Tres tristes tigres: Spanish Prose/Poetry Translation Workshop

Thursdays from 5:30-7:30
May 7th – June 11th
6 classes
$125 class fee includes all materials

Contact Vanessa with any questions: BrewsterV@gcc.mass.edu

Translation is a constant battle between spirit and accuracy. Each week, this class will explore the value of both.  Writers will prepare translations from one identical poem or short work for the following week. Each class will begin with a discussion of the original piece and continue with workshops and critiques. While the original materials are from Spain, South and Central America, fluency in Spanish is not necessary and anyone with an interest in translation is encouraged to sign up.  Workshops will focus on how to translate cultural norms, rhymes, innuendo, etc., into English. 

Material may include: Federico Lorca, Alfonsina Storni, Gabriela Mistral, Pablo Neruda, or Victoria Parra.  Writers will also workshop alternate translations for the last class. Additional reading will include biographies, articles and/or essays. 

Vanessa Brewster is working on her Masters in Spanish Literature at Middlebury College and teaching at GCC.   She is currently translating a collection of short stories by Horacio Quiroga. She is a recipient of The Elizabeth Drew Fiction Prize, The Elizabeth Babcock Poetry Prize and the Tryon Prize for Writing from the Smith College Museum of Art.