Crème de la crème

Kristina Carlson

From: http://www.booksfromfinland.fi/2013/01/creme-de-la-creme/

Such straining and pasteurising is going on in the city that Arabs and other Muslims, the unemployed, drunkards, poor people and lunatics have been eliminated. By chance I became a cultural figure, and I was invited to a cultural evening whose invitation had been personally written by the Anarchist. At the restaurant table sat the Anarchist, the Psychoanalyst and the Psychologist’s boyfriend, 20 years younger, the Journalist, the Gift-Shop Owner, a Librarian and the Deputy Rector of a community college. Accompanying me to the restaurant, too, were the Wolf and the Deer, who hadn’t been invited. Sparse white fur grew on the Wolf’s narrow muzzle and there were teeth missing from his mouth. The Deer was beautiful, with huge eyes. And of course both of them were drunk. I asked them to come along because I believed that intellectuals are warm-hearted and open-minded. A really dumb idea. Bitter sangria was poured from a jug into thimble-sized glasses, and the group waited politely for its tapas. The Wolf raised his quivering snout. ‘What shall we talk about, mesdames, messieurs?’ 

Continue Reading

This story was first published in Finnish in the literary journal Parnasso (6–7/2012)

ABOUT THE WRITER

• Kristina Carlson (born 1949) is a writer, poet and author of several books for young people. She was the Editor-in-Chief of Books from Finland between 2002 and 2005. Her novel Maan ääreen (‘To the end of the earth’, Otava, 1999) won the Finlandia Prize for Fiction. Her subsequent novels, Herra Darwinin puutarhuri (‘Mr Darwin’s gardener’, 2009) and William N. Päiväkirja (‘William N. Diary’, 2011) are set in 19th-century England and France, respectively. Carlson's works have been published in three languages. She lives in her native Helsinki.

Wenn Träume sterben/ When Dreams Die

A beautiful ballad about the warmth of love and beauty and the pain and sadness that take over when it turns cold...  

Wenn Träume sterben

Music and lyrics by Henrik Lüchtenborg

 English Lyrics:

When dreams die, don’t let me go,
when leaves fall, let me stay here a little while,

when the laughter dies down,

give me a smile, if only for a moment,
and when love is mere use, let me feel strength,

when the laughter dies down,

give me a smile, if only for a moment,
when everything ends and nothing new begins,

when the pictures are silent and blue turns gray,
when rust flows in my veins,
when everything warm is just too cold,

when the laughter dies down,

give me a smile, if only for a moment,
when love is mere use, let me feel strength

and when love is silent,

give me a smile, if only for a moment,

when everything ends and nothing new begins...

[Translated by Jasmina Tacheva]

________________________________

German Lyrics:

Wenn Träume sterben, lass mich noch nicht mit gehn,

 wenn Blätter fallen, lass mich noch’n Weilchen hier stehn,

wenn das Lachen verstummt,

gib mir ein Lächeln, wenn auch nur kurz

und wenn Liebe ist nur noch Nutz, lass mich Stärke fühlen,

wenn das Lachen verstummt,

gib mir ein Lächeln, wenn auch nur kurz,

wenn alles endet und nichts Neues mehr beginnt,

wenn Bilder schweigen, wenn blau zu grau erstarrt,

wenn Rost in meinen Adern fließt,

wenn alles warm einfach zu kalt wird,

wenn das Lachen verstummt,

gib mir ein Lächeln, wenn auch nur kurz,

wenn Liebe ist nur noch Nutz, lass mich Stärke fühlen

und wenn die Liebe verstummt,

gib mir Lächeln, wenn auch nur kurz,

wenn alles endet und nichts Neues mehr beginnt…

A Petition for Translation

And now to draw your attention to a worthy initiative I’ve become peripherally involved in (occasionally lending my services as a translator): a Facebook-based fan petition, founded and spearheaded by J. Antonio Fraga, to have the works of genius cartoonist Moebius translated into English. Moebius, who passed away last year, needs no introduction: his visionary works redefined the landscape of multiple genres, most notably science fiction, beyond the comics medium and across film, animation, and design. What Moebius there is in English is really just the tip of the iceberg, and being largely out of print, isn’t accessible to readers anyway. It’s time he was introduced to a new generation in a manner befitting him.

