2017 Annual Meeting and University of Oregon Symposium

Translation in Dante / Dante in Translation

May 5–6 2017, Gerlinger Alumni Lounge, University of Oregon

Videorecordings of each session are available from the Dante Society's YouTube channel; follow the links in the program below

 

“E però sappia ciascuno, che nulla cosa, per legame musaico armonizzata, si può dalla sua loquela in altra trasmutare, sanza rompere tutta sua dolcezza e armonia.” (Convivio I.vii.14)

Everyone should know, then, that nothing harmonized with the bonds of music can be translated from its own language into another, without destroying all its sweetness and harmony.”

Writers and artists in the Middle Ages pondered the theory and practice of translation as intensely as we do today. They were keenly aware that rendering or adapting a work in one language or form into another raised questions about appropriation, transferability, fidelity, and hospitability, which every ethical translator will engage.

Presenters will discuss topics ranging from Dante’s own ideas and practice of translation, to the extraordinary upsurge of translations of the Comedy evident in the books, art, music, film and theatrical adaptations, even video games, that we see today.

The meeting opens Friday 5 May with a keynote address by a prominent poet-translator of the Inferno, Mary-Jo Bang (Washington University in Saint Louis). We continue on Saturday 6 May with two sessions of academic talks, and conclude with a round table on different approaches to translating Dante: artistic adaptations and musical settings of the Comedy; translations from Italian into Sicilian; and translations into English by Dante scholars.

The symposium is supported by the University of Oregon and the Dante Society of America. All public events will take place in the Gerlinger Lounge at the corner of 15th and University Ave.

Registration is not required and there is no fee for attending: the symposium is free and open to the public.


Program

Friday, May 5

6:00pm – 6:30pm Welcome and Introduction [recording]

     Warren Ginsberg and Gina Psaki, University of Oregon

6:30pm – 7:30pm Opening Address
 [recording]

     Mary Jo Bang, Washington University in Saint Louis: “Carrying Dante Across”

Saturday, May 6

9:00am – 10:00am  Annual Meeting, Dante Society of America (open to DSA members only)

     Albert R. Ascoli, President, Dante Society of America

10:30am – 12:00pm Session I [recording]

     Guy Raffa, The University of Texas at Austin: “Translating Dante’s Body”

     Arielle Saiber, Bowdoin College: “An Esoteric Illus-Translation of the Commedia: Paul Laffoley’s Divine Comedy Triptych (1972–1975)”

12:00pm – 2:00pm Lunch

2:00pm – 3:30pm Session II [recording]

     Alison Cornish, University of Michigan: “Dante’s Horizon of Translation”

     Simone Marchesi, Princeton University: “Translating in Paradise: Animal Instability Between Dante and Boccaccio”

3:30pm – 3:45pm Coffee break

3:45pm – 5:15pm Roundtable [recording]

     Sandow Birk, renowned visual artist

     Peter Hawkins, Yale Divinity School

     Robert Kyr, School of Music and Dance, University of Oregon

     Cristina Carnemolla, Romance Languages, University of Oregon

     Kevin Regan-Maglione, Romance Languages, University of Oregon

5:15pm – 6:00pm Closing Remarks [recording]

     Warren Ginsberg and Gina Psaki, University of Oregon

6:00pm – 7:00pm Reception


Lodging

We have reserved a block of rooms at The Phoenix Inn, 850 Franklin Blvd, Eugene, OR. The toll free telephone number is: (800) 344-0131. Mention that you are participating in the Dante Society of America meeting. The meeting rate of $109 per night is in effect for reservations made before 4 April 2017. Amenities include indoor pool and spa, complimentary high speed, wireless internet, complimentary parking, hot breakfast buffet.

Another block of king or double queen suites will be available at the Holiday Inn Express, 2117 Franklin Blvd, Eugene, OR, 97403. The toll free number for reservations is (800) 315-2621; the front desk number is (541) 342-1243. Mention that you are participating in the Dante Society of America meeting. The meeting rate of $149 per night is in effect for reservations made before 4 April 2017. Amenities include indoor pool and spa, complimentary high speed, wireless internet, complimentary parking, complimentary hot breakfast.


Further information

Warren Ginsberg, warren@uoregon.edu (541) 346-3958

Gina Psaki, rpsaki@uoregon.edu (541) 346-4042


Sponsorship

This event is sponsored by the Dante Society of America and the following University of Oregon entities: the College of Arts and Sciences; the Medieval Studies Program; the Giustina Family Professorship in Italian Language and Literature; the Oregon Humanities Center; the Department of English; the Department of Comparative Literature; the journal Comparative Literature; the Department of Romance Languages; the Creative Writing Program.