August 25, 2021.

When reading a text in translation are you reading the author’s writing or the translator’s writing?  Listen to this thought-provoking conversation in which author Claudia Hamm and translator Johnny Becker discuss Claudia's essay entitled, “Who does a translated text belong to?” published in Germany's leading intellectual review Merkur in April 2018. In this rich discussion our guests and hosts address issues of equivalency and voice in translation. This episode invites you to explore how to approach translated texts from a new perspective. This conversation was recorded on September 10, 2021. 

In this episode, we speak with poet, translator, and professor Julia Leverone. Julia is the creator and editor of AzonaL, an online poetry-in-translation magazine. She has an MFA in poetry from the University of Maryland and a PhD in Comparative Literature with a primary focus on Latin America and a second focus on the poetry of the United States in the 20th century. Over fifty of her translations of poems from the Spanish have been published in literary venues such as Witness and the Boston Review and she has published two chapbooks.  This conversation was recorded on August 16, 2021.

In this episode, guest host Shelby Vincent speaks with translator, writer, and editor Samantha Schnee. Schnee's translation of Carmen Boullosa’s penultimate novel, The Book of Anna, was published by Coffee House Press last year, and her translation of Boullosa’s Texas: The Great Theft was shortlisted for the PEN America Translation Prize. Listen to this insightful conversation to learn about Schnee’s process of translation, her experience as founding editor of Words Without Borders, which by now has published issues from 140 countries from more than 120 languages, and her exciting reading recommendations for listeners. Schnee's intellectual and creative energy is sure to inspire translators, writers, and readers alike. This conversation was recorded on June 9, 2021.

Spanning six decades and circling the globe, Dr. Samuel John Hazo’s creative work includes poetry, fiction, drama, essays, and various works of translation. Listen to his conversation with Sarah and Rainer to learn about the remarkable founder and director of the International Poetry Forum, which ran from 1966 until 2009 in Pittsburgh. Sam Hazo recalls insightful memories about his experiences hosting hundreds of distinguished poets and performers from around the world, from poets like Yevgeny Yevtushenko to Nobel Prize winners like Octavio Paz to public figures such as the Princess Grace of Monaco. This episode also features Hazo’s beautiful poetry, which he masterfully recites by heart, inspiring listeners to fall in love with the art of poetry. His latest book, The Next Time We Saw Paris is now out.  This conversation was recorded on August 13, 2021.

As civil engineer in Madrid since 2003, Javier García del Moral built highways and bridges in Spain, Ireland, the Middle East and the US. Then, he began to build cultural bridges through his love of books, literature, and languages. In 2014, Javier founded The Wild Detectives bookstore bar in Dallas, along with his longtime friend Paco Vique. He currently directs the bookstore with the help of many friends. In 2019, Javier also founded the Spanish restaurant Sketches of Spain. Listen to this delightful conversation with guest hold Shelby Vincent, to learn about Javier's story and The Wild Detectives bookstore.  This conversation was recorded on June 8, 2021.

In this new episode, host Sarah Valente interviews multi Emmy-award winning American film director Rick Wallace. Learn about his decades of experience directing almost 100 hours of prime time television, both series and movies for television, and also producing over 250 hours of television. Some of the shows he has directed and produced include Hill Street Blues, LA Law, NYPD Blue, The Closer, and Law and Order SVU. Listen to this exciting episode to learn how the arts, humanities, and creative thinking set Rick Wallace on the path for a successful career in film and television. 

In this new episode of the New Poetic Visions series, Professor Rainer Schulte introduces one of the most influential writers of the nineteenth-century: Stéphane Mallarmé. His poetic creations deeply influenced the poetic thinking of twentieth-century poets. Listen to learn about the French poet Mallarmé (1842-1898). 

In this new episode of the New Poetic Visions series, Professor Rainer Schulte discusses the influential Austrian poet and author Ingeborg Bachmann (1926-1973). A recipient of the Prize of the Group 47, Georg Buchner Prize, and Anton Wildgans Prize, Bachmann's poetry reflects the political realities from her youth.  Listen the our New Poetic Vision series today to travel through the world of 20th century literary translation and poetry with Professor Rainer Schulte and learn about poets whose works profoundly changed the way we interpret poetry and the world in the 20th and 21st centuries.

