Paul Celan Fellowships for Translators

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1. Objective

The objective of the Paul Celan Fellowship Program is to help overcome deficits and asymmetries in the exchange of ideas and reception of scholarly literature which resulted from the division of Europe in the 20 th century, the effects of which are still felt today. Therefore, the program was established to contribute to filling gaps in the relevant literature on both sides as well as improving mutual understanding between formerly isolated cultures.

The Paul Celan Fellowships support East-West, West-East and East-East translations of canonical texts as well as contemporary key works in the Humanities, Social Sciences and in the field of Cultural Studies. Special emphasis is put on translations of relevant works written by East European authors and/or by female scholars.
2. Background

For decades the political and cultural division of Europe deeply impaired the East-West reception of literature and debates in the Humanities and Social Sciences. Since 1989 conditions for intellectual production in Central and Eastern Europe have significantly improved. As a result, important works were published which, however, have not yet found the attention they deserve in the West.

With their transdisciplinary and comparative approach, Cultural Studies have become one of the most productive and innovative fields of contemporary research, which has successfully expanded to Eastern Europe. But although Cultural Studies are particularly conducive to intercultural understanding, translations of key texts in this discipline are still rare in both directions, East and West. Scholarly works written by female authors and/or on gender issues are generally underrepresented on the translation balance sheet between East and West.

Against this background the IWM has initiated its translation program in 1987. After two decades of successful work ERSTE Foundation joined in as a partner of the Paul Celan Fellowships for Translators. With this newly established cooperation, focus and scope of the program were adapted and expanded in order to incorporate the recent changes in the intellectual landscape of Europe.

To date, more than 80 translators from 16 countries have been invited to work at the Institute. An overview of translations published under the auspices of the Paul Celan Fellowships for Translators in the last years is available at www.iwm.at/translations.htm.
3. Conditions

Paul Celan Visiting Fellows are invited to spend three to six months at the IWM between July 2009 and June 2010 to pursue their translation projects while working in residence at the Institute. The fellows receive a stipend to cover living expenses, travel, health insurance and incidentals. The IWM provides a guest apartment, a personal office with e-mail and internet access, in-house research facilities and other relevant sources in Vienna. Paul Celan Visiting Fellows participate in the scholarly community and activities of the IWM.
4. Application

The application consists of the following materials (in English or German):

1. the application form (please download http://info.iwm.at/celan09.zip)
2. a curriculum vitae with a bibliography of translations and other relevant publications
3. the author and work to be translated (from the original language) and an explanation for the choice thereof
4. the exact number of pages
5. a contract with a publisher for the publication of the translation or a letter of intent from a publisher
6. proof that the translator/publisher holds the rights to the translation and its publication (or has an option for them)
7. the planned date of publication
8. information on the program of the publishing house

Proposals for East-West translations, contemporary works, books by female authors and on gender issues are strongly encouraged. A thematic relation to one of the IWM’s research fields is likewise welcomed.

Deadline for Application is March 31, 2009.

Please send the application by mail to

Institut für die Wissenschaften vom Menschen
Fellowship Coordinator
Spittelauer Lände 3
1090 Wien
AUSTRIA

Advance copies by e-mail are accepted:

fellowships [at] iwm [dot] at
Subject header: Paul Celan Fellowships

5. Selection

The finalists will be selected by a jury of experts consisting of:

Gottfried Boehm
Professor of Modern Art History, University of Basel; Non-Resident Permanent Fellow of the IWM
Endre Bojtar
Literary Scholar and Head of the Department of Central and Eastern European Literature, Institute of Literary Studies, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest
Jutta Braidt
Head of ERSTE Foundation Library, Vienna
Peter Demetz
Sterling Professor Emeritus of German and Comparative Literature, Yale University, New Haven
Klaus Nellen
Permanent Fellow, IWM
Martin Pollack
Writer and Translator, Vienna/Bocksdorf
Diana Mishkova
Director, Centre For Advanced Study, Sofia

Applicants will be notified of the jury decision in May 2009. The jury is not required to publicly justify its decisions .