Madame Isabelle Giraud currently manages her late husband’s estate, and the petition is addressed to her as rightsholder. I still can’t get over Moebius’ last words, none better for a SF giant; on his deathbed, he reportedly said to her, "I can feel myself transmuting... give me the repair codes!"

Since numerous reprints of Moebius’ work have appeared in other languages and territories, the question is: why not English? Are offers being made, or turned down? Are English-language rights being specifically withheld? Kim Thompson’s speculations on the issue, informed by years in the editorial trenches of this relatively incestuous medium, made some waves when first aired in a comments thread at The Comics Journal.

“If I had to guess — and in the absence of no solid facts whatsoever, what with Mme. Giraud’s Sphinx-like demeanor on the subject — my conjecture would be that she feels Moebius was such a titan in the field that eventually some major English-language publisher is going to wake up and offer a ton of money for all of Moebius (say, mid six figures) — as Marvel did to whatever degree once, but this time on steroids — and piddling away the rights to individual volumes at a time on small publishers who’ll want to license just a couple of books and pay a few bucks (at the low end of five figures, say) here and there is a waste of her time, an insult to Moebius, and a threat to the eventual grand bargain that could be struck for the works with some Random House-scaled publisher someday. (In a way, the tabula rase lack of Moebius books in print in English is an opportunity.) So until that day, “No” is the easy, fall-back answer.

My other main area of interest as a translator is the fantastic, and there I recall a similar case keeping English readers from a worthy body of work. For years, the œuvre of Belgian master Jean Ray has been unavailable to a general reading public. Appearances have been restricted to the rare anthology piece and expensive volumes from exclusive small presses of soon-exhausted print runs (whereupon the expensive, in the hands of used book dealers, becomes priceless). To put it crudely, Jean Ray was like Poe and Lovecraft combined; he singlehandedly defined the Francophone fantastic in the first half of the twentieth century, bringing the early explorations of the Decadents into the energetic era of the pulps. The author of several acknowledged masterpieces, countless landmark short stories, and reams of lesser adventures of eminent historical interest to the genre, he is a towering figure whose potential impact on the English world is just beginning to be felt fifty years after the fact. A coterie of English readers clamors for more translations, but the agent for his estate turns down every offer as too low, driven by an estimate of his work that is no more unfounded than it is unrealistic.

Once again, the politics of English’s clout on a world stage are in play here. To the complications of translation into any language—negotiations of syntax, vocabulary, cultural history and context—are added issues of authority and disseminative power. Translators working into English must contend with that fact. Languages, like beliefs, draw their power from the number and power of their users. English derives dynamism from the sheer quality and volume of its users’ contributions; testing a language’s malleability makes it grow. As the gateway language, English polices the parameters of the known world—by that, I mean the most immediately visible and transmissible world. I’m often embarrassed by how eagerly authors I’ve translated greet me, a gratitude that seems disproportionate to my services. And I am ashamed, not only for how little I’ve done to deserve their thanks, but for how outsized the hope is that English, the gateway language, commands. French publishers marketing books at international rights fairs have sample chapters translated into English, knowing that Korean and Greek editors alike will be able to evaluate them on that basis. Translation into English not only confers prestige, for English is currently the language of the arbiters of culture, but also carries with it broadcast breadth and reach. In that sense it constitutes a fundamentally different media channel from most other languages.

The fan-founded petition, which has garnered some famous supporters and gotten some friendly buzz, raises another topic of interest in this day and age when print publishers struggle to harness the power of all things digital and explore alternative business models. Comics make a great case study, having at once one foot firmly in the world of book-as-object, and yet taking advantage of the net’s ability to form and maintain fan communities. A few years ago Comix Influx tried to migrate fansubs, long a staple of manga and anime, to the Eurocomics sphere, careful to sidestep copyright infringement by posting only the translated text, which they rightly pointed out was useless without owning the actual graphic novel to read along with. Although down right now, founder Stephen Betts has promised Influx will come back. This kind of organized fan activity seemed poised to prove to US publishers that there was indeed a fan base ready and waiting for Eurocomics, disproving their usual arguments for not bringing over more work in translation (the cost of creating a readership, etc). But fans and publishers weren’t connecting. I’ll be interested to see what impact the Moebius petition has over the long run.

