The second Eurovision semi-finals kick off in less than an hour, by which time I was hoping to have posted another set of overviews and predictions from Janis Stirna, our Eurovision correspondent. Unfortunately, Janis went dark after it was announced on Tuesday that Latvia DIDN’T make it to the finals. (Which, is bullshit, although Anmary & Co. did look like a bunch of Eastern European cougars out on the prowl.) After a bit of begging—the things I’ll do for this website—I managed to get Janis to give us one last, final last send off post. Goodbye Janis, we hardly knew ye!

Hello my friends.

I am unfortunate very very sorrowful this day. Sorrowful and maybe a little with a headachings. If You have been watching Eurovision songgames semi-final 1 yesterday, You maybe are knowing that my motherland Latvia has not been making it to Eurovision songgames finals for to be on Saturday.

No, I am not very sorrowful. I am very OUTRAGE. Why for is motherlands like Albania with screaming of the chalk and also even Russian matryoshka Omas are making it to finals, but Latvia with good voice sounds and shiny dresses is not making it anywhere? EMBARRASSMENT AND DISHONOR! Yes yes I am for to know and understand Eurovision songgames is not complete seriousness, but I am not able but to help feeling upset at results of making votings. If You, my friends, could see my face, it is a face of frowning. Frowning and outrage. At least is some satisfying in knowledge that woki popo boys of Austria and San Marino with crazy eyes woman are also not for to perform in finals. That is what you are getting for being fail and horrid.

AND WHY FOR IS LATVIA NO MORE IN SONGGAMES! Outrage! Again! Oh, and if peoples of Europe are thinking Latvia is no good for Eurovision songgames, I will show just how good other motherland songs will also not be, oh yes, permit me to be showing You what semi-finals 2 results should be making because it is clear now anyone can be expert in making of big decisions for things such like songgames.

Serbia: I am sleeping already from piano. NO-VOTE.

FYR Macedonia: Is Cher without Sonny. NO-VOTE.

Netherlands: Too many birds have been being killed for fancy hats. NO-VOTE.

Malta: Is like Ross from show “Friends” but is having so few friends in video. Friends who did not make voting for Latvia. NO-VOTE.

Belarus: I am not needing to explain why for NO-VOTE.

Portugal: Oh look I am sleeping once more. NO-VOTE.

Ukraine: Should probably be winning Eurovision songgames 2012. But anyway NO-VOTE.

Bulgaria: Eurovision is no place for musical of high schools. NO-VOTE.

Slovenia: Overly many things on heads. NO-VOTE.

Croatia: Is only enough spaces in earth for one Celine Dion. NO-VOTE.

Sweden: Where for is her face and eyes and why for all the moving? NO-VOTE.

Georgia: Why for? No really, WHY FOR. NO-VOTE.

Turkey: Little boy is needing all instruments in Turkey for to make one song. Overachieve. NO-VOTE.

Estonia: Thank You for the pleasantries nap again. NO-VOTE.

Slovakia: What for in the naming of every thing what is holy. ALL NO-VOTES ALL TIMES.

Norway: Is preparation for culttimes? Will we be having for to drink juices? NO-VOTE.

Bosnia-Herzegovina: Why for is piano in metallurgy shop? NO-VOTE.

Lithuania: Oh good, Lithuania has been finding Michael Jackson replacer. What for is world coming to. NO-VOTE.

Eurovision songgames has been breaking my spirits and soul. And remainder of world is still not understanding Europe. Are we always still wondering why?

Thank You for listening, friends. I will perhaps be going and crying some time now.

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Yesterday, Academic Rossica announced that the winner of the 2012 Rossica Translators Award is John Elsworth for his translation of Andrei Bely’s Petersburg.

I was really pulling for Helen Anderson and Konstantin Gurevich and their new translation of The Golden Calf, in part because it’s one of our books (and my dream for 2012 is to win some sort of award, either personally or for the press), but also because they did a damn fine job on this retranslation and deserve massive amounts of praise.

