The Eternal Moment: Translating the Nobel Laureate
When the Swedish Academy announced Tomas Tranströmer as the 2011 recipient of the Nobel Prize in Literature, I was, first as an admirer and then as one of the poet’s translators, thrilled beyond measure. Not only is Tomas Tranströmer one of the finest and most distinct poets of his generation, he is one of the world’s most beloved poets. These two qualities (genius and popularity) are rarely bedfellows.
When the Swedish Academy announced Tomas Tranströmer as the 2011 recipient of the Nobel Prize in Literature, I was, first as an admirer and then as one of the poet’s translators, thrilled beyond measure. Not only is Tomas Tranströmer one of the finest and most distinct poets of his generation, he is one of the world’s most beloved poets. These two qualities (genius and popularity) are rarely bedfellows. His books appear in hundreds of editions in nearly sixty languages, and his devoted translators are spread across every inch of the globe. Behind his fellow Nobel Laureate Pablo Neruda, he is