Event Highlights: European Voices: A Reading & Conversation with Hubert Klimko-Dobrzaniecki
On March 31, we kicked off a new round of “European Voices” with Polish émigré author Hubert Klimko-Dobrzaniecki and his translator, Julia Sherwood. Klimko-Dobrzaniecki read from his novella Lullaby for a Hanged Man, published this year by Calypso Editions, a story of three East Europeans trying to build new lives for themselves far from home in Iceland. A lively conversation followed, moderated by the editor, poet, and translator Alissa Valles.
Watch the event on BUniverse:
Klimko-Dobrzaniecki is a novelist and poet who has lived outside Poland for many years (formerly in Iceland, and now in Austria). His first publication was a set of short stories called Bielawa West Station (2003). He has also published: two collections of stories, Roza’s House. Krysuvik (2006), and The Lunatic (2007, a reworked version of his first book); the novella Lullaby for a Hanged Man (2007); the novels One Two Three (2007), First Things (2009) and Bornholm, Bornholm (2011); and two volumes of poetry written in Icelandic.
Julia Sherwood was born and grew up in Bratislava, then Czechoslovakia. After studying English and Slavonic languages and literature at universities in Cologne, London she settled in the UK, where she spent over twenty years working for Amnesty International. She travelled widely in Eastern and Central Europe and the former USSR following the changes in 1989, deepening her knowledge of the languages and literatures of the region.
The event began with an introduction by Alissa Valles, who briefly discussed the works of Klimko-Dobrzaniecki and who explained the difficult process of translating his writings. Klimko-Dobrzaniecki then began reading excerpts from Lullaby in its original Polish, followed by Sherwood’s reading of her English translation. The back and forth reading from Polish to English gave the audience an idea of the purity of Klimko-Dobrzaniecki’s native language, as well as a deeper appreciation for his poetic prose, masterfully translated and depicting the beauty of the natural world.
The stylistic elements of the Lullaby readings prompted Valles’ first question, asking Klimko-Dobrzaniecki about the importance of language and his transition from poetry to novels. He responded by explaining how he exclusively writes in Polish, laughingly saying “I even dream in Polish,” but then explaining how he would never write in his non-native tongue. He continued by describing how he relies on translation into other languages to spread his works, and emphasized the importance of poetry in his life, even comparing the process of writing and reading poetry to the cathartic experience of prayer. Valles commented on Klimko-Dobrzaniecki’s ability to keep connected to his Polish roots while living abroad, asking whether or not the author had raised his children to be bilingual. Underscoring the influence of culture on children, Klimko-Dobrzaniecki explained how his decision to write a children’s book was inspired by his children, and his lack of proficiencies in languages other than Polish led him to continue writing in Polish and raise his children in a multilingual household.
Given the dissolution of the communist regime governing Poland, as well as the broader collapse of the USSR and the subsequent changes in the global order, Valles questioned Klimko-Dobrzaniecki on whether he had experienced major language and cultural shifts following the democratization and consequent Europeanization of his homeland. Klimko-Dobrzaniecki described how, while living abroad, he maintained a connection with Poland through literature and his annual visits. Stating he does not consider himself a “conservative”, Klimko-Dobrzaniecki briefly explained how he enjoys seeing the evolution of his native language resulting from various external influences, such as the global proliferation of English. He added later that he considers himself independent from a specific Polish generation, instead preferring to maintain his own definition and identity as a Polish citizen through his 12 books. Asking about a specific joke made by many Polish literary critiques regarding Klimko-Dobrzaniecki’s inclusion of humor in his writing, the author defended himself, stating: “I like to add humor to books, life is sweet and bitter… and I want to put a smile on people’s faces.”
Valles next turned the conversation toward Sherwood, questioning the difficult process of translating Polish to both Icelandic and English. Sherwood explained the problems she faced, particularly the challenge of capturing the voice of Klimko-Dobrzaniecki. Sherwood additionally discussed her use of what she called “Transatlantic English” as a combination of both her traditional British English education with the more globalized and Americanized form of English. Valles prompted Sherwood to talk about the process of translation, and Sherwood pointedly noted the importance of an intimate relationship between the author and the translator in order to capture to true essence of the writing by maintaining an open conversation and dialogue between the two parties.
Turning back toward Klimko-Dobrzaniecki, Valles questioned the author on whether or not he writes his stories with the assumption that they will eventually be translated, but he vehemently denied such an expectation. Claiming he writes only in fluent Polish, Klimko-Dobrzaniecki stated he does not allow the external pressures of translation to influence his prose. Commenting on the purgatorial elements of Klimko-Dobrzaniecki’s Lullaby, Valles asked the author about his fascination with the mysticism and darkness of the North. His response was a laughing inexplicability, as he claimed “I’m not sure why… I just like it.”
The conversation between the three panelists ended with a brief discussion about the musician Klimko-Dobrzaniecki dedicated Lullaby to, and the author explained his desire to popularize the music of his deceased friend across many countries by including him as a character in his novel. The event concluded with questions posed by the audience, mainly focusing on the strength of Klimko-Dobrzaniecki’s writing and his unique and emotionally authentic characters.
This year’s European Voices events are organized in collaboration with the literary journal AGNI and the Goethe-Institut Boston and are taking place as part of EU Futures, a series of conversations exploring the emerging future in Europe. The EU Futures project is supported by a Getting to Know Europe Grant from the European Commission Delegation in Washington, DC to the Center for the Study of Europe at Boston University.