James Rann, who is himself a translator of Russian poetry, made the announcement. Although I suspect that for the above linked article, they translated James’s speech from Russian or something—it’s a bit too stilted and repetitive. (This article is very confusing in that the below quote may actually be from Russian Ambassador to Britain, Alexander Yakovneko—the article doesn’t really make this clear.)

The translations were flawless. They were devoid of mistakes and preserved the spirit of the original. John Elsworth, who used to be a professor at the University of Manchester, translated the novel Petersburg by Andrei Bely for the Pushkin Press publishers. John Elsworth is an expert in Bely’s works. This translation is the result of years of literary work. Margaret Winchell translated The Cathedral Clergy by Nikolai Leskov. She works at the University of Illinois. Margaret decided to do the translation of The Cathedral Clergy after she attended a course of lectures on translation at University and met a Leskov expert there. Hugh Aplin translated The Village by Ivan Bunin. Hugh teaches Russian at Westminster College in London. He does a lot of translations. This year’s long list includes several of his other works. Robert Chandler translated The Road by Vasily Grossman. Chandler is a big name among English translators of Russian texts. He is particularly famous for his translations of Vasily Grossman. Last year the BBC launched a radio series on the basis of Grossman’s Life and Fate translated by Robert Chandler. Konstantin Gurevich and Helen Anderson who work at the University of Rochester Library in the US translated The Little Golden Calf by Ilf and Petrov.”

Congrats to John Elsworth and to all the finalists!

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The latest addition to our Reviews Section is a piece by Larissa Kyzer on Peter Adolphsen’s The Brummstein, which is translated from the Danish by Charlotte Barslund and available from AmazonCrossing.

Apparently, this is the week of Larissa and AmazonCrossing books . . . As with her review of The Hitman’s Guide to Housecleaning, this sounds like a really interesting book:

By examining the minute connections, unlikely coincidences, and painstaking natural processes that give shape to the daily world, the work of Danish author Peter Adolphsen encapsulates—both in form and content—Blake’s image of “a world in a grain of sand.” This has never been more literally true than in his most recently translated work, The Brummstein. Beginning in 1907, and ending over eighty years later, the novella follows a mysteriously humming stone found deep within a Swiss cave through its series of unlikely owners: a hapless German anarchist and his young Jewish sweetheart, a retired ticket clerk at a railway station lost & found, an orphan boy living alone in the woods, an avant-garde artist, and a museum curator. In following the ownership of the stone, The Brummstein also traces a crash course through European (German) history—in less than 80 pages, the reader experiences both World Wars, Spanish Flu, the rise of the Soviet GDR, and the fall of the Berlin Wall. But, rather than focus on a larger, more sweeping narrative, The Brummstein is told on a much more personal, human scale. [. . .]

But the book’s concern is not really the Brummstein—the mysterious humming stone that an amateur explorer looking for the entrance to another world finds at the beginning of the story is basically a MacGuffin. This has been true for many other “lives of objects” narratives as well—Jenny Erpenbach’s Visitation and Nicole Krauss’s Great House come to mind—and is not in itself that unique a premise. What makes The Brummstein special, then, is Adolphsen’s incredible specificity and gift for compressing deeply incisive observations into just a few short passages.

Click here to read the full piece.

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The people at Very Short List were kind enough to ask me to put together a special list featuring items related to World in Translation Month.

For anyone who doesn’t know, VSL started a few years ago with a very simple idea: every day subscribers would receive an email highlighting one cool and interesting thing. Could be a book, a website, a short video, whatever—just something interesting to check out. Over time, the site has evolved a bit, and the new format is based on having three links: one featured idea and two related things.

To see the email/feature in its colorful glory, simply click here.

The three things I chose to feature were the BTBA 2012 finalists, The Canvas, and this amazing Bill Johnston t-shirt.

