May GLLI Blog Series: Japan in Translation, No. 14 Editor's note: When I approached Canadian poet/translator Sally Ito about acting as translator for Are You an Echo? The Lost Poetry of Misuzu Kaneko, she and her aunt Michiko Tsuboi, her co-translator, had already translated at least a dozen of Misuzu's poems on their own. The … Continue reading The Compassionate Imagination – Sally Ito on Translating Misuzu Kaneko
May GLLI Blog Series: Japan in Translation, No. 11 Photo credit: Greenhouse Fabrics In The Book of Tea, Kakuzo Okakura wrote that “Translation is always a treason, and as a Ming author observes, can at its best be only the reverse side of a brocade.” And so it seems to be—the art of translation is … Continue reading Translation as Treason — Michael Dylan Welch on Translating Haiku
May GLLI Blog Series: Japan in Translation, No. 1 Editor's note: Today begins a month-long series of posts about Japanese literature in translation. Here in the United States it is Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month, and in Japan (through this weekend, anyway), it is Golden Week, the longest vacation period of the year for many Japanese workers. … Continue reading THE MIRROR OF HIS WORKS — Roger Pulvers on Ishikawa Takuboku
Lament for Syria by Amineh Abou Kerech Syrian doves croon above my head their call cries in my eyes. I’m trying to design a country that will go with my poetry and not get in the way when I’m thinking, where soldiers don’t walk over my face. I’m trying to design a country which … Continue reading “Lament for Syria”
https://www.ted.com/talks/ann_morgan_my_year_reading_a_book_from_every_country_in_the_world By Karen Van Drie, Editor of Turkish Literature Month for Global Literature in Libraries Like a lot of people who love to read, I was captivated by Ann Morgan's reading innovation of reading a book from every country in the world. What a cool idea! Short of visiting every nation in the world, how … Continue reading A Month of Turkish Literature via Global Literature in Libraries Initiative
https://vimeo.com/37545910 I AM LISTENING TO ISTANBUL I am listening to Istanbul, intent, my eyes closed: At first there is a gentle breeze And the leaves on the trees Softly sway; Out there, far away, The bells of water-carriers unceasingly ring; I am listening to Istanbul, intent, my eyes closed. I am listening to Istanbul, … Continue reading ‘I Am Listening to Istanbul’ a poem by Orhan Veli
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Fej8igH_3o I Living is no laughing matter: you must live with great seriousness like a squirrel, for example— I mean without looking for something beyond and above living, I mean living must be your whole occupation. Living is no laughing matter: you must take it seriously, so much so and to such a degree … Continue reading ‘On Living’ a poem by Nazim Hikmet
Turkish literature is a rich, creative, wonderful treasure trove that is well worth exploring. I am delighted to have this opportunity to share works by extraordinary contemporary Turkish women authors whose works have been translated into English. If Turkish literature as a whole remains underrepresented in the global literary arena, Turkish women poets and writers … Continue reading Contemporary Turkish Women Writers Available in English Translation
'Hiroshima Child' I come and stand at every door But none can hear my silent tread I knock and yet remain unseen For I am dead for I am dead I'm only seven though I died In Hiroshima long ago I'm seven now as I was then When children die they do not grow My … Continue reading ‘Hiroshima Child’ a poem by Nazim Hikmet
Global Literature in Libraries Initiative 