2008 Woodie Awards
Creative writing professors shows off translating skills
By: Alex Washington
Issue date: 4/4/08 Section: News
Students didn't have to understand German to enjoy the poetry of German poet Nicolas Born as read by English professor Eric Torgersen on Wednesday evening.
The poetry reading, the last event in the Great Lakes Faculty Forum Speaker series, took place in the Bovee University Center's Lake St. Clair and Lake Huron rooms.
Torgersen began translating Born's poems from German to English in the late 1960s.
"I love them and I love translating them," said Torgersen. "It's a challenge I like and feel up to taking."
Born was interested in American poetry and made reference to German trends in his poetry.
"In his early poems, he echoed a lot of the German culture back," Torgersen said.
Torgersen majored in German literature but became active in the language when he met Born at a translation workshop in Iowa.
He said the ideas of Born's poems came to him easier than the language.
"My German was very academic. I didn't know about toothbrushes and elevators; I knew about eternity," he said.
He lost contact with Born as the years went on.
Born died from cancer in 1979, but Torgersen did not find out until 1981.
"I wrote a poem called 'The Horses' and dedicated to it Born," Torgersen said. "I tried to send it to his wife, but this was before the Internet was popular."
Torgersen has not only translated the Born's works, but has written a book that translates letters and poetry written by German author Rilke.
Torgersen has taught at CMU for 38 years and will retire this year and still plans on translating books.
"I'll do it more once I retire and do more of my own writings," Torgersen said.
East Lansing sophomore Teresa Joseph was encouraged to come to the reading for a class, but appreciated Born's poetry.
"I found them (poems) very enjoyable," she said.
news@cm-life.com
The poetry reading, the last event in the Great Lakes Faculty Forum Speaker series, took place in the Bovee University Center's Lake St. Clair and Lake Huron rooms.
Torgersen began translating Born's poems from German to English in the late 1960s.
"I love them and I love translating them," said Torgersen. "It's a challenge I like and feel up to taking."
Born was interested in American poetry and made reference to German trends in his poetry.
"In his early poems, he echoed a lot of the German culture back," Torgersen said.
Torgersen majored in German literature but became active in the language when he met Born at a translation workshop in Iowa.
He said the ideas of Born's poems came to him easier than the language.
"My German was very academic. I didn't know about toothbrushes and elevators; I knew about eternity," he said.
He lost contact with Born as the years went on.
Born died from cancer in 1979, but Torgersen did not find out until 1981.
"I wrote a poem called 'The Horses' and dedicated to it Born," Torgersen said. "I tried to send it to his wife, but this was before the Internet was popular."
Torgersen has not only translated the Born's works, but has written a book that translates letters and poetry written by German author Rilke.
Torgersen has taught at CMU for 38 years and will retire this year and still plans on translating books.
"I'll do it more once I retire and do more of my own writings," Torgersen said.
East Lansing sophomore Teresa Joseph was encouraged to come to the reading for a class, but appreciated Born's poetry.
"I found them (poems) very enjoyable," she said.
news@cm-life.com
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