Just to dwell on the Bill Johnston t-shirt for a minute, this is something that Kaija Straumanis designed as a way of honoring Bill—this year’s winner of the BTBA for his translation of Wieslaw Mysliwski’s Stone Upon Stone. The plan is to sell these through Archipelago’s site, and at the ALTA conference this fall. (And to make up t-shirts for other BTBA winners . . . )

Proceeds from sales of these shirts are being split among all worthy parties, so by buying this, not only will you be pimping one of the greatest translators working today, but you will be helping out Archipelago Books and Open Letter. And beyond that, it’s just totally rad.

Here’s the front graphic:

And here’s where you can buy it.

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Two Janis Stirna posts in one day! This is quite a treat! Anyway, he sent this in to me less than half an hour ago, with just enough time for me to get it online before the semi-finals kick off. Again, if you haven’t read his earlier pieces, you can find them here, here, and here. And I’ll be back with some more literary things in the very near future.

Hello again friends! I make this writing again quickfast for we are having fewer than 45 minutes before Eurovision songgames semi-finals 1!!! Are we all going to have funtimes together? We are starting for last six Eurovision motherlands contestants in semi-finals 1. Ready? Okay!

Denmark: Girl Captain is having a good singing time, and will maybe probably be having a place in Eurovision songgames finals. I am not to understanding for Girl Captain’s captain hat. Where is boat? Where is boat for to float away on trip to meet doppelgänger Sandi Thom of United Kingdom Englands?

Russia: Why for is all the Omas??! With Omas in area is NEVER party! No party for no one! Omas are for to making every peoples eating cold porridge and taking short sleep times in midday and wearing highsocks even in weather of sun and hot and sweat. Boom Boom Boom Russia how are you thinking! I am afraid for to say more or else Oma wrath will be happening oh yes. I am thinking no-vote for songgames finals, but maybe yes-vote for semi-finals.

Hungary: Something about sad times, maybe, but rich man has poor bum twin and… What? Hello? Oh, apologies, I have been falling asleep from having boredom.

Austria: All popos making woki? What is woki?! Austria boys are choosing most prostitution womens and placing of them in clothings that is not clothings. And having of poles for to dance onto. Is hard for to keep concentration when is so much lightings and colorings and woop woop wokitimes. Is like aggressive stripclubbings for boys who are not for to win at life. No-vote!

Moldova: Moldova is recycling old MTV times sets? And finding singer who is lovechild of Edward Norton and Colin Farrell? Jajaja! I am liking of the stomping and clubscene and music vibings. Is jiving and happening, man! Yes-votes more.

Ireland: Why for is Ireland bringing back little boys of obnoxious twinness? Is not same song of Eurovision songgames previous? Is just riding waves of silly sadness and hairs that are too much and parents who must be crying much all the nights and asking theirselves how late is too late for putting offsprings for to adoption. Have I to say it? NO.

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Today is the day of the first Eurovision semi-final! (Which you can watch live on the Eurovision.tv site.) To celebrate, we have a new post from Janis about six more contestants participating today. If you missed his earlier posts be sure and read his introduction to Eurovision and his take on the first six contestants. And for anyone still confused by the Eurovision love . . . Just go with it. The finals are Saturday, so this is the last week of laughing at these amazing videos. For now.

Hello my friends! It is Your friend Janis again—we are having very few times before it is starting of semi-finals 1 for Eurovision songgames!!! I am so very excite I cannot keep my days and minutes from jumblings into a melty pot of jumbliness! Also because we are having such few times before songgames semi-finals, I am having fewer times to write to You long introduction for my writings.

Oh but wait please—I must ask shortly if peoples are also seeing not so many yesvotes for songgames finals. Or am I only the one? It is cause for many upsets in my heart and brain and also sometimes of the stomach. Also I have been drinking grapewine. So friends I hope You will not be angered by my upsettings, but will take pleasantries and amusements in my following words! Let us continue and watch semi-finals 1 together Tuesday! See You there!

