Professor to teach Joyce in Trieste, the author's "second country"
The works of James Joyce, one of the most entrancing and puzzling authors of the 20th century, are not the easiest things to read.
Jolanta Wawrzycka knows this to be true. But for her, reading Joyce is a special thrill, translating him is an even bigger one and teaching is the best one of all.
Joyce’s work has resonated around the world, giving rise to an international community of scholars that includes Wawrzycka, professor of English. Her latest honor in the community is an invitation to participate in the 2016 Trieste Joyce School as a guest lecturer on issues of pedagogy and translation.
“Translation of literature involves more that just looking for a word in the dictionary,” says Wawrzycka. “Translator has to be a very close reader and have a cultural understanding of the two languages involved. The challenge is to find expressions that work in both.” She finished translating Joyce’s Chamber Music into Polish, and published translations of poetry by the Nobel Prize laureates, W. B. Yeats (into Polish) and Czesław Miłosz (into English).
“I’m very proud to be invited to teach at the Trieste Joyce School again,” Wawrzycka said. “Like my fellow Joyceans, I like to share my scholarship and teaching experience. I also think that access to current research it is very important, which is why all of my works are on Academia.edu.” For Wawrzycka, working on Joyce “is an immensely gratifying activity because it is never ‘just’ Joyce.” She recently published articles on Joyce and Dante and on Joyce and W. B. Yeats in Joyce Studies in Italy. Both works derive from her conference presentations at the University of Rome, Italy, and University of York, England.
Although his work is intimately tied to Dublin, Joyce spent his adult life in other European cities, including Trieste. The Trieste Joyce School, now in its 20th year, honors his stay by offering the annual academic program where scholars and students enjoy lectures, seminars and social and cultural events in the city Joyce called his “second country.”
Wawrzycka has lectured at the Joyce Schools in both Trieste and Dublin, brought students to the James Joyce Italian Foundation Graduate Conference in Rome and attended numerous Zurich Joyce Foundation August Workshops. She is a trustee of the International James Joyce Foundation, the editor of Joyce/translation-themed collections and author of numerous articles on Joyce, his influences and his legacy.
The Trieste Joyce School is one of many events that will help fans and scholars – like Wawrzycka - engage with the author’s work. What better way to understand than study Joyce in a place he lived and loved?