National Endowment for the Arts translates into benefits for prose and poetry

IFACCA/Artshub, 08 August 2005,USA

The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) has announced that it will award 13 grants for the translation, into English, of works of prose and poetry from eight other languages. The grants will support the translation of 7 works of poetry and 6 works of fiction, and will include translations into English from Hebrew, Arabic, Russian, Turkish, Italian, Danish, Indonesian, and Spanish (originating in Mexico, Argentina, and Chile). A diverse range of authors will have their works translated, including Dahlia Ravikovitch, a distinguished poet and anti-war activist in Israel whose work explores the parallels of suffering between Palestinians and Jews; Ibrahim al-Koni, whose fiction blends existential questions with folklore, ancient myths, and vivid descriptions of his nomadic childhood in the Libyan desert; Umberto Saba, whose expansive career as a poet in Italy reflects his experiences through World War I and World War II; and Ismet Fanany from West Sumatra, whose fiction explores the lives of Indonesians living in the US and Australia. For the past 8 years the Translation Fellowships have been offered biannually, alternating between poetry and prose, but this year awards are being made for the translations of both poetry and prose works. The total value of funding will be $200,000, awarded as grants of either $10,000 or $20,000. "It is vital to American culture that the world’s literature continues to find an audience among us - and the art of translation is essential to this task,” said NEA Chairman, Dana Gioia. “From Homer to Tolstoy, from Confucius to Mishima, the voices of other lands and other ages have been available to enrich and enlighten the American character. These grants will help to keep this distinguished literary tradition alive and well.” For further information, CLICK HERE

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