Switzerland: Switzerland is making songs of stereotype rock and robot positivity? HEI IS JEFF GOLDBLUM! He is for to sing with U2 songings and bangings of many robotic ninja secretaries? Oh yes Jeff, swim for dreams and make of the secretary bangings. You, Goldblum, with the dirty ninja songings. For you will not be banging anypersons in Eurovision songgames finals.

Belgium: How old is Belgium girl? Her skirtdress is much too little for her ages. Where is parentings of Belgium girl!? Put on longskirt, for to make grandmothers (and yes also myself) not so uncomfy. And what for is Belgium singer making so many squattings? Is exercise video for Eurovision songgames? Is commercial for blockage of intestinalization? Hei Belgium, I am having some news: any other SONG will do.

Finland: Watch out for sweeping currents dancer of rapid approachings!! She is making of the quickkicks and angry ninjahands. Oh now see, I am spending many seconds looking at smokes and ninjahands dancer and am already forgetting of Finland songgames contestant. Except for to know Finland dress is from rolling in green leaves of ferns. Or of peacocks. Oh Finland. No no no.

Israel: NO, PLEASE. More pleasant would be for to tip satan-hot water on arms when trying to make draining of pasta noodles with inadequate kitchen utensilry.

San Marino: San Marino is obvious making efforts for to be Serene Republic of Crappings? And of cyber sexing!? Perhaps more satisfactory is Serene Republic of WHORING. San Marino maybe is thinking Facebook social network IS internets. News for you, San Marino: IS NOT. IS NOT INTERNETS. ALSO, GAGGLING IS NO WORD ANYWHERE EVER.

Cyprus: is making copycatting of Belarus Dmitry Koldun of 2007, who was having fake guitarings but also horned witch woman in picturevideo, and is also sounding as every other clubsong in Europe. Ah, look, is hunter man for to make savings of the day! I am betting he is coming for to eat her apple—if you are knowing what I am telling.

Thank You friends, I will make a pause for a time and be returned with more Eurovision songgames writings in some hours! Let us watch together! Excite!

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The latest addition to our Reviews Section is a piece by Larissa Kyzer on Hallgrímur Helgason’s The Hitman’s Guide to Housecleaning, which AmazonCrossing brought out this past January.

It may be due to my Icelandic Crush, but of all the books AmazonCrossing has brought out so far, this is the one that most excites me. Here are a few really choice passages from Larissa’s review that back up my interest:

While The Hitman’s Guide has much to recommend it in terms of plotting, pacing, and characterization, it is particularly interesting on a more “meta” level as well. For one, since Toxic arrives in Iceland with little to no previous knowledge of the country and culture, the book acts as something of a crash course in Icelandic society and idiosyncrasies. Sometimes, his observations about Iceland are more factual: he learns that it was originally christened by Irish monks, that Iceland has no prostitutes, and that “the beer costs a bear.” In other cases, the observations are a little more (self-)mocking (“According to Icelandic house rules, you’re allowed to enter in your shoes if they cost more than two hundred dollars”), and a bit opaque for someone unfamiliar with say, Iceland’s satirical contestant in the 2006 Eurovision Song Contest. But however these cultural snippets are conveyed, upon finishing the novel, the reader comes away with a fairly strong, if somewhat slanted, sense of Reykjavík and Icelandic culture.

Another interesting feature is the author’s use of language. Hallgrímur originally wrote The Hitman’s Guide to Housecleaning in English rather than Icelandic, and has an almost playful approach to rhyme and description throughout the novel. Toxic refers to a contender for his girlfriend’s affections, an Italian mafioso, as “the Talian Mobthrob.” In another passage, he describes the late-setting sun: “At 10:33 the sun is still burning on the horizon like an orange lantern at an outdoor Chinese restaurant in Brooklyn.” The descriptions don’t always hit their mark—there are a few too many laboriously detailed passages about female anatomy, and sometimes the imagery borders on overwrought (“The Balkan animal, which is my soul, is always hungry for prey”), but overall, the prose and dialogue is fresh and expansive. There are also a host of phonetic jokes about Icelandic words and names that Toxic mishears and then renders into stilted English, making countless puns on street names around the capitol; Icelandic phrases are renamed into things like “Guard the Beer,” and Reykjavík’s famous Kaffibarinn becomes “Café Bahrain.”

