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Popescu Prize shortlist announced

30 augustus 2007
The Corneliu M Popescu Prize for European Poetry Translation has once again exceeded all expectations, with just under 80 collections being submitted. The standard of entries was so high that judges Anne Born and Dr Francis Jones faced a tough task in drawing up the shortlist. Now being awarded for the third time, the prize was founded by the Poetry Society and the Ratiu Foundation UK to pinpoint the wealth of excellent poetry available across the continent.
The prize is named after Corneliu M Popescu who translated the work of one of Romania's leading poets, Mihai Eminescu, into English. On 4 March 1977, at the age of 19, Popescu was tragically killed in an earthquake.

The prize, which was first launched in 2003, is awarded every two years.

When asked about the importance of the Prize, Born and Jones both point out that this award is unique in that it is the only poetry-specialised translation prize, and that it gives poetry enthusiasts the opportunity to discover, appreciate and enjoy exciting poetry from countries whose writers are not so widely read.

Both translation experts and practising poets, Born and Jones add that the award serves to highlight the interaction between poets and translators and raises the profiles of international poets and of the translators, who live in the shadow of those whose work they reveal to a wider audience.

The shortlisted collections are:

- A Leaf About to Fall (Ilhan Berk, tr. George Messo- Salt Publishing) Turkish

- The Drums of Silence (Kristiina Ehin, tr. Ilmar Lehtpere- Oleander Press) Estonian

- What Water Left Behind (Rutger Kopland, tr. Willem Groenewegen- Waxwing Press) Dutch

- The Deleted World (Tomas Tranströmer, tr. Robin Robertson- Enitharmon) Swedish

- Duino Elegies (Rainer Maria Rilke, tr. Martyn Crucefix- Enitharmon) German



Links:

- For further information about the Poetry Society: http://www.poetrysociety.org.uk

- For more information about the Ratiu Foundation UK: http://www.ratiufamilyfoundation.com
Bron: Poetry Society, 28th August 2007
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