Two Poems for T. | Ancient and Modern Exile Literature in Translation
In the following review of translations of works by Dante and Pavese, Pappas-Signorelli identifies various themes in Pavese’s poetry and comments on Pavese’s contributions to modern Italian poetry.
What motivates poetry translation? Perhaps its inescapable resemblance to the very act of poemmaking— the conversion of sudden, distant beats into words. By trying to capture in words the powerful “spirit” of the original, translators seek to animate their works with the haunting energy and sensibility that the primary text conveys. Both the Hollanders and Geoffrey Brock seem to me to have accomplished this elusive feat, for they have consistently made the intricate conversions of translation with skill, discipline, and a visionary force.
To enter Dante’s Purgatorio...
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