In the most recent wave of U.S. ecocriticism, scholar Lynn Keller has coined the term the self-conscious Anthropocene. This self-consciousness recognizes the omnipresent impact of humankind on the entire planet and questions whether any places remain that are untouched by human influence. This talk will explore the rise of ecopoetic texts demonstrating a self-conscious awareness of the climate crisis published in Norway in the past two decades and will look at formal poetic inventions in relationship to the conceptual or material problems these works present. Additionally, this talk will draw on insights and challenges emerging from previous and ongoing translation of ecopoetry to English as well as new ecotranslation theories in the field of translation studies, such as how notions of place, resilience, and relatedness inform literary translation. This talk invites a collaborative conversation on the ways in which new modes of ecotranslation can be created out of the poetics of the works translated, or, in other words, how ecotranslation can become its own form of ecopoetic recomposition.
About the presenter
Kathleen Maris Paltrineri is a poet and translator from Iowa. She is the recipient of a 2021–2022 Fulbright Fellowship to edit and translate an anthology of contemporary ecopoetry from Norway conducting research at the University of Oslo’s Department of Linguistics and Nordic Studies and the University of Tromsø’s Department of Language and Culture. Her translation of Kristin Berget’s poetry has been supported by a University of Iowa Stanley International Research Fellowship and has been published in Guernica, Brink, and Poetry in Action. Paltrineri’s poetry has recently appeared in Bennington Review, CALYX, and jubilat. She will be a 2022 artist-in-residence at the Arctic Circle Residency. More of her work may be found here.
About the event series
The OSEH Environmental Lunchtime Discussion series consists of short, 15 minute presentations by invited guests, followed by a discussion. We invite speakers from a wide variety of fields, both academic and beyond. The presentations are accessible and are aimed at anyone with an interest in environmental issues. All are welcome.