PEN Translation Prize
2 appearances
-
Edition 22 (1984) Winner
-
Edition 30 (1990) Winner
William Weaver
ウィリアム・ウィーバー
Wiriamu Wīhā
Aliases:
William Fense Weaver
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1923-07-24 （Virginia）
- Died
- 2013-11-12 （Rhinebeck, New York） age 90
- Nationality
- United States
- Languages
- English, Italian
- Residence History
- Rome, Italy → New York, USA
Career
- Occupations
- Translator, Professor of literature, Opera commentator
- Active Years
- 1950-2013
- Affiliations
- Bard College
- Memberships
- Member, American Academy of Arts and Letters
- Influenced By
- Elsa Morante, Alberto Moravia
- Influenced
- Geoffrey Brock
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Princeton University | — | — | B.A. | — | United States |
| Sapienza University of Rome | — | — | — | 1949年（大学院研究） | Italy |
Princeton University
Degree:
B.A.
Year of Graduation:
1946
Country:
United States
summa cum laude
Sapienza University of Rome
Period:
1949年（大学院研究）
Year of Graduation:
1949
Country:
Italy
postgraduate study
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | National Book Award (Translation) | Cosmicomics | Translation | National Book Foundation | 受賞 |
| 1984 | PEN/Book-of-the-Month Club Translation Prize | The Name of the Rose | — | PEN America | 受賞 |
| 1990 | PEN/Book-of-the-Month Club Translation Prize | Foucault's Pendulum | — | PEN America | 受賞 |
| 1991 | PEN/Ralph Manheim Medal for Translation | Lifetime achievement | — | PEN America | 受賞 |
National Book Award (Translation)
1969
Work:
Cosmicomics
Category:
Translation
Organization:
National Book Foundation
Result:
受賞
PEN/Book-of-the-Month Club Translation Prize
1984
Work:
The Name of the Rose
Organization:
PEN America
Result:
受賞
PEN/Book-of-the-Month Club Translation Prize
1990
Work:
Foucault's Pendulum
Organization:
PEN America
Result:
受賞
PEN/Ralph Manheim Medal for Translation
1991
Work:
Lifetime achievement
Organization:
PEN America
Result:
受賞
Awards & Nominations
PEN/Ralph Manheim Medal for Translation
1 appearances
-
Edition 4 (1991) Winner
Works
Major Works
The Name of the Rose (trans. Umberto Eco)
1980 Historical mystery novel 500 pagesA 14th-century Benedictine monastery in Italy is the setting for a series of murders investigated by William of Baskerville. Weaver's translation is highly acclaimed.
Faith and ReasonMurderBooks
Adaptations
- [Film] The Name of the Rose / Jean-Jacques Annaud (1986)
Invisible Cities (trans. Italo Calvino)
1972 Fantasy novel 165 pagesImaginary cities described by Marco Polo to Kublai Khan.
CitiesImaginationReality
Duse: A Biography
1984 Biography 350 pagesBiography of Italian actress Eleonora Duse.
TheaterWomenItalian culture
Bibliography
- Cosmicomics
- The Name of the Rose
- Foucault's Pendulum
- Invisible Cities
- Duse: A Biography
Translations by Author
- Numerous Italian works translated to English
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Pursuing cadence and rhythm of the originalNatural and fluid English
- Recurring Motifs
- Nuances of Italian culture
Health
-
Serious illness晩年（2000年代）Too ill to translate Umberto Eco's The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana
Legacy
Influential translator who brought modern Italian literature to English readers, notably works by Calvino, Eco, and Levi. Won multiple awards and taught at Bard College.
Quotes
-
Calvino was not a writer of hits; he was a writer of classics.
Source: Interview (2002) -
Translating Calvino is an aural exercise as well as a verbal one... pursuing a cadence, a rhythm...
Source: Emory University interview -
Some of the hardest things to translate into English from Italian are... perfectly simple things, 'buon giorno' for instance.
Source: The Paris Review (2002)
Trivia
- Served as an ambulance driver in Italy for the American Field Service during World War II.
- Attended boarding school starting at age 12.
- Worked as a commentator on Metropolitan Opera radio broadcasts.