The Translator Ludvík Kundera

Jitka Nešporová doctoral thesis ABSTRACT The doctoral thesis focuses on the translation persona and work of Ludvík Kundera. A poet himself, he translated verse first and foremost and was able to do so from many languages, although he sometimes resorted to the use of interlinear translations. The research, however, concentrates primarily on the description, analysis and reception of his direct translations in the Czech - German language pair, which was predominant in Kundera's translation work. The thesis contributes to the understanding of the history of Czech literary translation after 1945 by describing Kundera's translation method, making accessible part of his literary estate, notably his correspondence, and providing an update to Kundera's translation bibliography. Kundera is best known as the exclusive, authorized translator of Bertolt Brecht's drama and poetry. His translations of Expressionists Georg Trakl and Gottfried Benn, for which he received the State Award for Literary Translation in 1996, are considered canonical today. The same holds true for his translations of Paul Celan's poetry and Alfred Kubin's novel Die andere Seite (The Other Side). Kundera was also the first to introduce Czech readers to the poetry of Alsatian Dadaist Hans Arp and the poetry of East German lyricist Peter Huchel...