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Elizabeth Harris, a 2013 PEN Award Winner, on Translating Tabucchi

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Elizabeth Harris interviewed on the PEN American Center website:

“My translation of Antonio Tabucchi’s Tristano muore (Tristano Dies) came about because I love Archipelago Books. I contacted Jill Schoolman, Archipelago’s publisher, and asked if she might consider me for a project; Ms. Schoolman was kind enough to ask me to submit a small sample of Tristano muore. Right away, I realized this was going to be an incredibly challenging, fascinating book to translate: it opens with what seemed to be a poem, and then I realized it wasn’t a poem at all but a song—a polka—a famous World War II polka, “Rosamunde,” which we know as “The Beer Barrel Polka.” I might have thought simply to include “Beer-Barrel-Polka” lyrics as the opening lines of my translation, but soon realized that Rosamunda is actually a character in Tabucchi’s story, so the very first lines of the novel became a wonderful translation puzzle. The whole novel goes on this way: I’m endlessly wondering what poet or scholar the narrator is quoting or referencing. I feel like a detective..”

Read more of the interview here.

And read an excerpt of Tristano Dies here.

One thought on “Elizabeth Harris, a 2013 PEN Award Winner, on Translating Tabucchi

  1. My congratulations to Ms. Harris for performing translation. Being an amateur accordionist, I have played “Beer-Barrel Polka” many times. Until now, this music was just a lively song, but now it takes on a totally different aspect. Those who hear it may hear a polka, but I will hear a story. My thanks to Archipelago and Ms. Harris for this enlightenment. Respectfully, DLM

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