A fraction of good poetry, strong prose and thought-inspiring essays will ever be translated into foreign languages. Unparalleled literary treasures, classics as well as more recent works, remain confined within their respective original languages, awaiting translation for new readers to experience. An example:
Bolesław Leśmian (1877–1937) is considered by many as the most original Polish poet of his time. His magical worlds are vibrating with emotions, moods, colours and sounds that are reflected in a personal language of his own, Leśmianian rather than Polish. Can Leśmianian speak to other than Poles? If you read Swedish, you can acquaint yourself with the only poem by Leśmian that to the best of my knowledge has ever been translated to Swedish. Consider all splendid works of literature that are still waiting to be translated.
A selection of my translations:
- Czesław Miłosz, Traktater på vers [Treatises in Verse], preface and translation from Polish into Swedish by Jurek Hirschberg, Bokförlaget h:ström – Text & Kultur, Umeå 2016
- Mascha Kaléko, Kungen och näktergalen [The King and the Nightingale], translated from German into Swedish by Jurek Hirschberg, illustrated by Magda Korotyńska, afterword by Horst Schröder, Epix Bokförlag, Stockholm 2021
- Leonard Neuger, Amsagor för vuxna barn [Tall Tales for Grown-Up Children], translation from Polish into Swedish by Jurek Hirschberg, illustrated by Maria Hordyj-Jönsson, Epix Bokförlag, Stockholm 2023
I translate other texts in addition to literature. Read about my language services.
