On what would have been the Austrian writer Ingeborg Bachmann’s 100th birthday, we are delighted to announce the forthcoming publication of an English translation of her fragments, translated and compiled by two Second Year Germanists at Somerville.
Sophie Stewart and Anwen Jones worked with four other undergraduates (from Queen’s College) to translate and gather Bachmann’s fragments for a collection titled Fragmented: A New Translation of Selected Unfinished Todesarten Texts, published by Taylor Editions. The volume is edited by Isabel Parkinson, Stipendiary Lecturer in German at both Somerville and Queen’s.
The team of undergraduate translators
Ingeborg Bachmann (1926-1973) was author, poet and also a philosopher, who wrote everything from short stories to radio plays and essays, as well as one novel, Malina. Born in Austria to a Nazi party member, she rose to prominence in the 1950s with writing that grappled with the German language “after Auschwitz”. She won major German and Austrian literary awards, including the prestigious Georg Buchner prize, and the annual Ingeborg Bachmann Prize is one of the most important awards for literature in German.
Until now, only Bachmann’s most significantly complete works have been translated into English. The drafts of the Todesarten texts, which has been intended to form Bachmann’s most significant novel cycle, focus on the characteristic Bachmann themes of illness, belonging, love, and narration.
Writing of the translation process, editor Isabel Parkinson commented that, “The fragments and drafts of the Todesarten are extraordinarily wide-ranging, and the selection and order of texts here does not intend to represent a definitive interpretation […] Instead, its purpose is to allow our own minds to enter into and participate in the text, as readers, thinkers, and translators – and, of course, to offer more Anglophone readers the chance to encounter Bachmann.”
Somerville student Sophie Stewart commented that, “Translating fragments from Bachmann’s ‘Todesarten’ series has been a challenging yet extremely rewarding process. Bachmann’s writing is often ambiguous and difficult to understand, which resulted in many discussions and debates, even down to individual words. This project has greatly increased my appreciation of both the text and the art of translation, and it’s incredible to see the hard work all of us have put in come to life through the publication process!”
The collection also includes a translators’ introduction, in which the students reflect on the process, their collaborative approach, and what it means to have their work published. They reflected that, “The fragments gave us a welcome opportunity to explore and enjoy translation in a more creative and experimental manner. […] In a world increasingly relying on AI translation as a quick, convenient, cheaper method of translation, projects such as this are essential in preserving the importance of first-hand translation.”
You can pre-order Fragmented: A New Translation of Selected Unfinished Todesarten Texts here.