Photo by Jarosław Hetman
Researcher and translator of North American literature
Prof. Krzysztof Majer is a translator and a literary scholar at the Faculty of Philology. He specialises in North American prose and his work encompasses both academic work, translation and editing.
He is an editor at “Literatura na Świecie” bimonthly (one of Poland’s most prestigious journals) and “Text Matters”, for which he co-edited with Sherry Simon from the Concordia University in Montreal a special issue on translation.
Dr Majer has translated the works of many distinguished English-language writers, including John Barth, Herman Melville and David Markson. With Sylvia Soderlind, he has also co-translated into English the post-Holocaust correspondence of Chava Rosenfarb and Zenia Larsson, published by McGill University Press as “Letters from the Afterlife”.
A place created for literature
The Jan Michalski Foundation Residency is a programme supporting literary creators from around the world – both established authors and emerging writers. The foundation is located in an inspirational setting at the foot of the Jura Mountains in Switzerland. Each resident receives a dedicated space for work and living.
The programme is open to all languages and forms of writing, though it prioritises fiction and translation. This year, nearly 70 authors from around the world have joined the programme.
International recognition
The Jan Michalski Foundation is known for its rigorous selection process – applications are assessed based on the literary quality of the project, the candidate's experience and the appropriateness of the planned duration of the stay to the scope of the work. During his month at Montricher, Dr Majer will be working on several chapters of a new translation of Malcolm Lowry's novel "Under the Volcano", which Krystyna Tarnowska translated half a century ago. The new translation is being prepared for the Łódź-based publishing house Officyna.
The presence of a Polish researcher and translator among the institution's residents is further evidence of the strong position of Polish humanities and literary translation in the international cultural arena. It also offers an opportunity for a project that – like many works created at Montricher – will transcend the boundaries of a single language and country.
More information about the Jan Michalski Foundation’s residency
