In general, we think of translators as people whose job, briefly summarized, is to create elegant texts out of works in foreign languages. But J.R.R. Tolkien, in his translation of Beowulf, set out to do something different. The Lord of the Rings author published a translation that he kept intentionally clunky. Why? In his telling, he did it to better imitate Old English.
Just Another Mason
Oratory Passion
The best Fourth of July speech? Frederick Douglass delivered it on July 5, 1852. Pair with a reading list for July.
The Trouble with Google Books
Laura Miller at Salon reports on the ongoing problems with Google Books’ plan to “digitally scan every book in the world.”
The Other Side of Europe
Recommended Reading: On translating the literature of smaller European nations.
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Alice McDermott Lets Beautiful Language Chase Her
Alice McDermott discusses her first collection of nonfiction, where she dissects everything from voice, language, and the trap of beautiful writing.
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