john fardnon

Translations

I’ve been privileged to translate more literature recently, especially from Russia and Central Asia. I don’t speak the original languages, but I work in close collaboration with native speakers and, if possible the writer, to ensure the highest possible fidelity to the original.  My translations of the poetry of Russian poet Lidia Grigorieva were nominated for many awards including the Griffin poetry prize, and I was joint winner of the European Bank RD Literary Prize 2019 for his translation of the verse in Hamid Ismailov’s The Devil’s Dance. I’ve just completed the first major collection of English translations of the songs of Vladimir Vysotsky and my libretto of Puccini opera La Boheme was performed in the Arcola’s 2015 Grimeborn Festival to rave reviews .