Dylan Thomas in translation
25 March 2013
A unique experiment that will start with a live translation of Dylan Thomas' poetry and end with the publication of a new book is taking place in Swansea.
Dylan Thomas in Translation is led by Professor Alexis Nuselovici of Cardiff University's School of European Languages, Translation and Politics in collaboration with creative agency Hodcha.
Taking place at the birthplace of Dylan Thomas (5 Cwmdonkin Drive, Swansea) on 25th March, the day-long event will bring together acknowledged translators from around the world, scholars, artists and musicians to engage in instantaneous translation and performance of Dylan Thomas' poetry.
The invited audience will be encouraged to take part in the live-translations with their own comments and suggestions which will be digitally edited and printed in real-time through Book Kernel, an innovative event-publishing platform developed by Hodcha.
Participants will leave the event with their very own live-translated edition of Dylan Thomas' poems incorporating selected content, social media interaction and contextual information. Other versions, printed and digital, will follow.
Alexis Nuselovici said: "Poetry is an art of the instant. So is translation, and this event will reflect it."
Ben Gwalchmai from Book Kernel, said: "On the day, we'll be making three books with a physical copy delivered to the translators before the day is done; we'll reflect on the exciting, iterative nature of translating and the future of publishing. Not only will all the translations from that day be in those books but the discussions, the mishaps, the fun, the photographed moments, and as much of the participation in and around the day as we can gather. On March 25th, we'll relive Dylan Thomas anew, in translation, and in a book of the day, on the day."
Dylan Thomas in Translation is a one-day event, led by Cardiff University with the participation of poets Philip Gross, Richard Gwyn and John Goodby and supported by the Learned Society of Wales, The Dylan Thomas Society of Great Britain and the Dylan Thomas Birthplace.
The project is funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council's REACT Knowledge Exchange Hub for the Creative Economy. REACT is a collaboration led by the University of the West of England, Watershed and the Universities of Bath, Bristol, Cardiff and Exeter.