The Surplus of Meaning: Translating Adam Mickiewicz's Pan Tadeusz.
The article focuses on Adam Mickiewicz’s *Pan Tadeusz*, a seminal 1834 Polish epic poem often regarded as Poland’s national epic but less recognized internationally due to historical and linguistic factors. It examines the challenges of translating *Pan Tadeusz*—notably its complex form of nearly fi...
| Publicado en: | Polish Review Vol. 71; no. 2; pp. 103 - 111 |
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| Formato: | Artículo |
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University of Illinois Press
2026
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| Acceso en línea: | Ver este registro en EBSCOhost |
| fields | @attributes: recordID: 1 pdfLink: plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=hlh&AN=193784236&site=ehost-live header: @attributes: shortDbName: hlh uiTerm: 193784236 longDbName: Humanities International Complete uiTag: AN controlInfo: bkinfo: jinfo: jid: 00322970 PLE jtl: Polish Review issn: 00322970 maglogo: N pubinfo: dt: 2026 vid: 71 iid: 2 pid: 416 pub: University of Illinois Press artinfo: ui: 193784236 10.5406/23300841.71.2.05 ppf: 103 ppct: 8 formats: fmt: – @attributes: type: T – @attributes: type: P size: 117KB tig: atl: The Surplus of Meaning: Translating Adam Mickiewicz's Pan Tadeusz. aug: au: Bill, Stanley affil: University of Cambridge su: Translating & interpreting Translations of poetry Literary interpretation Poets Poetry (Literary form) Translators Polish literature Poland sug: subj: Poland Translating & interpreting Translations of poetry Literary interpretation Poets Poetry (Literary form) Translators Polish literature ab: The article focuses on Adam Mickiewicz’s *Pan Tadeusz*, a seminal 1834 Polish epic poem often regarded as Poland’s national epic but less recognized internationally due to historical and linguistic factors. It examines the challenges of translating *Pan Tadeusz*—notably its complex form of nearly five thousand rhymed Alexandrine couplets—and compares two recent English translations: Bill Johnston’s 2018 verse translation and Christopher Adam Zakrzewski’s 2024 prose version. Johnston’s translation strives to recreate the poem’s poetic form and rhythmic qualities using iambic pentameter and varied rhyme, while Zakrzewski’s prose aims for accessibility and readability, presenting the work more as a historical novel. Both translations address the tension between preserving the poem’s stylistic richness and making it available to English readers, with Johnston’s version praised for its poetic fidelity and Zakrzewski’s for its clarity and narrative flow. pubtype: Academic Journal doctype: Article src: R language: English refInfo: copyright: @attributes: flag: Y custom: Copyright of Polish Review is the property of University of Illinois Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. item: Polish Review holder: University of Illinois Press dt: @attributes: year: 2026 holdings: @attributes: islocal: N |
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