In this new episode of the New Poetic Visions series, Professor Rainer Schulte discusses the influential Mexican poet and diplomat Octavio Paz (1914-1998). Recognized as one of the major Latin American writers of the 20th century, Paz was awarded the Miguel de Cervantes Prize in 1981,  the Neustadt International Prize for Literature in 1982, and the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1990. In this episode, Schulte discusses how Octavio Paz introduces us to a different way of thinking in the 20th century when we are confronted with literary works or essayist works.  Listen the our New Poetic Vision series today to travel through the world of 20th century literary translation and poetry with Professor Rainer Schulte and learn about poets whose works profoundly changed the way we interpret poetry and the world in the 20th and 21st centuries.

In this new episode of the New Poetic Visions series, Professor Rainer Schulte discusses the influential Bohemian-Austrian poet and novelist Rainer Maria Rilke (1875-1926), whose famous works include Duino Elegies (1922), Sonnet to Orpheus (1922), and Letter to a Young Poet (1929). In this episode, we learn how Rilke contributed to create a different way of creating situations through his writings.  Travel through the world of 20th century literary translation and poetry with Professor Rainer Schulte and learn about poets whose works profoundly changed the way we interpret poetry and the world in the 20th and 21st centuries. Listen to the New Poetic Vision series today!

Today we introduce New Poetic Visions. In this new series, Professor Rainer Schulte presents 20th century modern poets whose works profoundly changed the way we interpret poetry and the world in the 20th and 21st centuries. In the second episode of this new series, Schulte discusses the influential Austrian writer, poet, novelist, and playwright Ilse Aichinger (1921-2016). Join us in the New Poetic Visions series, as we travel through the world of 20th century literary translation and poetry.

Listen to an invigorating conversation with award-winning publisher, translator, bookstore owner, writer, and literary arts advocate Will Evans. He is the founder and CEO of Deep Vellum Publishing, a nonprofit literary arts organization founded in 2013, dedicated to bringing the world into conversation through literature by publishing the world’s vital stories, and making our world a more literary place through creative programming and outspoken advocacy for the literary arts. In this episode he discusses what inspired him to get into translation and publishing, and the history of founding Deep Vellum Books, a bookstore in Dallas’s historic Deep Ellum, in 2015. Evans graduated from Emory University with degrees in History and Russian Literature, and received a Master’s degree in Russian Culture from Duke University. His translation of Russian writer Oleg Kashin’s political satire novel, Fardwor, Russia! A Fantastical Tale of Life Under Putin, was published by Restless Books in 2016. In October 2019, Will Evans was awarded CLMP’s Golden Colophon Award for Paradigm Independent Literary Publishing. Our guest host for today’s episode is Shelby Vincent. Shelby Vincent is a Research Associate in the Center for Translation Studies at the University of Texas at Dallas, she is also managing editor of Translation Review, as well as a lecturer in the University’s School of Arts and Humanities, and a translator from the Spanish.

Today we introduce New Poetic Visions. In this new series, Professor Rainer Schulte presents 20th century modern poets whose works profoundly changed the way we interpret poetry and the world in the 20th and 21st centuries. In the first episode of this new series, Schulte discusses the influential French poet, critic, and acclaimed translator Charles Baudelaire (1821-1867). Join us in the New Poetic Visions series, as we travel through the world of 20th century literary translation and poetry.

In this episode we discuss Improvisation with Kathy Lingo, a Theatre and Stage Film Actor and Director, Forensics Coach and is a Professor of Instruction teaching Acting for Screen, Improvisation, Reader’s Theatre and Oral Interpretation. She has taught at the University of Texas at Dallas for over 20 years and has been teaching for over 35 years. Her student, Kirtana Kalavagunta, a senior majoring in Computer Science and minoring with a Theatre degree, joins the conversation adding her unique perspective on how Kathy's improvisation class has improved her life.  Listen to this exciting conversation to learn how improvisation can change cognitive ability, physical energy, listening skills, and teaches us to enjoy the moment and find peace in a noisy world. 

We often hear about a "crisis in the Humanities". In this last episode of the season, Rainer Schulte speaks with special guest Nils Roemer, the dean of the School of Arts, about the current state of the Humanities. Listen to this insightful conversation that highlights the importance of creativity and play in the Humanities and what we might expect for the future. 

