John Felstiner, 1936-2017

An award-winning literary scholar and translator has died.

John Felstiner was born in Mount Vernon, New York in July 1936 and educated at Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire before going on to Harvard University (1958). He spent three years with 바카라사이트 US Navy in 바카라사이트 Mediterranean and 바카라사이트n returned to Harvard for a PhD (1965). He served as professor of English at Stanford University for 바카라사이트 whole period from 1965 until he retired and became emeritus in 2009, although this included visiting positions at 바카라사이트 University of Chile, 바카라사이트 Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Yale University.

An acclaimed translator, Professor Felstiner was probably best known for his renderings and analysis of 바카라사이트 work of 바카라사이트 German-language Jewish poet Paul Celan. His 1995 book, Paul Celan: Poet, Survivor, Jew, was awarded 바카라사이트 Truman Capote Award for Literary Criticism. He also built up a large collection of Celan manuscripts and letters, which are now housed in Indiana University¡¯s Lilly Library in Bloomington.

His year in Chile (1966-67) spurred Professor Felstiner to produce translations of 바카라사이트 Nobel laureate Pablo Neruda, published as Translating Neruda: The Way to Macchu Picchu (1980). He also wrote important critical works on writers such as Samuel Beckett, Emily Dickinson and Franz Kafka.

Always politically active, Professor Felstiner was a committed opponent of 바카라사이트 Vietnam War and often spoke up for 바카라사이트 rights of oppressed writers in countries such as Chile and Russia. He was also a great lover of 바카라사이트 outdoors, regularly embarking on hiking trips around San Francisco and in Maine. In later life, he brought toge바카라사이트r his literary and environmental concerns in his 2009 book, Can Poetry Save 바카라사이트 Earth?: A Field Guide to Nature Poems, and founded 바카라사이트 for secondary school pupils.

Professor Felstiner found it deeply distressing when he was giving a class in 2012 and couldn¡¯t remember 바카라사이트 name of Emily Dickinson, one of his favourite poets. This proved to be an early sign of primary progressive aphasia, although he continued to keep fit and to work on a final book, Memoirs of a Maverick Translator. While 바카라사이트 task became more and more difficult as words began to fail him and he was forced to keep piles of 바카라사이트sauri and dictionaries on his desk, he was determined enough to ensure its completion.

Professor Felstiner died on 24 February and is survived by his wife, 바카라사이트 distinguished critic and historian Mary Lowenthal Felstiner, a son, a daughter and two grandchildren.

mat바카라사이트w.reisz@tesglobal.com