Naomi Mottram (2021), Henry Lambert (2022) and Jennifer Busch (2022), for work submitted jointly with Isabel Hagedorn, have been acknowledged by the jury of the John Dryden Competition for literary translation.
Naomi Mottram won Second Prize for her translation from Sofia Sinitskaia’s Russian text Mitrofanushka Durasov. Henry Lambert was one of three highly commended translators, for The Day of a Dreamer translated from Copi’s French text La Journée d’une rêveuse. Jennifer Busch and Isabel Hagedorn are on the longlist for Robbie, Tobbie and the Flywatoot, translated from Boy Lornsen’s German text Robbie, Tobbie und das Fliewatüüt.
“I am astonished and grateful,” says Mottram, whose entry is based on her MA dissertation project. “The text is simultaneously a complex piece of historical fiction and a fantastic contemporary fairy tale. Mitrofanushka is the innocent antithesis of all of the expectations of an 18th century Russian nobleman and yet through adventure and misadventure becomes a hero in his own right. The story is full of references to classic literature, theatre and culture, so it was fascinating for me to immerse myself in all of those aspects of 18th century Russian and European history. I was fortunate indeed to have Professor Andreas Schonle as my dissertation supervisor, there is no better guide to 18th century Russia!”
In a further nod to the collaborative nature of many translation project, including in literature, Mottram highlights that Sofia Sinitskaia, the author, “was incredibly helpful and supportive in the production of this translation. It was amazing to be able to discuss elements of the text and its interpretation with her, and I hope to work with her again in the future.”
“We are very proud of our graduates and are thrilled that the Dryden Competition jury has recognised their work,” says Christophe Fricker, programme director of the MA Translation. “The competition draws a very high number of submissions from many languages, and to stand out from such a crowd is a real achievement. We send our congratulations, and we are pleased that literary translation is alive and kicking!”
The John Dryden Translation Competition is sponsored by the British Comparative Literature Association and the British Centre for Literary Translation. Prizes are awarded for the best unpublished literary translations from any language into English. The competition is hosted by the School of Languages, Cultures and Societies at the University of Leeds.