The London Literature Festival is underway with a wide range of guests and events, including appearances by James Salter, Paul Theroux, Aleksandar Hemon and George Saunders among many others.
In the literalab universe one of the most unique events takes place May 25 at London’s Southbank Centre, “Mum, Dad, I’m a Poet,” with the great Polish poet Tadeusz Różewicz , whose book of blended prose, poetry and memoir Mother Departs has just been published by Stork Press in an English translation by Barbara Bogoczek. The event will comprise “readings, music and film by actors, poets, critics and friends” such as “poets George Szirtes and Tom Paulin, singing maven Katy Carr, legendary actor Jan Peszek and his daughter, notorious actress and singer Maria Peszek.”
To read more about Różewicz, Mother Departs and an excerpt click here.
There’s also a book club meeting on May 23 to discuss Bulgakov’s The Master and Margarita, which I also would have gone to if I were anywhere near London.
Bruno Jasieński – “Keys”
And speaking of Polish poets I didn’t want to forget to link to this fantastic work by Bruno Jasieński posted by Twisted Spoon Press. “Keys” was first published in 1925 and will be part of the upcoming Jasieński collection The Legs of Izolda Morgan translated by Soren A. Gauger and Guy Torr.
Translating the Russian classics
Humanities has an article in which the husband and wife translation team of Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky discuss having finished translating Tolstoy’s major works, the non-existence of definitive translations and how Volokhonsky is “lobbying” her husband for them to translate Turgenev (In the usual husband-wife negotiations this qualifies as so much more elevated than being lobbied to do the dishes more often or don’t go out drinking with your friends so often that I confess to being unable to imagine what it’s like).
Photo – Tadeusz Różewicz, courtesy of Stork Press
literalab 
As one who gave up reading War and Peace twice but breezed through it the third time because it was the Pevear/Volokhonsky translation, I am delighted to hear that Turgenev is next in line!
But she only said she’s pushing her husband to do it, nothing about him agreeing to it! Big difference. But maybe she’ll win out in the end.
Oh, he’ll have to cave in. Surely…
We usually do, though as I wrote I’ve never caved in for such a lofty cause as Turgenev’s writing. Still, caving in is caving in.
We usually do, though as I wrote I’ve never caved in for such a lofty cause as Turgenev’s writing. Still, caving in is caving in.