In Poetry & Translation the acclaimed poet and translator Peter Robinson examines the activity as of translation practised by poets and others, and how the various practices of translating have continued in parallel with the writing of original poetry. So, while some attention is paid to classic statements of the translator’s cultural role, statements such as Walter Benjamin’s, readers should not expect to find formalized theoretical debate along the lines already developed in translation studies courses and their teaching handbooks. Instead Poetry & Translation seeks to raise issues and matters for discussion - the character of bilingual editions and how they are, or may be, read - not to close them down. The aim of the book is be to increase knowledge of, and thought about, the interactive processes of reading and writing poetry composed in mother tongues and in translations. Poetry & Translation will be of value to all devoted readers and students of poetry or translation, to students involved in classical and modern languages, and to those taking part in creative writing courses, whether as students or as teachers.

Informative as well as argued, polemical as well as seeking out common ground, and written in a no-nonsense, clear style, Poetry & Translation shows quite simple things to be complex and more nuanced than thought but has also a refreshing directness about dealing with things that have often been made to seem too complex to deal with. It is also written from the triple perspective of poet, translator and critic. A fine book.'

Patrick McGuinness Source: University of Oxford