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ճTROJICA AIRresident in September and October is translatorIldikó Hizsnyaiová.
Ildikó Hizsnyai Tóthor Ildikó Hizsnyaiováwas born in1966 inŠaľa. She is a Hungarian translator, translation theorist and journalist. She studied Hungarian and Language at the Faculty of Arts of the Comenius University in Bratislava, where she later received her PhD and taught from1997 to2018. As a theorist, she focuses on proper nouns, their application and creation in translation, and she is also the author of various studies.
She translates from into Hungarian, especially contemporary literature, scientific publications, and screenplays and subtitles for film. She is the author of book translations as well as a great number of translations published in magazines. She wasawarded theImre Madách Prizethree times, for her Hungarian translation of books byʱٱʾšťԱ(2000) andʲվDZý(2003, 2012),and she has also received theLiteraryFund prizefor a bilingualpublication (2008). As a resident inBanskáŠtiavnica, she was busy translating Pavel Vilikovský'sbookLetmý sneh / Fleeting Snow.
As part of the Trojica Air program, each resident has a public presentation together with the author they aretranslating. SincePavel Vilikovský had passed away, the organizers decided to offer a closer look at the translational work of his books into different languages. Aside fromѾDzղDZá, translator and former director of LIC / The Literary Center, and Mrs. Hizsnyaiová,the English translatorJúlia Sherwood, andFrench translatorPeter Brabenec werepresent.They were talking about the translational possibilites of Vilikovský'sliterary language, e.g. sharing experiences with translating the titleLetmý sneh (Fleeting Snow)..
Below you can find a fewanswersMrs.Hizsnyaiová gave about her residency.The interview byMichal Krížin its original, uncut versionwas published inthe magazineŠtiavnické noviny.
You are translating a work byPavelVilikovský. How is his book interesting for you asa translator? And how, do you think, can it be interesting for readersin Hungary?
I have come across his novellaVečne je zelený / Ever Green Is in1989 as a literaturestudent; at the time, he started publishing again after a longer hiatus.His extraordinarily rich language and style finesse reminded me of my favorite Hungarian authorPeterEsterházy. It was love at first reading, altough I did not know then that I would become a translator of his. I have translated two of his novels, and both received the Literary Fund Prize for best translation.PavelVilikovský is known to Hungarian readers thanks to the publishing houseKaligram. They published an edition of six of his books, and all were very well presented. Pavel Vilikovský is the best known and most popular author in Hungary. I am currently translating his novelLetmý sneh, which will be the seventh published in Hungary.Aside from that, I have tackled Vilikovský from the position ofa theorist, sinceI have taught artistic translation at the Department of Hungarian Language at the Academy of Arts of the Comenius Universityin Bratislava for twenty years.I was part of raising a young generation of translators on both sides.
What are your thoughts on the work conditions you have at the residency, andon Banská Štiavnica as a place for your challenging intellectual work?
The conditions are ideal: my main work tools are silence and tranquility, which I have here. I am very thankful for this opportunity.I have a particular relationship to thistown as I was here a couple of years ago, translating thetourist guide7x7 aboutBanskáŠtiavnica. Later, I translatedKatarínaVošková's bookPutovanie Kalváriou (Wandering the Calvary). The Calvary is a favorite of mine, a baroque jewel connecting architecture and nature in a beautiful way. I feel at home here, I like the history of the place and I admire its residents for breathing life into this town through their activities.
