PEN Translation Prize
1 appearances
-
Edition 38 (1998) Winner
Peter Constantine
ピーター・コンスタンティン
Pītā Konsutantīn
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1963 （London, England）
- Nationality
- American, British
- Languages
- English, German, Russian, French, Modern Greek, Ancient Greek, Italian, Albanian, Dutch, Slovene
- Residence History
- Athens, Greece (childhood–youth) → United States (since 1983)
Career
- Occupations
- Literary translator, Author, Editor
- Active Years
- 1990-
- Influenced By
- Thomas Mann, Anton Chekhov, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Isaac Babel
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | PEN/Book-of-the-Month Club Translation Prize | Thomas Mann: Six Early Stories (translation) | — | PEN American Center | 受賞 |
| 1999 | National Translation Award | The Undiscovered Chekhov: Thirty-Eight New Stories (translation) | — | American Literary Translators Association | 受賞 |
| 2002 | Koret Jewish Book Award | The Complete Works of Isaac Babel (editor/translation) | — | Koret Foundation | 受賞 |
| 2002 | National Jewish Book Award (citation) | The Complete Works of Isaac Babel (editor/translation) | — | National Jewish Book Council | 引用（citation） |
| 2005 | Hellenic Association of Translators of Literature Prize | Mother by Stylianos Harkianakis (translation) | — | Hellenic Association of Translators of Literature | 受賞 |
| 2007 | Helen and Kurt Wolff Translator's Prize | The Bird Is a Raven by Benjamin Lebert (translation) | — | Goethe-Institut (sponsor) | 受賞 |
| 2016 | Honorary Doctorate (Doctor of Humane Letters) | — | — | University of Connecticut | 授与 |
PEN/Book-of-the-Month Club Translation Prize
1998
Work:
Thomas Mann: Six Early Stories (translation)
Organization:
PEN American Center
Result:
受賞
National Translation Award
1999
Work:
The Undiscovered Chekhov: Thirty-Eight New Stories (translation)
Organization:
American Literary Translators Association
Result:
受賞
Koret Jewish Book Award
2002
Work:
The Complete Works of Isaac Babel (editor/translation)
Organization:
Koret Foundation
Result:
受賞
National Jewish Book Award (citation)
2002
Work:
The Complete Works of Isaac Babel (editor/translation)
Organization:
National Jewish Book Council
Result:
引用（citation）
Hellenic Association of Translators of Literature Prize
2005
Work:
Mother by Stylianos Harkianakis (translation)
Organization:
Hellenic Association of Translators of Literature
Result:
受賞
Helen and Kurt Wolff Translator's Prize
2007
Work:
The Bird Is a Raven by Benjamin Lebert (translation)
Organization:
Goethe-Institut (sponsor)
Result:
受賞
Honorary Doctorate (Doctor of Humane Letters)
2016
Organization:
University of Connecticut
Result:
授与
Awards & Nominations
Helen and Kurt Wolff Translator's Prize
1 appearances
-
Edition 12 (2007) Winner
Works
Major Works
Thomas Mann: Six Early Stories
1997 Literary translation (short stories)A translation of Thomas Mann's early short stories, carefully rendering the themes and stylistic nuances of Mann's early work into English.
human psychologysocial critiqueearly modernism
The Undiscovered Chekhov
1998 Literary translation (short stories)A collection translating lesser-known short stories by Chekhov into English, emphasizing the author's humor and subtle psychological portraits.
Russian societyhuman solitudehumor and pathos
The Complete Works of Isaac Babel
2002 Edited volume & translation (short stories, cycles)A definitive edited volume presenting Babel's short stories and cycles in English; praised and recipient of multiple awards.
war and violenceJewish experiencecity and military
The Bird Is a Raven
2006 Literary translation (novel)A translation of Benjamin Lebert's novel, vividly rendering contemporary youth emotions and behavior into English.
coming of ageidentityadolescent turmoil
Bibliography
- Japanese Street Slang (1992)
- Japanese Slang: Uncensored (1994)
- Thomas Mann: Six Early Stories (1997, translation)
- The Undiscovered Chekhov (1998–2001, various editions)
- The Complete Works of Isaac Babel (2002, editor/translation)
- The Bird Is a Raven (2006, translation)
- The Essential Writings of Machiavelli (2007, translation)
Adaptations
- Stage translations: Chekhov and others (since 1998)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- faithful rendering of original voice and tonecareful reproduction of classical and modern narrative voicesattentive to cross-linguistic nuance
- Recurring Motifs
- interest in language itselfrecreation of the author's voicebridging cultures
Legacy
Peter Constantine is an internationally recognized literary translator known for translating from many languages and for his meticulous attention to original voice and tone. He has notable work as an editor and stage translator and is an important figure in the field of translation.
Quotes
-
I have always been interested in language in all its aspects. Working with master linguists such as Thomas Mann, Chekhov, Dostoevsky, and Babel has been particularly rewarding for me, since these writers push language to an extreme, and the translator has to vigorously mold the translation in order to try to recreate their effects.
Source: Contemporary Authors (biographical entry, 2007) (2007)
Trivia
- Born in London in 1963; mother Austrian, father British of Turkish and Greek descent.
- Grew up in Athens and moved to the United States in 1983.
- Specializes in literary translation from many languages; also active as an editor and stage translator.
- Received an honorary doctorate from the University of Connecticut in 2016.