Władysław Reymont (1867-1925) came from a family of church organists who were part of the impoverished gentry, and had an unpromising youth after being rejected from the gymnasium (academic high school), having no interest in the family profession, failing to make a career out of his training as a tailor or his passion for the theater, and his own brother begged him to stop writing poetry because it was so terrible. Yet all these experiences made him a great observer of everyday life across different social strata, leading to a life as a journalist, traveler, and novelist, becoming Poland’s second Nobel Prize winner for literature, following Sienkiewicz.
In this episode, we look at the question of how to translate a work that makes heavy use of dialect, but not a single dialect of a particular region so much as a dialect that is peculiar to the novel, and how to represent social class in language. We reflect briefly on the author’s life. We discuss the controversial representation of Jews in The Peasants, touching also on The Promised Land. We also ask why translate this novel now, among other interesting questions.
Encounters with Polish Literature is a video series for anyone interested in literature and the culture of books and reading. Each month, host David A. Goldfarb will present a new topic in conversation with an expert on that author or book or movement in Polish literature.
Learn more about this episode, and see the biography of the guest on the Polish Cultural Institute New York's website:
[ Ссылка ]
Access the Playlist of the entire series:
[ Ссылка ]
