Samuel Wilder joined us for a workshop on the poetry of Ateif Khieri, one of the leading Sudanese poets of his generation and a close friend of Al-Saddiq Al-Raddi, who introduced us to Ateif’s poetry.
The small, delicate and suggestive poem, ‘Exhortation to the Village (8)’, was one of the most complicated translations we’ve had to tackle in a workshop for a very long time. Arabic can sometimes be very difficult to unpick, but the kind of poetry that Ateif, and his friend, Al-Saddiq Al-Raddi, write, is particularly difficult to get into English because of the density of the imagery, the way in which images are juxtaposed and the freight of meanings from centuries of Sufi poetry that they bear.
Our poetry translation workshops are one of the PTC’s core activities. Through them we’ve first encountered some of the poets we’ve gone on to translate, publish and record at length. A significant number of the poets who’ve visited the UK to take part in our tours were introduced to us by a translator bringing their poems to a workshop.
The workshops are open to anyone who has the skills to translate the poetry of a living African, Asian or Latin American poet who has established a significant reputation in their own language. You don’t need to send us your translations before you join us.
Workshops are free but places are limited so advance booking is essential. If you’ve not attended one of our workshops before, please read this before booking a place.
