2014 Compass Translation Award: Arseny Tarkovsky Competition
Event Date:
Accepting submissions from February 15 through July 31, 2014
This year’s Compass Award competition is dedicated to the poetry of Arseny Tarkovsky (1907-89). Though he began writing in the 1920s, Tarkovsky's first collection, Before the Snow, did not appear until 1962, when it was praised by Anna Akhmatova as "an unexpected and precious present to the reader." Indeed, Tarkovsky was an essential bridge between the Silver Age and the generation of the Thaw. The rhythms of his verse have a mesmerizing quality. His work is both profoundly spiritual and earthy in its detail and texture. Tarkovsky's reputation among Russian poets and readers is secure, but he is only now becoming better known in the English speaking world, which has long held his son, filmmaker Andrei Tarkovsky, in high esteem. We hope that this contest will aid in this process of discovery for English readers. Like the previous year's Compass poet, his friend Maria Petrovykh, Tarkovsky was an accomplished translator. We look forward to receiving translations that demonstrate a level of craft comparable to what one finds in Tarkovsky’s own renditions.
The submission guidelines are as follows:
1. One translated poem per entry (participant's choice). Team entries are allowed and encouraged.
2. The translation, along with the Russian original, should be sent via email both in the body of the message and as an attached Word file at the Compass Contest email address (compass@stosvet.net) with the words "Tarkovsky Contest" in the subject line.
3. Participant’s name, mailing address, telephone number, and email address should appear only on the cover page of the Word file.
4. The contest entry fee is $20 per entry paid online through the Cardinal Points donation page. If for any reason – political, geographical, or technical – you are unable to submit your entry fee, please send a request for a fee waiver to the same address. The organizers consider such waivers as exceptions.
5. The number of entries is not limited, but each entry is considered separately.
We will accept submissions starting February 15, 2014. The deadline is July 31, 2014.
The shortlisted translations will be published in both Cardinal Points and Стороны Света journals.
For more information, visit Compass Award
