Translating Henri Michaux: A Performed Musical Experience

Henri Michaux (1899-1984) has left us a formidable œuvre of poetry, prose, and art. Often classed as surrealist, his work challenges us through dreams and fantasies to an exploration of inner worlds. How can such an idiosyncratic vision be translated into other languages, or even other art forms? What is lost in translation, and what is there to gain? In this 3-day workshop, we will pursue these questions both theoretically and practically, under the guidance of an instructor who has extensively written about, and conversed with, Henri Michaux himself.

PICT Workshop: 3 sessions

Translating Henri Michaux into English as a performed musical experience
La traduction d’Henri Michaux vers l’anglais en tant qu’expérience poétique et musicale

Session 1: Introduction to the work of Henri Michaux and the some of the poet’s thoughts about musical practice.

Découverte de l’œuvre de Michaux et quelques réflexions sur la pratique musicale.

Session 2: Translating two poems from French to English preserving their distinct musicality in each language with a focus on rhythm, assonance, and alliteration across languages, comparing our translations with those of David Ball in Darkness Moves.

Traduction de deux poèmes vers l’anglais pour en privilégier la musicalité de chaque langue. Comparaison avec les traductions de David Ball.

Session 3:  Co-creating a bilingual experience with the language and music of Michaux’s poetry.

Co-création d’une expérience bilingue musicale à partir de la poésie de Michaux.

Places should be booked online or sent by email to Macha Matalaev: macha@parisinstitute.org

Schedule

All PICT courses are held in person. Participants will be contacted by the course instructor with all relevant details (readings if any, exact address, etc.) via email during the week leading up to the course.

This PICT workshop is free for PICT Members. Become a member from 3 euros/month.

Image: Henri Michaux, Les Masques du vide (1942), Collection Jacques et Thessa Herold.