{"id":9466,"date":"2016-02-22T20:01:51","date_gmt":"2016-02-23T00:01:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/?p=9466"},"modified":"2016-02-22T20:01:51","modified_gmt":"2016-02-23T00:01:51","slug":"episode-156-ross-benjamin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/episode-156-ross-benjamin","title":{"rendered":"Episode 156 – Ross Benjamin"},"content":{"rendered":"

Virtual Memories Show #156:
\nRoss Benjamin<\/a><\/p>\n

http:\/\/traffic.libsyn.com\/virtualmemories\/Episode_156_-_Ross_Benjamin.mp3<\/a><\/audio><\/div>

Podcast: Play in new window<\/a> | Download<\/a><\/p>

Subscribe: Spotify<\/a> | TuneIn<\/a> | RSS<\/a> | More<\/a><\/p>\n

“As a translator, your initial feeling is, ‘I want to inhabit this text.’ There’s a primary identification, a mirror effect, where you see your own creative possibilities reflected there, and want to realize them through this text.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"Seriously-Funny-Prof-Pic-v2-1-300x300\"<\/a>The 7th annual Festival Neue Literatur<\/a>\u00a0is Feb. 25-28, 2016 in New York, and this podcast is a Media Partner,\u00a0so let’s talk to the event’s curator! Translator and Guggenheim fellow Ross Benjamin<\/a> joins the show to talk about putting together “Seriously Funny,” this year’s FNL theme, and coordinating the 6 German language authors and 2 Americans who will be the featured guests. We talk about humor, German stereotypes, and the difference between reading a language\u00a0and being able to speak it. Along the way, we get into the styles that different translators have, the challenges and joys of translating Kafka’s diaries, the pros and cons of translating living authors and dead ones, and the angst of trying to give meaning to a single word. Give it a listen<\/a>, and get over to Festival Neue Literatur<\/a> from February 25-28, 2016 in New York!<\/p>\n

“In the early diaries, you can feel Kafka groping for a voice and a style.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"25005923555_11f333aa59_z\"<\/a>We also get into Ross’ history as a translator, what he’s learned about his mother tongue in the process, what other language he’d love to learn, the deep responsibility that comes from bringing a text into English, and more! Go listen<\/a>.<\/p>\n

“Most authors don’t mind answering ceaseless questions about their own work. It’s not just ego or vanity, I think it’s fascinating for them because authors don’t necessarily think consciously about all these aspects of their work.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

http:\/\/traffic.libsyn.com\/virtualmemories\/Episode_156_-_Ross_Benjamin.mp3<\/a><\/audio><\/div>

Podcast: Play in new window<\/a> | Download<\/a><\/p>

Subscribe: Spotify<\/a> | TuneIn<\/a> | RSS<\/a> | More<\/a><\/p>\n

Also, if you want to find out who Ross is reading nowadays and get a list of the books we talked about in this episode, join our Patreon<\/a> and become a monthly contributor to The Virtual Memories Show!<\/em> At the end of February, the new episode of our patron-only podcast, Fear of a Square Planet<\/a>, will go up with a bonus segment about who Ross is\u00a0reading and why.<\/p>\n

Enjoy the conversation!<\/a>\u00a0Then check out\u00a0the archives<\/a>\u00a0for more great episodes! You might like:<\/p>\n