Few readers and scholars realise that prominent Swiss novelist and playwright Friedrich Dürrenmatt was also a formidable poet.
But Daniele Pantano, Programme Leader for Creative Writing at Edge Hill University, is about to change this perception with the release of the first ever English translations of Dürrenmatt’s poems: The Possible Is Monstrous: Selected Poems by Friedrich Dürrenmatt.
Friedrich Dürrenmatt (1921–1990) is considered not only the most prominent author of Swiss literature following the Second World War but also one of the most important literary figures of the second half of the twentieth century, rivalled, some scholars argue, only by Beckett, Brecht, Camus and Sartre.
As an author and dramatist, Dürrenmatt is well known in the United States, the United Kingdom and throughout the world. As a poet, however, he is not, which is why Daniele wanted to concentrate on this area of his creativity.
Senior Lecturer Daniele, who is also a poet, translator and critic, started the project seven years ago when he was studying for his MA. Whilst researching Dürrenmatt’s work he discovered that there were no English translations of his poetry.
He explained: “I felt that there was a need to complete the availability of his work in English translation, especially because Dürrenmatt began his literary career as a poet. I am Swiss myself, so I was in an excellent position to produce translations that would do justice to Dürrenmatt’s work as a poet.”
He added: “Every translator is a traitor, however, and any act of translation is both frustrating, because you’re never able to produce a perfect copy, and rewarding, especially when you come close to creating the same magic in another language.
"I think my translations are very accurate, though I did have to turn them into new poems in a new language.
"Most of Dürrenmatt’s poems in this volume should be read as lyric confessions in which our author is at his most sincere and humane. He tends to speak more freely, more honestly, in his poems.
"He discusses his home life, family and country, as well as the relationships he had with his actors and his critics.
"The result is a portrait of the private Dürrenmatt, the man behind the great novels and plays, the man who was highly critical of Switzerland, especially of the corrupt banking system, yet who also loved the beauty of the place and its people.
“I hope that my translations will give an insight into the man he was and give a voice to a hitherto silent part of Dürrenmatt’s canon in translation. For some people this may be a real eye-opener.”
Dürrenmatt’s works have been translated into virtually all languages. Among his best-known works are the plays The Visit (1956) and The Physicists (1962), as well as the novels The Judge and His Executioner (1952) and The Pledge (1958). In 2001, The Pledge was adapted for the screen (directed by Sean Penn and starring Jack Nicholson).
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