Aerial Photographs of Tulip Fields by Normann Szkop

From Juxtapoz Magazine


http://www.juxtapoz.com/Street-Art/aerial-photographs-of-tulip-fields-by-normann-szkop

http://www.juxtapoz.com/Street-Art/aerial-photographs-of-tulip-fields-by-normann-szkop

http://www.juxtapoz.com/Street-Art/aerial-photographs-of-tulip-fields-by-normann-szkop

Continue Reading

afa

Every year, hoards of tourists descend on the town of Anna Paulowna in North Holland to see the millions of brightly colored rows of tulip fields. French photographer, Normann Szkop, seized the opportunity to get an aerial view by catching a ride in a small plane and shot some photos that show a completely different perspective.

Bulgaria Says Farewell to Poetess Leda Mileva

From the Official Website of the Bulgarian National Radio


http://bg.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%A4%D0%B0%D0%B9%D0%BB:Leda-Mileva-20101211-cropped.jpg

Poetess, writer, translator and playwright Leda Mileva passed away today at the age of 93. She died on her birthday – February 5. The poetess was born in Sofia in 1920 and was the daughter of poet Geo Milev. She used to be an editor-in-chief of the children’s show of the Bulgarian National Radio and then a director of the Bulgarian National TV. Leda Mileva was a Bulgarian representative at the UNESCO and member of the board of directors of the International Fund for the Promotion of Culture with the same organization.

Continue Reading

Reception Group for German, Austrian and Swiss Literature Lecture

From: http://events.sas.ac.uk/

University of London
School of Advanced Study

Institute of Germanic & Romance Studies

07 March 2013, 17:30 - 20:00

Event Type:

Lecture

Venue:

Room G34 (Ground Floor)

Venue Details:

Senate House, South Block
Malet Street
London WC1E 7HU 

Download a map of the central precinct
 with directions for getting to the
University of London Senate House.

Description

Dora Osborne (Edinburgh):
After Images of W.G. Sebald:
British Responses to a German Author

Absinthe Video of the Week: Once Upon a Time in Anatolia

Enjoy a trailer for the excellent Turkish film Once Upon a Time in Anatolia, directed by Nuri Bilge Ceylan and a winner of the grand prize at the Cannes Film Festival.  We'll have more information on the film in Absinthe 19, our spotlight on Turkey, publishing this April.



Once Upon a Time in Anatolia (Trailer) from Cinema Guild on Vimeo.

Künstlerkontakthof

Jasmina Tacheva Talks with Author and Event Manager Henrik Lüchtenborg



Jasmina Tacheva: Hi Henrik, how are you? Besides a writer and an event manager you are also the founder of the exchange platform Künstlerkontakthof - can you tell us a bit more about it? How did you decide to start it?


Henrik Lüchtenborg: Hello, Jasmina.

First of all thanks for your efforts to help me introduce Künstlerkontakthof to the public. The fact that the Künstlerkontakthof project is now in full swing,  makes me feel splendid.

I live beautifully, in the country side near Berlin and have a lot of time and above all peace, to take care of this exciting new project. By the way I am just finishing the final draft of my new children's book "Nursery Attacks" and am organizing tours around Europe for two Berlin musicians.



 Oscar and the Lady in Pink


How I came up with the idea to start this new initiative ...

After many small initiatives for artists, including the organization of 123 openings, 101 concerts, etc., I got the idea to create ​​a platform by artists for artists.

It is easy to be out on a limb and make promises to artists but it's much harder to bring them to fruition honestly and successfully, for the artist themselves and not just for one's own sake.

Künstlerkontakthof should be no artist agency or a commercial venue. Here, according to my idea, artists should meet, exchange ideas and facilitate their way to successful work.



There is no so-called "healthy competition". Competition always entails a certain amount of bigotry. If artists leave their eyes and ears, as well as their creative hearts, open, it will be so much easier to successfully mediate their art and work.

Thus, for example, a painter from Berlin could meet with a painter from Paris, and arrange studio exchanges (this could be described as "studio surfing" - derived from the so-called couch surfing) in order to expand their vistas and work and to present their art in various places in Europe.


JT: Are there a lot of collaborators and enthusiasts who work on the project with you and would you like to introduce them to our readers?


HL: Well, the Facebook page has been up for 2 months now and we have almost 2000 friends. There are new requests each day, which makes me very happy. The principle has been grasped. Everyone here is a MAKER. If everyone puts a stone, the house will be built quickly.

