When poets translate poetry

This chapter discusses the interplay between translation and writing in the work of poets who also translate poetry. First, I present the Scandinavian term gjendiktning for the creative rewriting of poetry. I then discuss the role of the author and translator with reference to Michel Foucault’s essay“What Is an Author?”and the task of the poet-translator in relation to theories by Antoine Berman and Barbara Folkart. I then outline four areas of investigation relevant for examining the work of the poet-translator: (1) inclusion, (2) experimentation and renewal, (3) contextualization and positioning, and (4) friendship and community. Finally, I discuss the poet-translators Robert Bly, Tomas Tranströmer, and especially Jan Erik Vold to demonstrate the relevance of this approach.