Brodsky Translating Brodsky: Poetry in Self-Translation

The author’s sensitive and insightful readings of Brodsky’s poems both in the Russian original and in English translation—to the point where it becomes unclear which one is the original and which one the translation in any given case, and whether the neat distinction between original and translation ought to be taken for granted more generally—illuminate Brodsky’s poetics and technique to an unprecedented degree by laying bare their semantic, grammatical, syntactical, and phonological workings. * The Russian Review (reviewed by Michael Eskin) *
Alexandra Berlina’s fascinating and intriguing book presents a selection of poems which Brodsky translated on his own, along with the original Russian and a line-for-line literal. What she then offers is a close reading of the end-product in both languages, showing a fine sensitivity not just to semantic correspondences (or failures of correspondence), but also to phonetic patterning and nuances. ... All in all, the book presents a persuasive case for translation, as well as the reading of a translation, as a way to get to closer grips with a poetic text. * Translation and Literature, 24 (2015), reviewed by Christopher Whyte *
Berlina has succeeded in achieving her … stated goals—namely, discussing particular poems and advertising translation studies as a method of close reading. … This is a book that should interest all readers of Brodsky’s poetry, whether in Russian, English, or both, as well as those who wish to explore self-translation as a continuation of poetic creativity, not just as a secondary pursuit. Berlina writes with admirable succinctness and clarity; her authorial persona is that of an expert but approachable guide to the crossing and recrossing of borders between languages and cultures. ... She sees his self translations as occasions for the poet to play with the opportunities a new language and cultural frame of reference off ered him to rework his poems, a conclusion that is well supported by the carefully conducted and enjoyable close readings provided in this book. -- Katherine Hodgson, University of Exeter, UK * Slavic Review *
Alexandra Berlina makes an invaluable contribution to our understanding of one of the major poets of the late twentieth century … her book is a model for critical engagement with translation, and a corrective to the dominance of theory over practice in the burgeoning discipline of Translation Studies … if we hope to understand and appreciate Brodsky’s accomplishment as a poet and thinker, we must confront the full corpus of his work in a dynamic, comparative fashion. Berlina does this brilliantly, and with a degree of wit that would have made her subject proud. -- Boris Dralyuk, University of St. Andrews * Slavic and East European Journal *
…An important contribution to international Brodsky studies, Berlina’s book uses the poet’s self-translations to arrive at detailed reinterpretations of his work… In this way Berlina redefines the concept of translation, looking at Brodsky’s poems rendered into English by the poet himself as if they were variants of his original poems, comparable in status to Beckett’s self-translations… Berlina’s illuminating and often provocative study is worth a careful reading, if only to see how she manages to integrate Brodsky’s self-translations with the poet’s oeuvre and link them with his dislocated biography. -- Jerzy Jarniewicz, University of Lodz * Translation Studies *
Joseph Brodsky’s self-translations have until recently attracted astonishingly little scholarly attention, even though Brodsky, as the winner of the Nobel Prize and Poet Laureate of the United States, was the most highly decorated of all Russian-American literary immigrants. … Self-translation is never easy. In Berlina’s opinion, what ultimately prompted Brodsky to engage in this endeavor was not really, or not primarily, the wish to make his Russian poems accessible to an American audience, or to somehow transform his Russian self into an American self. It was simply ‘the fact that translation gave Brodsky a chance to rework his poems, albeit in a different language.’ … Written in a lively style and replete with astute observations and provocative insights, Berlina’s book is a joy to read. It is highly recommended not only for Brodsky specialists, but for anyone interested in the problem of self-translation, or the intricacies of poetic translation in general. * Comparative Literature Studies *
Alexandra Berlina’s book is a nuanced [and] well-informed ... reading of the bilingual poetry by the Nobel Prize-winning Russian American poet Joseph Brodsky. ... Berlina’s command of both languages, Russian and English, allows for fluent switches between the two and leads to some insightful comments on Brodsky’s texts. * Modern Language Review *
An excellent introduction to Brodsky’s work, it offers a fascinating study of the relevance of translation in literary studies ... A truly fascinating book. * Literary Research *
What Brodsky inherited from the Russian tradition was a belief in poetry as a sacrament; what he inherited from the Anglo-American tradition was an enjoyment of poetry as a space for the free play of the intellect. No one has written as clearly and comprehensively as Berlina about Brodsky’s successes and failures in his attempt to integrate these traditions. -- Robert Chandler, award-winning poet and translator from Russian, French, and Greek, and the editor of Penguin Classics’ Russian Short Stories from Pushkin to Buida.
Alexandra Berlina's careful and ingenious analysis of Brodsky's poetry throws new light on his work, and on the process of translating Russian poetry altogether. Berlina's position as a Russian writer abroad gives her great insight into the matter of Brodsky's autotranslations. Her close readings of both poems and translations are a particular joy as they benefit from her own work as a translator of Brodsky's poetry. This is an illuminating, playful and highly original guide to the great poet. -- Sasha Dugdale, poet, translator of poetry and plays, and editor of Modern Poetry in Translation magazine
Berlina's careful reading shows that Brodsky's self-translations add an illuminating dimension to his poetry. -- Marilyn Gaddis Rose, Distinguished Service Professor, State University of New York at Binghamton, USA
This study is a dazzling critique of Brodsky’s self-translations, and a revealing exposition of his translingual imagination. The analyses are stunning in their intimate knowledge of two, sometimes three languages … We believe Brodsky Translating Brodsky is a seminal, path-breaking book. It provides insights not only into translation, but into the Russian language as well as the English language; it illuminates the creative process in a multilingual worldly poet, for whom the differences in language serve as catalysts for original composition. For this, as well as for the innumerable incisive close readings in Brodsky's oeuvre, we believe Alexandra Berlina's Brodsky Translating Brodsky: Poetry in Translation deserves the 2016 Anna Balakian Prize for the best first book by a young comparatist. * Representing the Anna Balakian Prize Committee: Manfred Schmeling, Honorary President AILC/ICLA *