Anthology of Galician Literature 1981-2011

This month sees the publication of Jonathan Dunne’s Anthology of Galician Literature 1981-2011, a companion volume to the earlier Anthology of Galician Literature 1196-1981.

While the earlier volume was intended to give an overview of the history of Galician literature up to the present day, this second volume aims to introduce the English-language reader to contemporary Galician writers. Sixty texts by sixty different writers ranging from Xavier Alcalá to Domingo Villar, passing through more established names such as Chus Pato and Manuel Rivas, and including younger names such as Oriana Méndez and Daniel Salgado, present the genres of adult and children’s fiction, poetry, drama and essay in a bilingual Galician-English edition. In the case of living authors, all the texts were chosen by the authors themselves; thirty-nine of the texts date from the twenty-first century, making this volume highly up-to-date.

It is hoped that this book will enable the interested reader to access some of the best of what is being written in the Galician language today.

Anthology of Galician Literature 1981-2011 is edited and translated by Jonathan Dunne, with additional translations by Roy Boland, Erín Moure and Sonia Soto, and published by Edicións Xerais de Galicia and Editorial Galaxia in collaboration with the Xunta de Galicia. A list of the contents is to be found here.

Reaction to the Anthology of Galician Literature 1196-1981

Here is some of the reaction to the Anthology of Galician Literature 1196-1981 edited in Galician and English by Jonathan Dunne, published in May by Edicións Xerais de Galicia and Editorial Galaxia, and presented on 5 June in Santiago de Compostela.

Edicións Xerais de Galicia

Editorial Galaxia

El País

Europa Press

Galicia Hoxe

La Voz de Galicia

Xornal de Galicia

Radio Galega (interview by Ana Romaní on Diario Cultural)

Televisión de Galicia (interview on Ben falado!)

Presentation of Anthology of Galician Literature 1196-1981

Today sees the presentation in Santiago de Compostela of the Anthology of Galician Literature 1196-1981 edited in Galician and English by Jonathan Dunne and published by Edicións Xerais de Galicia and Editorial Galaxia.

Since I cannot make the presentation, I would like to publish here the text I wrote in Galician for this occasion:

Como ocorre moitas veces, o corazón deste libro está nun apéndice. Se miran as páxinas 320 e 322, atoparán a lista de 55 xéneros, autores e libros que eu cría debían estar representados nunha antoloxía histórica da literatura galega. A maioría dos textos son do século XX: 31 fronte a 24 textos da época medieval, dos séculos XVI-XVIII e do Rexurdimento. Verán que inclúo textos da literatura de tradición oral, tan importante esta, e textos ensaísticos xunto con textos de poesía, ficción e teatro.

Elaborei esta lista en 1997, hai trece anos. Non sabía que o libro tardaría tanto tempo en facerse realidade. Decidín que para a selección dos propios textos, ¿que mellor que contar coa axuda de escritores e especialistas galegos? Por esta razón empecei a poñerme en contacto cos 55 antólogos para que escolmasen o seu anaco preferido de tal autor ou libro. A resposta foi entusiasta e xenerosa e o lado galego da antoloxía é unha reflexión histórica, feita dende dentro, sobre os textos cumios da literatura galega. Algúns dos antólogos xa faleceron: é o caso de José Ángel Valente, Antonio Fraguas Fraguas, Domingo García-Sabell, Manuel María, Antón Risco, Carlos Casares e Uxío Novoneyra. Pero alí están as súas escolmas.

Para a tradución para o inglés dos 55 textos fixen un esforzo por contar coa presenza de todos os que traballan neste momento no eido da tradución galego-inglés. Son 22 tradutores xunto co tradutor galego do meu limiar, o poeta Martín Veiga. Todos querían participar nun proxecto que ía axudar a espallar a cultura galega polo mundo.

Síntome orgulloso de ter participado con tanta xente nun proxecto destas características. Os libros sempre deben ir un pouco contra corrente. Non tiñan que existir, son instrumentos da fe. Amosan o lado bo do ser humano, a súa incansable fe e vontade de ser mellor.

Era hora de que Galicia tivese á súa disposición unha tradución literaria digna dalgúns dos seus autores máis importantes. A tradución é unha especie de exhalación, unha especie de morte continua. Non nos decatamos disto, pero somos todos tradutores, as cousas nin empezan nin terminan connosco, pasan a través de nós e saímos aprendendo.

Con este libro, estamos nas portas da literatura galega contemporánea e agardo que sexa posible, co mesmo equipo, sacar un segundo volume, unha antoloxía dedicada aos anos 1981-2011, que sería de moita utilidade para os editores estranxeiros interesados en publicaren a autores galegos. Reafirmo a miña disposición para este proxecto e dou as grazas aos editores aquí sentados: Manuel Bragado, de Edicións Xerais; Víctor Freixanes, de Editorial Galaxia, e o Conselleiro de Cultura e Turismo, Roberto Varela Fariña. Tamén á incomparable coordinadora de edición, co-autora deste libro, Anaír Rodríguez, e ao deseñador de cuberta, Miguel Vigo.

Agardo que este libro sirva de carta de presentación, xesto de benvida a todos, dentro e fóra do país, con interese na cultura galega.

Jonathan Dunne
Santiago de Compostela, 21 de maio de 2010

Anthology of Galician Literature 1196-1981

Today sees the publication by Edicións Xerais de Galicia and Editorial Galaxia of a bilingual Anthology of Galician Literature 1196-1981, edited by Jonathan Dunne, which aims to give the general reader a history of Galician literature through the texts themselves. Fifty-five texts by forty authors (and six voices that are anonymous) have been translated by a total of twenty-two translators working in the field of Galician-English translation. These range from medieval songs or cantigas to folk tales and verses, learned poetry, poetry of the Galician Revival (or Rexurdimento) and classic authors of the 20th century writing a mixture of fiction, poetry, essay and theatre. While the editor, Jonathan Dunne, chose the genres, authors and books that would be represented in this anthology spanning 785 years, from the first literary text written in Galician-Portuguese to the 1981 Galician Statute of Autonomy, the texts themselves were chosen by Galician writers and specialists from José Ángel Valente to Carlos Casares, Manuel María, Uxío Novoneyra, Xosé Luís Méndez Ferrín, Manuel Rivas and a host of others. In total, 124 people contributed to this book, which it is hoped will act as a letter of introduction to all those from outside who wish to know more about Galician culture and the foundations of contemporary Galician literature.

Coincidentally, Francis Boutle Publishers are due to bring out another historical anthology of Galician literature, Breogán’s Lighthouse, edited by Antonio Raúl de Toro Santos. These two books will bring the total of Galician books published in English to 38.

Xerais and Galaxia agree to publish bilingual Galician anthology

Edicións Xerais and Editorial Galaxia, the two main commercial publishers in Galicia, have agreed to publish together a bilingual Galician-English anthology of Galician literature covering 800 years in 55 texts.

The anthology will cover the period from 1196, the date of the earliest written text, to 1981, passing through the Middle Ages (the medieval cantigas or songs), folk literature, the 19th-century Galician revival and the prose and poetry of the 20th century either side of the Spanish Civil War.

The purpose of the anthology is to introduce the general reader to the history of Galician literature, literature written in Galician and (during the Middle Ages) Galician-Portuguese, by means of parallel Galician-English texts.

The editor is Jonathan Dunne. All 55 texts that make up the anthology are chosen by Galician writers and academics from an author (such as Ánxel Fole), from a book (such as Cousas or Follas novas) or from a genre (such as the famous cantigas de amigo or songs of a friend).

The anthology is due for publication in the spring of 2010!