Willis Barnstone Translation Prize
1 appearances
-
Edition 4 (2005) Winner
Niloufar Talebi
ニルーファル・タレビ
Niloufar Talebi
Profile
- Gender
- Female
- Born
- London, England
- Nationality
- Iranian, British
- Languages
- English, Persian (Farsi)
- Residence History
- London (birthplace) → California, USA (education and professional activity) → San Francisco Bay Area (professional base)
Career
- Occupations
- Author, Librettist, Literary translator, Multidisciplinary artist, Producer
- Active Years
- 2004-
- Affiliations
- Omi International Arts Center (Ledig House), Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts, American Lyric Theater (Composer/Librettist Development Program), Washington National Opera (American Opera Initiative), The Stone / Visionintoart, Niloufar Talebi Projects (producer/production company)
- Influenced By
- Ahmad Shamlou
- Nominations
- Nomination for the Northern California Book Awards (translation category) for Belonging (2008)
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of California, Irvine | Comparative Literature | Comparative Literature | BA (Bachelor of Arts) | — | United States |
| Bennington College | Writing Seminars | Writing Seminars | MFA (Master of Fine Arts) | — | United States |
| Shelton Studios | — | Method Acting | — | — | United States |
University of California, Irvine
Comparative Literature
/ Comparative Literature
Degree:
BA (Bachelor of Arts)
Country:
United States
Studied Performance Art at UCI
Bennington College
Writing Seminars
/ Writing Seminars
Degree:
MFA (Master of Fine Arts)
Country:
United States
MFA from Bennington College Writing Seminars (year not specified)
Shelton Studios
Method Acting
Country:
United States
Studied Method Acting
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Fulbright U.S. Scholar | — | — | Fulbright Program | 受賞 |
| 2018 | National Endowment for the Arts Opera Grant | Opera grant in partnership with the Young Women's Chorus of San Francisco | — | National Endowment for the Arts | 受賞 |
| 2017 | California Arts Council Grant | — | — | California Arts Council | 受賞 |
| 2017 | New Music USA grant | — | — | New Music USA | 受賞 |
| 2017 | San Francisco Arts Commission Individual Artist Commission | — | — | San Francisco Arts Commission | 受賞 |
| 2016 | Creative Work Fund grant | — | — | Creative Work Fund | 受賞 |
| 2015 | NEA Literature Translation Fellowship | Translations of Ahmad Shamlou's poems | — | National Endowment for the Arts | 受賞 |
| 2015 | San Francisco Arts Commission Individual Artist Commission | — | — | San Francisco Arts Commission | 受賞 |
| 2014 | San Francisco Arts Commission Individual Artist Commission | — | — | San Francisco Arts Commission | 受賞 |
| 2006 | Willis Barnstone Translation Prize | — | — | Willis Barnstone Translation Prize | 受賞 |
| 2006 | PEN American Center / New York State Council on the Arts Anthology Grant | — | — | PEN American Center / New York State Council on the Arts | 受賞 |
| 2005 | American Literary Translators Association Fellowship | — | — | American Literary Translators Association | 受賞 |
| 2004 | International Center for Writing and Translation (residency) | — | — | International Center for Writing and Translation | 受賞 |
| 2008 | Northern California Book Awards (nomination) | Belonging: New Poetry by Iranians Around the World (edited/translated) | — | Northern California Book Reviewers | ノミネート |
Fulbright U.S. Scholar
2021
Organization:
Fulbright Program
Result:
受賞
National Endowment for the Arts Opera Grant
2018
Work:
Opera grant in partnership with the Young Women's Chorus of San Francisco
Organization:
National Endowment for the Arts
Result:
受賞
California Arts Council Grant
2017
Organization:
California Arts Council
Result:
受賞
New Music USA grant
2017
Organization:
New Music USA
Result:
受賞
San Francisco Arts Commission Individual Artist Commission
2017
Organization:
San Francisco Arts Commission
Result:
受賞
Creative Work Fund grant
2016
Organization:
Creative Work Fund
Result:
受賞
NEA Literature Translation Fellowship
2015
Work:
Translations of Ahmad Shamlou's poems
Organization:
National Endowment for the Arts
