Log in
Jones's research-led translations expertly and innovatively communicate Bosnian, Serbian and Dutch poetry to English-reading poetry audiences (including poets) worldwide. His translations enable poets whose reach has previously been limited to single-language areas to expand towards English-reading audiences, thus enriching these audiences' cultural experience and enhancing Bosnian/Serbian/Dutch citizens' pride in their domestic literary heritage.
Jones's publications are the recognised English translations of these works. From 2008 to 2013, they have been used in numerous publications and websites as well as stimulating `onward' translations. His output has served as a catalyst for new events celebrating the poets, poems and cultures that he has worked on. The techniques developed as part of Jones's research also underpin expert-seminar leadership and translator-assessment work. This has influenced other translators' methods and enabled them to communicate poetry more effectively across linguistic barriers to increasingly larger audiences.
The present case study describes the impact of research at the University of East Anglia (UEA) on the practice, publishing and public understanding of literary translation. W.G. Sebald founded the British Centre for Literary Translation (BCLT) at UEA in 1989 to promote and encourage the translation of literary works, to support practising translators and to foster the study of translated literature. BCLT is a thriving international public cultural institute whose ethos and programme are shaped and informed by researchers working between the Centre and its academic home, the School of Literature, Drama and Creative Writing (LDC). Via workshops, publishing initiatives and a range of local, national and international events, the work of these researchers has had a significant impact on the public perception and understanding of literature in translation, and on the market for this literature within the UK and beyond.
As scholars and translators, Susan Bassnett, Maureen Freely, Michael Hulse and Tony Howard have driven translation theory and practice, and introduced new authors and new cultures to Anglophone readers. Their translations have provided economic benefits to authors and to independent publishing houses specialising in translation. Bassnett's and Freely's work with professional translation organisations has informed the development of professional translators, resulting in greater professionalization and increased public recognition.
Through his practice-led research and active promotion of community-based poetry initiatives, the University of Reading's Peter Robinson has increased the availability of poetry at local, national and international levels. As a result of his work, poetry has been more prominently staged, explained and argued for in public forums, enhancing the cultural lives and wellbeing of individuals and communities. Economic impact has been achieved through Robinson's intervention in helping to secure the financial viability and boost the profile of a small publishing firm specialising in poetry, which in turn has improved the cultural life and self-esteem for the local community.
Based on a common research interest in the collaborative poetic of the New York School, and a commitment to the public value of poetry, University of Kent poets have created a poetry scene of national and international significance. Together they founded the innovative poetry festival Sounds New Poetry, which led to the award-winning performance series Free Range. Sounds New Poetry's significance lies in its creation and intellectual enrichment of new audiences for poetry and its advancement of the creative practice of major musicians and poets through cross-media collaborations. Building on the achievement of Sounds New Poetry, the Arts Council-funded Wise Words enabled PGCE students to take contemporary poetry to `out of mainstream' groups. The programme extended the reach of the festival by changing pedagogy within regional PGCE practice and enriching the experience of users from a range of community education groups.
The primacy of oral poetry to Somali culture cannot be overstated: It is the primary form of cultural communication and the foremost vehicle through which Somali history, cultural values and contemporary concerns are expressed and transmitted. Through his pioneering analysis and sensitive translation into English of classical and contemporary Somali poems, Dr Martin Orwin has brought Somali poetry to the attention of Anglophone audiences, participating in web-accessible poetry projects and prominent events such as `Sonnet Sunday` and `Poetry Parnassus`. Working with Somali poets and cultural organisations, Orwin`s work has contributed to a more positive understanding of Somali culture and its place in world literature.
This case study describes the impact of the research activities of the University of Sheffield's Professor of Poetry, Simon Armitage. Armitage is one of the UK's best known and most highly acclaimed poets, a respected translator of medieval texts and a leading light for the public communication of arts research. His work is direct, emotionally powerful, and communicates strange, marginal, and extreme experiences in language which allows readers to re-experience those states: the impact of his poetry therefore derives from the communication of affect across time and space through the medium of the poem, on the page and in readings. This impact is felt by audiences on a global, national, and local level, through Armitage's work as a poet in different media (from broadcast to the material landscape), a teacher, a public intellectual, and a curator of poetry festivals. In these varied roles, Armitage champions the power of poetry and demonstrates its relevance to our lives today. Specifically, his work has had four major forms of impact:
(i) the power and accessibility of his poetry — and its rich explorations of mind, world and language — have created cultural capital for a wide readership, enriching the emotional and intellectual lives of individuals and groups of readers;
(ii) his work disseminating and encouraging poetry has led to an enhanced understanding and an increased appreciation of what poetry does in the world, fostering future generations of readers and poets both within the UK and internationally and thus contributing to the sustainability and vitality of this art form;
(iii) his investigation of topics such as trauma and victimization has illuminated cultural attitudes and changed perceptions, as well as directly helping those who have experienced such ordeals;
(iv) book sales and ticket sales have had economic impact for the arts organizations, venues and publishers involved.
Professor Leeder has made a major contribution to raising the levels of cultural awareness and understanding of modern German poetry in the UK and beyond. Her research has enabled the English-speaking public to discover poetry previously unknown to them and has brought emerging poetry into the public realm. It has revived interest in forgotten writers via public engagement, commissioning and translation of new work and through Leeder's advisory work with media and cultural institutions. Leeder has influenced the programming and presentation of German poetry, engaging new media to create new audiences. Her research and translation expertise has contributed both to changing how German poetry is translated and performed by others, and to how artists respond to it in their own work.
W.N. Herbert, Jackie Kay and Sean O'Brien have played central roles in the recent resurgence of interest in poetry as live performance and cultural event, and have been instrumental in a growing recognition of its power as a means of social engagement. Their research and writing have provided a foundation for the Newcastle Centre for the Literary Arts (NCLA), a University Research Centre directed by Linda Anderson. Through the NCLA they have been able (i) to build audiences for literature generally, and poetry in particular, at live events, online and in communities; (ii) to engage key groups, including young and older people, and to study creative writing's benefits for learning and wellbeing; (iii) to enhance the public understanding of poetry, by disseminating research, encouraging debate, and providing resources and new opportunities to encounter poetry.
Research in writing and the small presses at the University of Salford has directly impacted upon the creation of new contexts and networks for the development and showcasing of innovative writing. It has: