Meeting with Anna Maveeva and translators of Лолотта и другие парижские истории [Lolotta and other Parisian stories] in Krakow.

It is said that everyone has their own Paris. Whether it's the capital of France, a new housing estate or a Russian village named so by Cossacks in the 17th century. Matveeva's Paris transcends the protagonists, is an (un)reachable goal, trauma, escape, relief, home or exile for them. Paris changes them while simultaneously becoming the hero of history, its spiritus movens. The book also features another city, Yekaterinburg. A city on the border of Europe and Asia, sometimes harsh, chaotic and dangerous, but also capable of bringing peace. Matveeva creates universal and warm stories that sometimes make you laugh and sometimes leave bitterness in your mouth. She is fluent with words, what allows you to immerse yourself in her world. She makes it both easy to get involved in the heroes’ stories and difficult to part with them. However, there is no unnecessary pathos or cheap sentimentalism in her books. Just people with all their weaknesses, in which we can also see ourselves.

In Krakow's Księgarnia pod Globusem [Bookstore under the Globe] fragments of Lolotta were read and there was a possibility to meet with the author and translators of short stories, as translators are also of great importance to us! For the book that we are handing over to you is unique. It is the result of a project of the Centre for Polish-Russian Dialogue and Understanding – Polish-Russian Translation School. Word to word, intended for young translators who worked for ten months under the supervision of outstanding specialists on translating nine short stories by Anna Matveeva. During the courses, they became familiar with the complete path of translator's work and the secrets of the publishing process. By attending lectures on the art of translation and literature they were offered the opportunity to deepen their knowledge and improve their skills.

The training of a new generation of conscious and competent translators is extremely important and a part of the Centre's mission. In today's circumstances, Polish-Russian dialogue seems to be possible (and extremely necessary) in the field of culture. However, it is difficult to communicate and understand each other without knowing the language and culture of your neighbour. In this situation, the translator becomes a key actor for understanding contemporary Russia.

During the meeting we discussed the book, but also the process of its translation. What was the translation process like, what was the most difficult, what problems did the translators have to deal with? The discussion was broadened to cover the role of a translator in general. After all, nowadays a translator often becomes an ambassador of the author and even a propagator of a given culture. We also talked about cooperation between authors and translators from two perspectives. The actresses Anna Polony and Barbara Kurzaj read fragments of the stories.

Information about the participants

Anna Matveeva – "I didn't have much choice, already as a child I knew I would become a writer," says Anna Matwiejewa. She was born in 1972. She lives in Yekaterinburg, which is very often the background or the protagonist of her novels. She started writing and publishing in the 1990s. To this day, she has published 17 novels and collections of short stories, which are very popular in Russia. She was nominated for prestigious Russian awards such as Bolshaya Kniga and Natsional'nyy Bestseller. Critics call her work “Ural magical realism”. Matveeva's prose has been translated into Italian, French, Czech, Chinese and Finnish. Lolotta and other Parisian stories is the author's first book published in Polish.

Krzysztof Błaszak was born in 1994. He comes from Myszków. Graduate of Russian Philology at the Jagiellonian University. His interests focus mainly on the culture, literature and history of the former Soviet Union countries. He enjoys travelling, mountain hiking and new translation challenges.

Witold Pacyno is a graduate of Russian Philology at the Jagiellonian University, PhD student at the Faculty of Philology of the Jagiellonian University. Author of literary and translating publications on the phenomenon of the return to the old-time Ruthenia in Russian literature of the 21st century.

Anna Maria Udziela comes from Nowy Targ and lives in Krakow. She's 24 years old and graduate of Russian Philology at the Jagiellonian University. Translation is her passion and a way to discover the world. Whenever she has time, she travels and reads.

Marta Zablocka is a graduate of comparative literature and cultural studies. She studied in Krakow (Jagiellonian University) and in London (University College London). PhD student in the Department of Anthropology of Literature and Cultural Research at the Jagiellonian University. She is interested in the reception of British colonial literature in Poland, especially in the context of the influence of its Polish translations on public discourse. She teaches about Polish contemporary literature and translation theory at the Jagiellonian University's Translation Research Centre. Editor at Znak publishing house.

Cooperation: Księgarnia pod Globusem

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