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Vincent Kling

ヴィンセント・クリング

Vincent Kling

Profile

Gender
Male
Nationality
United States
Languages
English, German (reading/translation)
Residence History
Philadelphia, United States → Göttingen, Germany → Vienna, Austria

Career

Occupations
scholar, translator, university professor
Active Years
1990-
Affiliations
La Salle University (faculty), University of Vienna (visiting scholar/teacher)
Influenced By
W. G. Sebald, Heimito von Doderer, Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Aglaja Veteranyi, Gert Jonke, Anthony Hecht

Education

La Salle University
Degree: BA
Country: United States
Undergraduate studies completed
University of Pennsylvania
Degree: MA
Country: United States
Graduate-level studies
Temple University
Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
Degree: PhD
Country: United States
PhD thesis based on the works of Hugo von Hofmannsthal
Georg-August-Universität Göttingen
Period: 滞在期間不明
Country: Germany
Research visit (exchange/short-term)
University of Vienna (Fulbright scholarship)
Period: 滞在期間不明
Country: Austria
Research/teaching activity under a Fulbright scholarship

Awards

Schlegel-Tieck Prize
Work: Why the Child Is Cooking in the Polenta (translation of Aglaja Veteranyi)
Organization: Schlegel-Tieck Prize
Result: 受賞
Helen and Kurt Wolff Translator's Prize
2022
Work: The Strudlhof Steps (translation of Heimito von Doderer) — NYRB Classics
Organization: Goethe-Institut / Helen & Kurt Wolff Prize
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The Strudlhof Steps (translation)

novel (translation)

One of Heimito von Doderer's major works. Through multiple perspectives and the urban landscape of Vienna, it explores memory and interpersonal relations. Kling produced an English translation published in the NYRB Classics series.

memorycity (Vienna)history and the individual
Translations
  • English translation (NYRB Classics)

Why the Child Is Cooking in the Polenta (translation)

novel (autobiographical elements)

An English translation of Aglaja Veteranyi's work. The book recounts childhood, family, and traumatic experiences in a distinctive voice. Kling's translation was critically acclaimed and received the Schlegel-Tieck Prize.

childhoodtraumamigration and identity
Translations
  • English translation

The System of Vienna: From Heaven Street to Earth Mound Square (translation)

literary (experimental/poetic)

An English translation of works by Gert Jonke. A poetic and experimental set of texts centered on Vienna; Kling sought to render Jonke's challenging stylistic features into English.

Viennaexperimental literaturememory and space
Translations
  • English translation

Bibliography

  • The Strudlhof Steps — English translation (NYRB Classics)
  • Why the Child Is Cooking in the Polenta — English translation (Aglaja Veteranyi)
  • The System of Vienna — English translation (Gert Jonke)
  • Scholarly articles and essays (Austrian literature, Hofmannsthal studies, etc.)

Translations by Author

  • German to English translations (major works)

Translations of Works

  • English translations (NYRB Classics and others)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
A tendency toward faithful rendering that honors the poetic and experimental aspects of the source textCareful diction aiming to reproduce the rhythm and tone of the original
Recurring Motifs
memory and recollectionspatiality of cities (especially Vienna)intersection of personal and larger histories

Legacy

Vincent Kling is recognized as a translator and scholar of German-language literature who has contributed to making Austrian literature accessible to English-speaking audiences. His translations have been honored by specialist journals and awards.

Academic Societies

  • Austrian Studies Association (or related scholarly societies)

Trivia

  • Held a Fulbright scholarship and spent time at the University of Vienna.
  • Has won the Schlegel-Tieck Prize and the Helen & Kurt Wolff Translator's Prize for translations from German.
  • Based his doctoral dissertation on the works of Hugo von Hofmannsthal.