Result:
受賞
San Francisco Arts Commission Individual Artist Commission
2015
Organization:
San Francisco Arts Commission
Result:
受賞
San Francisco Arts Commission Individual Artist Commission
2014
Organization:
San Francisco Arts Commission
Result:
受賞
Willis Barnstone Translation Prize
2006
Organization:
Willis Barnstone Translation Prize
Result:
受賞
PEN American Center / New York State Council on the Arts Anthology Grant
2006
Organization:
PEN American Center / New York State Council on the Arts
Result:
受賞
American Literary Translators Association Fellowship
2005
Organization:
American Literary Translators Association
Result:
受賞
International Center for Writing and Translation (residency)
2004
Organization:
International Center for Writing and Translation
Result:
受賞
Northern California Book Awards (nomination)
2008
Work:
Belonging: New Poetry by Iranians Around the World (edited/translated)
Organization:
Northern California Book Reviewers
Result:
ノミネート
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Belonging: New Poetry by Iranians Around the World
2008 Anthology (poetry, edited and translated)An anthology edited and translated by Niloufar Talebi, featuring 18 contemporary Iranian poets living outside Iran since the 1979 revolution; collects diasporic voices and migration-era poetry.
DiasporaMigrationIdentityMemory
Four Springs
2004 Multimedia theatrical performanceA multimedia theatrical performance dramatizing ten poems from Belonging; combined recitation with music, dance, and video; presented at venues such as ODC Theater and the Mexican Heritage Plaza.
Stories of migrationCultural memoryIntersection of poetry and performance
Midnight Approaches
2006 DVD / video-poemsA DVD collection of short video-poems, including footage from Four Springs; selections screened at international festivals.
VideopoetryMemoryExperimental expression
ICARUS/RISE
2007 Multimedia stage workA one-hour multimedia stage piece weaving 17 poems to tell a thirty-year story of Iranian migration; premiered in 2007 and made available as an edited DVD for streaming.
Migration historyDiasporaPersonal and collective memory
Adaptations
- [DVD / Streaming] ICARUS/RISE (edited DVD) / Niloufar Talebi / Alex Ketley (video) (2007)
The Persian Rite of Spring: the story of Nowruz
2010 Multimedia performanceA 35-minute multimedia performance bringing to life the mythology, poetry, music and folklore of Nowruz; world premiered at LACMA in 2010 and later edited into a DVD.
Tradition and ritualSeasonal ritesFolklore and renewal
Adaptations
- [DVD / Streaming] The Persian Rite of Spring (edited DVD) / Niloufar Talebi / Bobak Salehi (music, video) (2010)
Ātash Sorushān (Fire Angels)
2011 Song cycle / librettoLibretto for a song cycle written with composer Mark Grey reflecting on the decade since 9/11; chamber version premiered at Carnegie Hall in 2011 and an expanded orchestral version premiered with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra in 2014.
LossMemoryAftermath of 9/11
The Disinherited
2014 One-act opera (libretto)Libretto for a one-act opera composed by Clarice Assad, set in 1983 Tehran during the Iran–Iraq War; explores family secrets and the fate of a young boy. Workshop performed in 2014.
Effects of warFamily secretsComing of age and sacrifice
The Investment
2014 One-act opera (libretto)Libretto for a one-act opera composed by John Liberatore set in Silicon Valley; commissioned by the Washington National Opera's American Opera Initiative and premiered at the Kennedy Center in 2014.
Contemporary societyTechnology and ethicsUrban narratives
The Plentiful Peach
2015 Children's adaptation (music/stage)An adaptation of Samad Behrangi's children's story for choir and music; world premiered at Stanford University's Bing Theater in 2015 and performed on tour by the Los Angeles Children's Chorus.
Reinterpretation of folktaleCommunityChildhood perspective
Epiphany
2015 Immersive requiem (performance)An immersive requiem inspired by the Latin Mass and the Tibetan Book of the Dead, created with Paola Prestini and others; premiered at BAM Next Wave Festival in 2015.
