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Michael Hofmann

マイケル・ホフマン

Michael Hofmann

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1957-08-25 （Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany）
Nationality
Germany
Languages
German, English
Residence History
Bristol → Edinburgh → Hamburg → Gainesville, Florida, USA

Career

Occupations
poet, translator, literary critic, university lecturer
Active Years
1983-
Affiliations
University of Florida (faculty), University of Michigan (visiting professor), Rutgers University (visiting professor), The New School (visiting professor), Barnard College (visiting professor), Columbia University (visiting professor)
Memberships
Royal Society of Literature
Influenced By
Gert Hofmann, Joseph Roth, Franz Kafka, Herta Müller

Education

Winchester College
Degree: 中等教育（在学）
Period: 1960年代–1970年代
Country: United Kingdom
Magdalene College, University of Cambridge
English Literature and Classics / English Literature and Classics
Degree: BA
Period: 1976–1979
Year of Graduation: 1979
Country: United Kingdom
Graduated BA 1979
University of Regensburg
Period: 1980年代初期（大学院研究）
Country: Germany
Postgraduate study; degree information not specified
Trinity College, University of Cambridge
Period: 1980年代初期（大学院研究）
Country: United Kingdom
Postgraduate study; degree information not specified

Awards

Cholmondeley Award
1984
Work: Nights in the Iron Hotel
Organization: The Society of Authors
Result: 受賞
Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize
1988
Work: Acrimony
Organization: Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize
Result: 受賞
Schlegel-Tieck Prize
1988
Work: Der Kontrabaß (The Double Bass)
Category: 翻訳
Organization: The Society of Authors (translation)
Result: 受賞
Schlegel-Tieck Prize
1993
Work: Death in Rome
Category: 翻訳
Organization: The Society of Authors (translation)
Result: 受賞
Independent Foreign Fiction Prize
1995
Work: The Film Explainer (translation of his father's novel)
Organization: Independent Foreign Fiction Prize
Result: 受賞
Arts Council Writer's Award
1997
Work: Approximately Nowhere
Organization: Arts Council England
Result: 受賞
International Dublin Literary Award
1998
Work: The Land of Green Plums (translation of Herta Müller)
Organization: International Dublin Literary Award
Result: 受賞
PEN/Book-of-the-Month Club Translation Prize
1999
Work: The String of Pearls (translation of Joseph Roth)
Organization: PEN American Center
Result: 受賞
Helen and Kurt Wolff Translator's Prize
2000
Work: Rebellion (translation of Joseph Roth)
Category: 翻訳
Organization: Helen and Kurt Wolff Translator's Prize
Result: 受賞
Schlegel-Tieck Prize
2003
Work: Luck (translation of Gert Hofmann)
Category: 翻訳
Organization: The Society of Authors (translation)
Result: 受賞
Oxford-Weidenfeld Translation Prize
2004
Work: Storm of Steel (translation of Ernst Jünger)
Category: 翻訳
Organization: Oxford-Weidenfeld Translation Prize
Result: 受賞
Schlegel-Tieck Prize
2005
Work: The Stalin Organ (translation of Gert Ledig)
Category: 翻訳
Organization: The Society of Authors (translation)
Result: 受賞
Griffin Poetry Prize (shortlist)
2006
Work: Ashes for Breakfast (translation of Durs Grünbein)
Category: 翻訳
Organization: The Griffin Trust for Excellence in Poetry
Result: 最終候補
Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature (FRSL)
2023
Organization: Royal Society of Literature
Result: 選出
International Booker Prize
2024
Work: Kairos (translation of Jenny Erpenbeck)
Category: 翻訳
Organization: International Booker Prize
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Nights in the Iron Hotel

1984 poetry

Early collection of poems exploring memory and language.

memorylanguageself

Acrimony

1986 poetry

A collection of poems noted for its sharp, critical tone.

critiqueconflictbitterness

Approximately Nowhere

1999 poetry

A mature poetry collection using imagery and fragmentary narration.

fragmentsjourneyexistence

One Lark, One Horse

2018 poetry

A later collection showing a more introspective voice.

ageintrospectiontime

Messing About in Boats

2021 essays/memoir

Essays and reminiscences revolving around experiences on the water.

memorynaturetravel

Bibliography

  • Nights in the Iron Hotel (1984)
  • Acrimony (1986)
  • Approximately Nowhere (1999)
  • Behind the Lines (2002)
  • Where Have You Been? (2014)
  • One Lark, One Horse (2018)
  • Messing About in Boats (2021)

Translations by Author

  • Translations of Franz Kafka
  • Translations of Joseph Roth
  • Translations of Herta Müller
  • Translations of Ernst Jünger
  • Translations of Jenny Erpenbeck

Translations of Works

  • The Land of Green Plums (Herta Müller) — English translation
  • Kairos (Jenny Erpenbeck) — English translation
  • Storm of Steel (Ernst Jünger) — English translation
  • The String of Pearls (Joseph Roth) — English translation

Style & Themes

Literary Style
clarity and austerity in prose/poetryacerbic critical voicefaithful, rhythm-conscious approach to translation
Recurring Motifs
memory and historylanguage and translatabilityloneliness and displacement

Legacy

Internationally acclaimed poet, translator and critic working across German and English. Considered one of the most influential translators from German into English, winner of multiple translation prizes, and influential as a teacher.

Academic Societies

  • Royal Society of Literature

Quotes

  • "Arguably the world's most influential translator of German into English," (The Guardian)
    Source: The Guardian (profile by Philip Oltermann) (2016)

Trivia

  • Son of novelist Gert Hofmann.
  • Splits time between Hamburg and Gainesville, Florida.
  • Has two sons (Max and Jakob).