In 1992 members of ATA's Literary Division collaborated in the publication of a collection of literary translations. Editor Cliff Landers titled that first volume Beacons, noting the aptness of the metaphor for many reasons — perhaps none more important than that "A beacon communicates from afar, as do these voices as distant in space as Japan, as remote in time as sixth century Arabia."
The success of that first Beacons led volunteers to work together on almost annual publications of literary translations. What had started out as a one time project became almost a tradition.
From the beginning, Beacons has been a work of art lovingly put together by a chain of dedicated editors. In keeping with tradition, the Editorial Board of this issue selected a broad collection of works from Europe and Latin America, and a good bit from Asia. This tenth edition of Beacons, which is dedicated to Geoff Waters, also marks a number of departures from earlier volumes. Among them:
There is much to discover in this issue of Beacons. And there is no need to wait — I invite you to begin reading now from the linked selections below.
Michele McKay Aynesworth
Editor, Beacons X
Beacons X: Table of Contents |
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| Beacons X | cover | ||
| Title Page | i | ||
| Copyright | ii | ||
| Preface | vii | ||
| Acknowledgements | xi | ||
Introducing |
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| In the United States of Africa, Abdourahman A. Waberi (Djibouti/France) | 3 | ||
| Commentary and translation by David Ball and Nicole Ball | Bio David Ball | ||
| Bio Nicole Ball | |||
Enheduana: The First Known Author |
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| Seven Temple Hymns, Enheduanna (Sumeria) | 15 | Bio Enheduanna | |
| Commentary and translation by Betty De Shong Meador | Bio Betty Meador | ||
Snapshots of Chinese Poetry: Du Fu, Xin Qiji, Huang Xiang |
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| Commentary by John Balcom | 35 | Bio John Balcom | |
| Three Poems by Du Fu | 36 | Bio Du Fu | |
| Translation by Steve Bradbury | Bio Bradbury | ||
| More Poems by Du Fu | 40 | ||
| Translation by Geoff Waters | Bio Xin Qiji | ||
| Three Poems by Xin Qiji | 48 | Bio Andrighetti | |
| Translation by Michael Farman | Bio Farman | ||
| Three Poems by Huang Xiang | 54 | ||
| Translation by Michelle Yeh | Bio Yeh | ||
Eros in Translation: The Music of Love |
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| Love Songs of the Sixth Dalai Lama, Tsangyang Gyatso (Tibet) | 60 | ||
| Commentary and translation by Geoff Waters | Bio Waters | ||
| Three Love Songs from Carmina Burana, Anonymous (Medieval Europe) | 68 | ||
| Commentary and translation by Mark Herman and Ronnie Apter | Bio Herman | ||
| Bio Apter | |||
| Song-poems in three keys, Lê Pham Lê (Vietnam) | 74 | Bio Lê | |
| Commentary and translation by Nancy Arbuthnot | Bio Arbuthnot | ||
Grit, Grafitti, Stars and Laughter from Latin America |
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| Evolution of a Poet, Mario Benedetti (Uruguay) | 81 | Bio Benedetti | |
| Commentary and translation by Louise B. Popkin | Bio Popkin | ||
| The Slaughteryard, Esteban Echeverría (Argentina) | 119 | ||
| Commentary by Norman Thomas di Giovanni | Bio di Giovanni | ||
| Translation with Susan Ashe | Bio Ashe | ||
| Bed Time Story, Ana María Shua (Argentina) | 131 | Bio Shua | |
| Commentary by Ana María Shua and Andrea G. Labinger | |||
| Translation by Andrea G. Labinger | Bio Labinger | ||
| Grafitos, Manuel Gonzalez Prada (Peru) | 138 | Bio Prada | |
| Translation by G.J. Racz | Bio Racz | ||
| Bewitched, José Castro Urioste (Peru) | 151 | Bio Castro Urioste | |
| Commentary and translation by Enrica Ardemagni | Bio Ardemagni | ||
| Of worms and roots, Matilde Casazola (Bolivia) | 157 | Bio Casazola | |
| Commentary and translation by Roseanne Mendoza | Bio Mendoza | ||
Translating Europe |
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| Interview with Geoffrey Brock, translator of Umberto Eco | 175 | Bio Brock | |
| by Traci Andrighetti | Bio Andrighetti | ||
| The Best Part, Diana Lama (Italy) | 183 | Bio Lama | |
| Translation by Anne Milano Appel | Bio Appel | ||
| Poems from Les Roses, Rainer Maria Rilke (Austria) | 192 | Bio Rilke | |
| Translation from the French by Barbara Collignon | Bio Collignon | ||
| Wandering through the desert, Sandra Santana (Spain) | 199 | Bio Santana | |
| Commentary and translation by Ben Van Wyke | Bio Van Wyke | ||
| Excerpt from The Order, Leena Lander (Finland) | 211 | Bio Lander | |
| Commentary and translation by Jill Graham Timbers | Bio Timbers | ||
| Shadows on rune stones, Peters Bruveris (Latvia) | 220 | ||
| Translation by Inara Cedrin | Bio Cedrin | ||
| Manuscripts in tortoiseshell, Mariana Marin (Romania) | 229 | ||
| Commentary by Adam Sorkin | Bio Sorkin | ||
| Translation with Daniela Hurezanu | Bio Hurezanu | ||
Se Habla Español |
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| Unlucky Lucky Days, Daniel Grandbois (U.S.) | 236 | Bio Grandbois | |
| Traducción de Tony Beckwith y Liliana Valenzuela | Bio Valenzuela | ||
| Aún no nacida, Poemas de Stanley H. Barkan (U.S.) | 240 | Bio Barkan | |
| Traducción de Isaac Goldemberg | Bio Goldemberg | ||
| Con pintura en el ojo, Poemas de Robert Cogswell (U.S.) | 244 | Bio Cogswell | |
| Traducción de Horacio Peña | Bio Peña | ||
| En la Sala Blue, Poemas de Ames Dee (U.S.) | 252 | ||
| Comentario de Ames Dee | |||
| Traducción de Carolina Valencia |