Enjoy an illuminating conversation between writer and artist Kendra Greene and Rainer Schulte, as they discuss her latest book, The Museum of Whales You Will Never See (Penguin Books, 2020). Listen as they immerse into the fantastic world of museums, Giftschranks, and the wonders, that as Kendra writes, are “there for the taking, ready to be uncovered at any moment, if only we keep our eyes open.”

Listen to this insightful conversation with award-winning Brazilian writer Bernardo Kucinski, whose novel K garnered international critical acclaim. K is the story of a father who searches for his daughter, disappeared during the military dictatorship in Brazil. The first Brazilian edition sold out in a few weeks, and was shortlisted for many literary awards. In this episode Kucinski discusses how his novel deals with loss, memory, and the national amnesia that Brazil experiences vis-à-vis its military dictatorship past.  

In this new episode, Dr. Rainer Schulte and Dr. Sarah Valente speak with Dr. Thomas Hoeksema, professor emeritus at New Mexico State University, about Bible translation and literature. Hoeksema is a founding member of the American Literary Translators Association (ALTA) and served as president of ALTA from 1989-1991. He has been a contributing editor and member of the Advisory Board of Translation Review since its inception at the University of Texas at Dallas in 1978.  His interest in the translation history of the Bible in English began as a student at the Near East School of Archaeology in Jerusalem where he studied ancient cultures and languages. During that same period he was part of a team that excavated the archaeological site at Dothan in northern Israel. Starting in 1980, Dr. Hoeksema developed honors courses at New Mexico State University under the rubric of The Bible as Literature. These courses covered many topics including the translation history of the Bible in English, the literary forms and genres expressed in the Bible, and the influence of ancient cultures and their writings and rituals on Biblical texts. In this episode, Hoeksema presents an insightful interpretation of the Bible in English translations and reflects on his extensive experience teaching courses on the Bible as Literature. In this thought-provoking new episode, you will learn about the role of translators in biblical translations as well as moments of controversies in mistranslations of the Bible. 

In this episode, we speak with German publisher and editor Christine Becker about the life and works of her late husband Jurek Becker, the author of highly acclaimed works of literature, who garnered international acclaim with his debut novel Jacob the Liar, the first comic novel on the Holocaust. Christine Becker  has edited many of Jurek’s works, including a most recent collection of postcards, Am Strand von Bochum ist allerhand los - Postkarten, which was highly praised by critics.

In this episode, guest host Dr. Shelby Vincent, research associate in the Center for Translation Studies and lecturer in the School of Arts and Humanities at the University of Texas at Dallas, interviews Colombian writer, art critic and curator, Juan Cárdenas and translator Lizzie Davis about Juan’s English-language debut novel Ornamental (Coffee House Press, 2020). Juan was named one the thirty-nine best Latin American writers under the age of thirty-nine by the Hay Festival in Bogotá in 2017. He is the author of several novels including Zumbido, Los estratos, and Ornamento (2015). Juan is also a translator, who has translated the works of William Faulkner, Thomas Wolfe, Gordon Lish, Machado de Assis, and Eça de Queiros. He currently coordinates the Masters program in Creative Writing at the Caro y Cuervo Institute in Bogotá, where he works as a professor and researcher. Lizzie Davis is a writer, translator from Spanish and Italian to English, and editor at Coffee House Press. She has received fellowships from the Bread Loaf Translators’ Conference and Omi International Arts Center for her translations. Lizzie is passionate about championing writing that takes risks and pushes boundaries thematically or formally. She has co-translated Valeria Luiselli’s Tell Me How It Ends: An Essay in Forty Questions, an important book at this moment of crisis for unaccompanied minors at the US-Mexico border, and translated Juan Cárdenas’s novel Ornamental, which is the topic of this podcast episode.

This new episode features Dr. Ellen Elias-Bursać, one of the most prominent translators of Bosnian, Croatian, and Serbian of our time. Her well-known translation of David Albahari’s novel Götz and Meyer is one of the more outstanding that came into the picture in recent years and had a really great impact in the United States. As the current president of the American Literary Translators Association (ALTA), Ellen shares her insights and vision for the future of translation studies with Dr. Rainer Schulte and podcast host Dr. Sarah Valente.

In this first episode of Translating the World with Rainer Schulte, guest host Sarah Valente interviews Rainer Schulte. They discuss the creation of ALTA, the American Literary Translators Association, which Rainer co-founded in 1978, and questions of translation studies, how translation has evolved in the 21st century, and the fundamental basic question of "What is Translation?"

Introducing the new podcast