Modern Poetry in Translation , periodical Poetry World , publication

Modern Poetry in Translation (MPT) was launched in 1965 by joint editors and owners Daniel Weissbort and the poet Ted Hughes. Its policy was to overcome language barriers and enable English-speakers to benefit from previously untranslated poets from other countries, finding talented poets and matching them with translators. The launch of MPT came at a time of increasing interest in international poetry and a flourishing of translation. Literal translations (word for word) were favoured over parallel equivalents, as revealing the poetry of the original and the individuality of the poet rather than the translator. The initial emphasis was on post-war Eastern European poets, many of whom were hardly known in Britain at the time but have since become world famous, including for example Vasko Popa, Miroslav Holub and Zbigniew Herbert. The scope of MPT quickly expanded to cover poetry from all over the world. Many issues were devoted to the detailed study of poetry from a single country, planned several years in advance to allow time to gather and translate the poetry and set up specialised distribution lines to the countries. The magazine was also concerned with debate about the art of translation, publishing special articles and a 'Theory Issue' (MPT 41-42). A long association developed with distinguished translators such as Anne Pennington and Stanley Kunitz, whilst a host of others wrote to offer their services. Issues 1-6, 1965-1969, were published by Cape Golliard, and issues thereafter were published independently. Owing to increasing absorption in his own work, Hughes withdrew from editorship, and by 1971 Daniel Weissbort was sole editor, working with advisors who possessed specialist knowledge of a particular language, and guest editors for some issues. In the 1970s MPT developed a close association with the International Writing Program (IWP) at the University of Iowa, USA, and in 1973 Daniel Weissbort accepted a position in its teaching faculty. Many IWP students contributed to MPT and in 1974 an entire issue was produced from their work. Small circulation, difficulty in reaching the American market and rising printing costs dogged MPT throughout its 18-year history. Despite subsidies from the Arts Council of Great Britain, the magazine often found it difficult to pay its contributors, although some translators refused payment. In 1982 Daniel Weissbort was treated for cancer and withdrew from the editorial demands of the magazine. It was decided to produce MPT annually as a yearbook in collaboration with Carcanet Press. Hughes agreed to write the introduction. A volume was published in 1983 as the first of what was intended to be an annual series, but in 1986 it was relaunched under Anvil Press as Poetry World, with a wider remit aiming to include poetry not just from the modern age. For further information see the introduction by Daniel Weissbort to MPT Year Book (1983) (Ref: MPT1/39) and the introductions by Daniel Weissbort and Ted Hughes to Poetry World (Ref: MPT1/41). MPT was revived under the aegis of the Department of French, King's College London, with Professor Norma Rinsler and Daniel Weissbort as editors, in a new series begun in 1992.