The nominees for The Tadeusz Boy–Żeleński Translation Work Award

Sixty six translators of 18 languages were put up for this year’s edition of the Award. The Jury have nominated 7 of them: Elżbieta Cygielska (Hungarian), Jan Gondowicz (French and others), Michał Kłobukowski (English), Halina Kralowa (Italian), Małgorzata Łukasiewicz (German), Maryna Ochab (French), and Jacek Poniedziałek (English). The laureate will be announced on 10 April 2015 during the Gdańsk Meetings of Literary Translators Found in Translation.

The Tadeusz Boy-Żeleński Translation Work Award of the President of Gdansk is a symbol of recognition of the merits and mastery of literary translators. It is connected to the Gdańsk Meetings of Literary Translators Found in Translation, initiated in 2013 by the CCI. During the second edition of the Meetings (9—11 April) we will learn the name of the first laureate.

At the first meeting of the Jury, which was held on 16 January 2015, its members: Anna Wasilewska (head of the Jury), Edward Balcerzan, Andrzej Jagodziński, Adam Pomorski, Krzysztof Pomian, Stanisław Rosiek, and Justyna Sobolewska decided to nominate seven translators. Six nominations have been given to translators for their lifetime achievements; in the case of Jacek Poniedziałek, the nomination has been given in recognition of his translations of the plays by Tennessee Williams.

The Award will go to one of the following: Elżbieta Cygielska (Hungarian), a lecturer at The Department of Hungarian Studies of The University of Warsaw, she popularises and translates Polish literature in Hungary; Jan Gondowicz (French, Russian, Czech), a critic, a translator, and an essayist, he presents in Poland texts by Gustave Flaubert, Alfred Jarry, Josif Brodsky, and others; Michał Kłobukowski (English), the laureate of the Literatura na Świecie award for the new translation of Lord Jim by Joseph Conrad, he translated works by John Maxwell Coetzee, Paul Auster, Kurt Vonnegut, and others; Halina Kralowa (Italian) has for several decades translated into Polish the masterpieces of Italian literature written by Giorgio Bassani, Antono Fogazzaro, Italo Svevo, and Carlo Emilio Gadda, whose book in her translation won her the Premio citta di Monselice award; Małgorzata Łukasiewicz (German) has translated nearly 70 belles-lettres and philosophical works including texts by Patrick Süskind, Hermann Hesse, Theodor W. Adorno, Jürgen Habermas; she is also a laureate of the awards given by PEN Club and Zeszyty Literackie; Maryna Ochab (French) has translated, among others, The Symbolism of Evil by Paul Ricoeur, Zazie in the Metro by Raymond Queneau, The Sex Life of Immanuel Kant by Jean-Baptiste Botul, two detective stories by Jean-Claude Izzo, and numerous books on culture and history in the vein of the new French historical school; Jacek Poniedziałek (English), a theatre and television actor, a theatre director, he has translated over 20 plays including Angels in America by Tony Kushner, Krum and Suitcase Packers by Hanoch Levin, and the A Streetcar Named Desire and Other Plays collection by Tennessee Williams which has won him the nomination to the Award.

Gdansk Meetings of Literary Translators Found in Translation, Gdansk 9—11 April

Organiser: the City Culture Institute, www.ikm.gda.pl
Info: www.odnalezionewtlumaczeniu.pl; www.facebook.com/odnalezionewtlumaczeniu

NOMINEES’ BIOS

Elżbieta Cygielska – PhD in the humanities, senior lecturer at The Department of Hungarian Studies of The University of Warsaw, she gives lectures on the history of Hungarian literature and classes in the theory and pragmatics of translation. She has written scientific works on comparative literature, reviews, articles, prefaces, and afterwords. She popularises and translates Polish literature in Hungary.

Michał Kłobukowski – A translator of American and British literature, and a poet, he studied English in Warsaw and Poznan, and he has been active in the field of translation since 1988. In 2002, he won the Literatura na Świecie award for the new translation of Lord Jim by Joseph Conrad, and the award from the Polish Society of Authors and Composers ZAiKS in recognition of his lifetime achievements. He has translated works of Vladimir Nabokov, John Maxwell Coetzee, Paul Auster, Kurt Vonnegut, Charles Bukowski, and many others.

Jan Gondowicz – A critic, a translator, an essayist, and a graduate from the University of Warsaw, he has translated into Polish texts by Daniil Charms, Josif Brodski, Karel Čapek, Gustave Flaubert, Alfred Jarry, Raymond Queneau, Georges Perec, and others.

Halina Kralowa – A translator of Italian literature, an educator, she has for several decades translated into Polish the masterpieces of Italian literature written by Giorgio Bassani, Antonio Fogazzaro, Italo Svevo, Carlo Emilio Gadda, Alba De Cespedes, Leonardo Sciascia, Alberto Moravia, Dacia Maraini, Antonio Tabucchi, Alessandro Baricco, Andrea De Carlo, Roberto Gervaso, Angelo Maria Ripellino. Her translations have won the Premio citta di Monselice award (for translations of Gadda’s works), the award from the Polish Society of Authors and Composers ZAiKS (for lifetime achievements), the Literatura na Świecie award (for Magic Prague by Ripellino).

Małgorzata Łukasiewicz – A translator of German literature, a literary critic, an essayist, a student of foreign languages and philosophy at the University of Warsaw, she has translated nearly 70 belles-lettres and philosophical works including texts by Robert Walser, Patrick Süskind, Hermann Hesse, W. G. Sebald, Theodor W. Adorno, Jürgen Habermas, Friedrich Nietzsche, Hans-Georg Gadamer. She is also a laureate of the Literatura na Świecie award, the award given by PEN Club, the Paweł Hertz award given by Zeszyty Literackie, the Hermann Hesse Award, and the Polish-German Award.

Maryna Ochab – A translator from French mainly, active since 1976, she has translated, among others, The Symbolism of Evil by Paul Ricoeur, Zazie in the Metro by Raymond Queneau (the Literatura na Świecie award, 2005), The Man Who Walked through Walls by Marcel Aymé, and numerous books on culture and history in the vein of the new French historical school, The Sex Life of Immanuel Kant (2002) by Jean-Baptiste Botul, and two detective stories by Jean-Claude Izzo. In 1999, she received an award from PEN Club for translations into Polish.

Jacek Poniedziałek – A renowned actor working for theatre, television, cinema, and a theatre director, he has been interested in translating plays. He has translated over 20 of them including Angels in America by Tony Kushner, Krum and Suitcase Packers by Hanoch Levin, Osama the Hero by Dennis Kelly, and Cleansed by Sarah Kane. In 2012, A Streetcar Named Desire and Other Plays collection by Tennessee Williams was published.