WHEN POETS TRANSLATE POETRY (VESNA PARUN’S TRANSLATION OF PENJO PENEV’S POETRY)
Études balkaniques (Sofia) 2024, N 3, DOI: https://doi.org/10.62761/645.EB.LX3.04
Ana VASUNG
University of Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract: The paper examines Vesna Parun’s translation work from an intercultural perspective, highlighting her role as a true intercultural translator who belonged to and connected Bulgarian and Croatian cultural spaces and literatures. Parun’s success in translating Penjo Penev’s works is attributed to her deep immersion in Bulgarian language and culture, as well as her poetic aptitude and mastery of poetic traditions. Parun’s translation skills were bolstered by her interpretative abilities, enabling her to understand both the original text’s context and its new reception context. Her familiarity with the socio-political and cultural milieu of the time, as an active participant, further enhanced her translations. The paper asserts that Parun adeptly navigated the various intra- and extra-linguistic elements influencing literature and its translation, solidifying her legacy as a masterful translator of poetry.
Keyword: Vesna Parun, Penjo Penev, poetry, translation, Bulgarian