Joachim Neugroschel
Encyclopedia
Joachim Neugroschel was a well known literary translator from French
, German
, Italian
, Russian
, and Yiddish
, and also to German. He also published poetry
and was a poetry magazine founder.
on January 13, 1938. His father was Yiddish Galician
poet Mendel (Max) Neugroschel. The family immigrated to Rio de Janeiro
in 1939, and eventually arrived in New York City
in 1941. He grew up in New York City and graduated from Bronx Science in 1954, and Columbia University
in 1958 with a degree in English and Comparative Literature. He then moved to Paris
and then Berlin
. He returned to New York six years later and became a literary translator.
Neugroschel translated more than 200 books of numerous authors, including Sholem Aleichem, Bergelson, Chekhov
, Dumas, Hesse
, Kafka, Mann
, Moliere
, Maupassant, Proust, Schweitzer
, Singer
and modern writers such as Elfriede Jelinek
and Tahar Ben Jelloun
. His Yiddish translations of The Dybbuk by S. Ansky
, and God of Vengeance by Sholem Asch
, were produced and reached wide audience. He was the winner of three PEN
Translation Awards, the 1994 French-American Translation Prize, and the Guggenheim Fellowship in German Literature
(1998). In 1996 he was also made a Chevalier Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
.
Although his father was a native Yiddish speaker, Neugroschel did not speak the language and self-taught it in 1970's. In a 2006 interview to Eclectica Magazine
, he described his approach to translation as follows:
Neugroschel died May 23, 2011 in Brooklyn, N.Y. at the age of 73. He is survived by his legal guardian
and former partner
, Aaron Mack Schloff.
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
, Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
, Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
, and Yiddish
Yiddish language
Yiddish is a High German language of Ashkenazi Jewish origin, spoken throughout the world. It developed as a fusion of German dialects with Hebrew, Aramaic, Slavic languages and traces of Romance languages...
, and also to German. He also published poetry
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
and was a poetry magazine founder.
Biography
Joachim Neugroschel was born in ViennaVienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
on January 13, 1938. His father was Yiddish Galician
Galician people
The Galicians are an ethnic group, a nationality whose historical homeland is Galicia in north-western Spain. Most Galicians are bilingual, speaking both their historic language, Galician, and Castilian Spanish.-Political and administrative divisions:...
poet Mendel (Max) Neugroschel. The family immigrated to Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
in 1939, and eventually arrived in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in 1941. He grew up in New York City and graduated from Bronx Science in 1954, and Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
in 1958 with a degree in English and Comparative Literature. He then moved to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and then Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
. He returned to New York six years later and became a literary translator.
Neugroschel translated more than 200 books of numerous authors, including Sholem Aleichem, Bergelson, Chekhov
Chekhov
- People :* Alexander Chekhov, older brother of Anton Chekhov* Anton Chekhov , Russian writer** Chekhov Gymnasium, school, and now museum in Taganrog** Chekhov Library, public library in Taganrog** Anton Chekhov class motorship...
, Dumas, Hesse
Hermann Hesse
Hermann Hesse was a German-Swiss poet, novelist, and painter. In 1946, he received the Nobel Prize in Literature...
, Kafka, Mann
Thomas Mann
Thomas Mann was a German novelist, short story writer, social critic, philanthropist, essayist, and 1929 Nobel Prize laureate, known for his series of highly symbolic and ironic epic novels and novellas, noted for their insight into the psychology of the artist and the intellectual...
, Moliere
Molière
Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, known by his stage name Molière, was a French playwright and actor who is considered to be one of the greatest masters of comedy in Western literature...
, Maupassant, Proust, Schweitzer
Albert Schweitzer
Albert Schweitzer OM was a German theologian, organist, philosopher, physician, and medical missionary. He was born in Kaysersberg in the province of Alsace-Lorraine, at that time part of the German Empire...
, Singer
Isaac Bashevis Singer
Isaac Bashevis Singer – July 24, 1991) was a Polish Jewish American author noted for his short stories. He was one of the leading figures in the Yiddish literary movement, and received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1978...
and modern writers such as Elfriede Jelinek
Elfriede Jelinek
Elfriede Jelinek is an Austrian playwright and novelist. She was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2004 for her "musical flow of voices and counter-voices in novels and plays that, with extraordinary linguistic zeal, reveal the absurdity of society's clichés and their subjugating power."-...
and Tahar Ben Jelloun
Tahar Ben Jelloun
Tahar Ben Jelloun is a Moroccan poet and writer. The entirety of his work is written in French, although his first language is Arabic.-Life:...
. His Yiddish translations of The Dybbuk by S. Ansky
S. Ansky
Shloyme Zanvl Rappoport , known by his pseudonym S. Ansky , was a Russian Jewish author, playwright, and researcher of Jewish folklore....
, and God of Vengeance by Sholem Asch
Sholem Asch
Sholem Asch, born Szalom Asz , also written Shalom Asch was a Polish-born American Jewish novelist, dramatist, and essayist in the Yiddish language.-Life and work:...
, were produced and reached wide audience. He was the winner of three PEN
International PEN
PEN International , the worldwide association of writers, was founded in London in 1921 to promote friendship and intellectual co-operation among writers everywhere....
Translation Awards, the 1994 French-American Translation Prize, and the Guggenheim Fellowship in German Literature
German literature
German literature comprises those literary texts written in the German language. This includes literature written in Germany, Austria, the German part of Switzerland, and to a lesser extent works of the German diaspora. German literature of the modern period is mostly in Standard German, but there...
(1998). In 1996 he was also made a Chevalier Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
The Ordre des Arts et des Lettres is an Order of France, established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture, and confirmed as part of the Ordre national du Mérite by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963...
.
Although his father was a native Yiddish speaker, Neugroschel did not speak the language and self-taught it in 1970's. In a 2006 interview to Eclectica Magazine
Eclectica Magazine
Eclectica is one of the oldest surviving online literary publications. Founded in 1996 by Chris Lott and Tom Dooley, Eclectica's extensive and growing archives features poetry, fiction, nonfiction, miscellany, travel, opinion, and reviews by hundreds of authors from around the world...
, he described his approach to translation as follows:
- I never read a book before translating it. No reason to. I do not translate the words literally. Only a bad translator would translate literallyLiteral translationLiteral translation, or direct translation, is the rendering of text from one language to another "word-for-word" rather than conveying the sense of the original...
.
Neugroschel died May 23, 2011 in Brooklyn, N.Y. at the age of 73. He is survived by his legal guardian
Legal guardian
A legal guardian is a person who has the legal authority to care for the personal and property interests of another person, called a ward. Usually, a person has the status of guardian because the ward is incapable of caring for his or her own interests due to infancy, incapacity, or disability...
and former partner
Life partner
A life partner is a romantic or otherwise very close friend for life. The partners can be of the same or opposite sexes, married or unmarried, and monogamous or polyamorous....
, Aaron Mack Schloff.
External links
- Lawrence A. Rosenwald, Review of No Star Too Beautiful, an anthology of Yiddish literature, ed. Joachim Neugroschel, 31 August 2004.