 I see myself only as someone who has brought and laid the first stone. Enthusiasts are the artists who started using our site to present their work or to ask me questions about studios or exhibition opportunities, etc., or even the many requests from musicians for concerts ...



JT: What can artists use the platform for?

HL: For themselves! This site belongs to no single person, every member is a component of the whole project; in the end everyone must decide for themselves how they are going to best use and support this platform.

JT: Is Künstlerkontakthof free?

HL: Of course! What am I supposed to take money for? Everyone does work here. In the end, however, everyone will be paid back; what I mean by that is that every individual should also receive benefits in exchange for their commitment, in whatever form, for their own projects.


JT: Who can join the project and how - are there any requirements or restrictions? Besides artists, can aer sellers, buyers and art gallery owners also become involved?


HL: All who want to seriously explore art are invited to participate. We all will get very little out of it, if the platform is used for private amusements only. Here, you want to work on a level that will help everyone move forward ..

Also politically active groups or individuals are probably out of place here ... it's all about art ... even if some political views probably do act quite "artistically".



JT: Is the platform planned for Berlin only, or can artists from around the world participate as well?

HL: Berlin would be too limited. Art should have no limits. I would be very happy if the platform would grow limitlessly.

 JT: Besides the interactive form of communication, do you plan any "live" events?

HL: I'm thinking of an annual event. Once a year all artists should get together for a great evening, and get to know one another better with good music and wine.

But even this is not for me alone to figure out, I welcome any helping hands.



JT: The project has its own Facebook page - about how many artists are currently taking part in it?

HL: As of right now, we are nearly 2000 from all corners of the world (though mostly from Berlin), but more keep coming every day (:



JT: What is the message you want to convey through this unique artistic campaign?

HL: If we all take each other's hand, art will become a stable, high-quality profession in the world.

Art must be out in the world!

JT: The logo of Künstlerkontakthof immediately catches the eye - it's very creative and imaginative - what exactly does it mean?

HL: What we can see are small figures that are holding each other's hand and thus form a community. Only one figure on the left bottom side is a little out of the ordinary ... He is taking a bow. This figure represents the artist in general. They take a bow to their audience, once they are done with their work.

The figures behind him hold each other and thus form a strong framework in which they can work safely. If we hold on to each other firm enough, bowing is (the reward, the applause, the payment) will be a much more realistic and easier goal for many artists ...

The name "Künstlerkontakthof" itself is related to my personal experience with the choreographer Pina Bausch in Wuppertal... I think that the piece Kontakthof has certainly changed the way I participate in life and the community.

My personal meetings with her or other dancers from her ensemble were also always impressive!




JT: I personally think this portal is a way to get back to the roots of art and remind society that it has little to do with money and markets but a lot with human warmth and understanding. Is my intuition on the right track?


HL: Yeah, in general that's right. Money can't replace ideology, ideas, or creativity. Money does not make you free ... and certainly can't be the first building block for a work of art ......

Money does NOT make you RICH!

JT: What have the biggest challenges been so far?

HL: I think the logo took us some time; I designed quite a few models together with some friends... in the end we all agreed on the current one though.

I think the biggest challenge has yet to come... in the form of some 1000 small tasks regarding the coordination of almost 2000 dedicated creative minds from around the world. But we can definitely do it:)

 JT: What are your wishes for the future of Künstlerkontakthof?

HL: I really hope that Künstlerkontakthof will become a contact zone that will make the artists' life not just easier but also more beautiful; that virtual friendships will grow into real relationships, and that our community will bring joy to everyone!

Thank you (:

May

From http://www.czechlit.cz/new-books/may-dva/
/2013/

Autor

Karel Hynek Mácha

The book is a translation, in rhymed and rhymic verse, of the Czech writer Karel Hynek Macha's long poem in the Byronic style, one of the most famous works of Czech literature. William Harkins is the translator and editor, and the poem, rendered here in both English translation and Czech, is accompanied by a preface and introduction. The story concerns the unhappy fate of a bandit hero who unwittingly kills his own father, who had seduced his lover. The poem is replete with an atmosphere of destiny and doom. The principal ironic device is paradox: life and love, emblematic of joy and happiness, lead inevitably to torture and death for the crime of parricide. 

Continue Reading

Slavoj Zizek on Emir Kusturica

What are your thoughts on this matter?