National Poetry Series goes International

The National Poetry Series, which until now has published 5 works of poetry by unpublished American poets every year since 1978, has announced The Robert Fagles Translation Prize, which will be “given annually to a translator who has shown exceptional skill in the translation of contemporary international poetry into English.”

The first book will be published by FSG. Here’s the release:

The National Poetry Series is pleased to announce that Farrar, Straus and Giroux will publish the first collection of poems in translation to win The Robert Fagles Translation Prize. Ex-Poet Laureate Robert Hass will be the first judge for this competition. The winning book and translator will be announced in the fall of 2007 and the book will be published in the fall of 2008.

Poetry has always been center-stage at FSG, with an international stable of poets that includes Robert Lowell, Elizabeth Bishop, Les Murray, Ted Hughes, Derek Walcott, and Seamus Heaney. FSG President and Publisher Jonathan Galassi says, “This is an exciting new undertaking and we’re proud to be part of it. Publishing translation in all genres is an essential aspect of our mission as publishers, and this program is particularly commendable for calling attention to the outstanding, selfless work being done by dedicated translators.”

The National Poetry Series established the Robert Fagles Translation Prize in 2007. This award will be given annually to a translator who has shown exceptional skill in the translation of contemporary international poetry into English. Nominations are received in conjunction with the PEN Translation Fund / The Center for Literary Translation at Columbia University and from a select group of advisors. Director of NPS Daniel Halpern says, “Isolationism in literature is no more an asset than it is in U.S. politics. We are part of a world culture and we need to hear what others are saying; The Robert Fagles Translation prize has been established to make those conversations understandable to American readers.”

Robert Fagles is a distinguished translator of Greek classics, and was recently awarded the National Humanities Medal by the President of the United States. He is celebrated for his popular translations of Homer’s “The Iliad” and “The Odyssey,” Sophocles’ “The Three Theban Plays” and Aeschylus’ “The Oresteia,” which have sold more than 2 million copies. Fagles serves as the Arthur Marks ’19 Professor of Comparative Literature Emeritus at Princeton University.

The National Poetry Series was established in 1978 to ensure the publication of five poetry books annually through participating publishers.

For more information, please contact:
The Coordinator, The National Poetry Series,
57 Mountain Avenue, Princeton, NJ 08540
Phone: 609.430.0999 Fax: 609.430.9933