A Cosmologist of Language: On Translating Magnús Sigurðsson
Through intricate wordplay and a titanic understanding of his native Icelandic, Sigurðsson is able to create tiny but arresting artifacts—fragments that scale an instant to an aeon, and a… More
The Absolute Gravedigger
Published in 1937, The Absolute Gravedigger is the culmination of Vítězslav Nezval’s work as the leading poet of Czech surrealism. More
The Unimaginable Muse: On Translating Vítězslav Nezval
One of the most prolific poets of his generation, Vítězslav Nezval dazzled even his closest contemporaries with his linguistic facility and uncanny ingenuity. More
Releasing Roots: On Translating Vaan Nguyen
Truffles are notoriously difficult to domesticate, and I have taken this to heart as I translate Nguyen’s poems and their unexpected, unpredictable movements and juxtapositions. More
The Truffle Eye
Shadows rest on these benches / and you weep lion tears / and bite me with literary envy, / you bite down hard on my back More
The World Migrating: On Translating Song Lin
Permeated with themes of politics and exile, the poems of Chinese "exiled poet" Song Lin are a sensitive anthropology of our migratory world. More
The Gleaner Song
In pieces selected by the poet and translator from thirty years of published work, both East and West have been engaged, creating a landscape of the poet's extensive travels. More
Absurdity ad Absurdum: On Translating Gaston de Pawlowski
Written amidst the depths of World War I and society's growing faith in science, Pawlowski's absurdities are an elegant, far-sighted critique of the church of innovation. More
New Inventions and the Latest Innovations
Published in French in 1916, Gaston de Pawlowski’s book is a catalog of absurd imaginary gadgets and “improvements,” and an early satire on consumer society and the cult of… More
The Power of Voice: On Translating Aurora Venturini
The balance of humor and horror in Venturini's The Cousins owes everything to the author's signature achievement: the voice of the narrator and main character. More