You can read the entire review by clicking here.

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The finished copies of the four new Lispector translations—Near to the Wild Heart, A Breath of Life, The Passion According to G.H., and Agua Viva—and in addition to creating a picture of Lispector when you put the fronts together (click here to see what I’m talking about), if you flip the books over, you can create a second image of Lispector:

Beautiful. And reason #765 why you should buy—and READ—all four of these.

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This week’s podcast is a special Eurovision edition featuring resident Eurovision expert, Kaija Straumanis. We go through a bunch of the videos/songs participating in this year’s competition and make fun of almost everything while also trying to come to understand why Eurovision is so compelling in its bizarreness. To follow along with our comments, I highly recommend watching the videos below as you listen to the podcast—it will greatly enhance your listening experience.

And for more info on what Eurovision is and how it works, check out the posts by our other resident Eurovision expert Janis Stirna.

Opening music: “Running Scared” by Ell/Nikki (Azerbaijan)

“Woki Mit Deim Popo” by Trackshittaz (Austria)

“Love Will Set You Free” by Engelbert Humperdinck (United Kingdom)

“Party for Everybody” by Buranovskiye Babushki (Russia)

“Don’t Close Your Eyes” by Max Jason Mai (Slovakia)

“The Social Network Song” by Valentina Monetta (San Marino)

“Euphoria” by Loreen (Sweden)

“I’m a Joker” by Anri Jokhadze (Georgia)

“You and Me” by Joan (The Netherlands)

“Lăutar” by Pasha Parfeny

“Be My Guest” by Gaitana

Outro Music: “Beautiful Song” by Anmary

As always you can subscribe to the podcast in iTunes by clicking here. To subscribe with other podcast downloading software, such as Google’s Listen, copy the following link.

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The latest addition to our Reviews Section is a piece by Aleksandra Fazlipour on Carlos Gamerro’s An Open Secret, which is translated from the Spanish by Ian Barnett and available from Pushkin Press.

Aleksandra Fazlipour is the student I introduced last week who just completed a semester long independent study on writing reviews. After this, I think we only have 4 more reviews of hers to run . . .

I actually met Carlos Gamerro when I was in Buenos Aires on an (AWESOME) editorial trip a few years back. He’s an incredibly interesting guy and writer, and actually contributed to Three Percent. His novel The Islands is coming out from And Other Stories this month.

Here’s the opening of Aleksandra’s review:

In An Open Secret, author Carlos Gamerro, a native to Argentina, weaves together a complex murder mystery that explores how the death of a single man both affects and implicates an entire community. Twenty years after left-wing journalist Dario Ezcurra vanished from the small town Malihuel during Argentina’s Dirty War (a time during which thousands of political dissidents were murdered, their bodies disposed of and never found again), Fefe shows up under the pretense of writing a fictional account of Ezcurra’s disappearance. Fefe is no stranger to Malihuel—the grandson of the town’s former major, he spent his childhood summers there.

Through a series of interviews with the townspeople, Fefe reveals the complicity of the entire town in Ezcurra’s murder and subsequent disappearance. Ezcurra had a reputation as an arrogant philanderer, which led to a strange bet between the Colonel and the Superintendent. In possession of an unwavering and idealistic faith in humanity, the Superintendent asserted that the townspeople would refuse to be complicit in Ezcurra’s murder, despite any personal grudges. However, when the Superintendent talked to families around town, the people did not voice any dissent. Although the police chief was directly responsible for Ezcurra’s murder, anyone could have saved him by speaking out. Their resentment against the philandering journalist and their fear of facing a similar fate decided the outcome of the bet.

Click here to read the full review.

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