Ritual and mortalityReligious symbolismImmersive sound and space
Vis & I
2017 Novel (translation)An English translation by Niloufar Talebi of Farideh Razi's novel Vis & I (l'Aleph, 2017); the translation brings the voice and concerns of Iranian women's writing to an international audience.
Female subjectivityCultural traditionEpic narrative
Abraham in Flames
2019 Opera (70-minute, one-act)A 70-minute immersive one-act opera conceived by Talebi inspired by the life and writings of Iranian poet Ahmad Shamlou; created with composer Aleksandra Vrebalov and director Roy Rallo, premiered at Z Space in San Francisco in 2019; features a girls' chorus as the main character.
Poetry and legacyMemory and inheritanceCultural trauma
Self-Portrait in Bloom
2019 Hybrid memoir (fragments of prose, poetry, photography, and translation)A lyrical hybrid memoir combining prose fragments, poetry, and photographs; includes Talebi's English translations of 30 poems by Ahmad Shamlou and explores personal history, Tehran, and the role of translation in cultural visibility.
Personal memoryTranslation and visibilityRegeneration after trauma
Adaptations
- [Opera (companion work)] Abraham in Flames (companion opera) / Aleksandra Vrebalov (composer) / Roy Rallo (director) (2019)
Bibliography
- Belonging: New Poetry by Iranians Around the World (editor/translator, North Atlantic Books, 2008)
- Midnight Approaches (DVD, 2006)
- ICARUS/RISE (performance; edited DVD, 2007)
- The Persian Rite of Spring: the story of Nowruz (performance; DVD, 2010)
- Ātash Sorushān (Fire Angels) (libretto, 2011/2014)
- Vis & I (by Farideh Razi; translated into English by Niloufar Talebi, l'Aleph, 2017)
- Self-Portrait in Bloom (hybrid memoir, l'Aleph, 2019)
- Selected essays and articles (Los Angeles Review of Books, San Francisco Classical Voice, etc.)
- Contributions and edited pieces (e.g., contributor to The Book of Tehran)
Adaptations
- ICARUS/RISE (edited DVD, available via Vimeo On Demand)
- The Persian Rite of Spring (edited DVD)
- Ahmad Shamlou videopoems (e.g. "Funeral Address", 2020 release)
Translations by Author
- Vis & I (translation of Farideh Razi into English, 2017)
- Translations of 30 Ahmad Shamlou poems (included in Self-Portrait in Bloom)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Hybrid style combining fragmentary poetic prose and poetryEssayistic approach blending translation and personal memoirMultimedia approach that incorporates theatrical and visual elements
- Recurring Motifs
- Diaspora and migration experienceMemory and inheritance of traumaReminiscence of Tehran/IranTranslation as cultural visibilityFemale perspectives and voices
Legacy
Niloufar Talebi has introduced Persian-language poetry to anglophone audiences through translations, publications and staged works. Her translations of Ahmad Shamlou and hybrid projects that cross memoir and opera have contributed to visibility of translation and the memory of diaspora.
In Popular Culture
- Works presented at major venues such as Carnegie Hall and LACMA
- Performed at festivals like the BAM Next Wave Festival (Brooklyn Academy of Music)
Quotes
-
“Brilliant writers can have brilliant debuts…”
Source: Amy Tan (comment on Self-Portrait in Bloom) (2019) -
“A hybrid wonder”
Source: The Rumpus (review of Self-Portrait in Bloom) (2019)
Trivia
- Born in London to Iranian parents.
- Her English translations of Ahmad Shamlou were selected for an NEA Literature Translation Fellowship in 2014.
- Delivered a TEDx talk at UC Berkeley on March 9, 2019 titled "On Making Beauty After Agony."
- The opera Abraham in Flames (premiered 2019 at Z Space) received critical acclaim; its lighting designer was shortlisted for the Knight of Illumination Awards USA (2019).
- Awarded a Fulbright U.S. Scholar appointment for 2021–2022.