Peter Constantine

Infobox Writer
name =

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imagesize = 270px
caption = Peter Constantine, 2008
birthdate = 1963
birthplace = London
occupation = Translator, Writer
nationality = United Kingdom, United States
genre = Translation

Peter Constantine (born 1963, London, United Kingdom) is a British and American award-winning literary translator who has translated literary works from German, Russian, French, Modern Greek, Ancient Greek, Italian, Albanian, Dutch, and Slovene.

Biography

Constantine was born to an Austrian mother and a British father of Turkish and Greek descent. He grew up in Athens, Greece before moving to the United States in 1983. In his first books, "Japanese Street Slang" and "Japanese Slang: Uncensored" he explored Japanese slang and criminal jargons in their many varieties, focusing on aspects of the Japanese language that had been traditionally marginalized. "Previously unprintable things that will inform, amuse, shock and maybe even disgust" (Joseph LaPenta: "Daily Yomiuri Newspaper", December 6, 1992).In the early 1990s, Constantine began translating short stories and poetry from various European languages, publishing in literary magazines in the United States, Britain, and Australia. Since the publication of his first book-length translation, "Thomas Mann: Six Early Stories", he has worked almost exclusively as a literary translator.

"Contemporary Authors" quotes Constantine: "I have always been interested in language in all its aspects. Working with master linguists such as Thomas Mann, Chekhov, Dostoevsky, and Babel has been particularly rewarding for me, since these writers push language to an extreme, and the translator has to vigorously mold the translation in order to try to recreate their effects." [Constantine, Peter. Biography - (1963-): An article from: Contemporary Authors Online [HTML] (Digital). Farmington Hills, Michigan: Thomson Gale, 2007. ]

Honors

In 1998 Constantine received the PEN/Book-of-the-Month Club Translation Prize for his translation of Thomas Mann's "Six Early Stories" . [cite web
title = Book-of-the-Month-Club Translation Prize winners
work =
publisher = PEN American Center
date = 2007
url = http://www.pen.org/page.php/prmID/591 ] It was chosen by the New York Times as a "Noteable Book of the Year". In 1999 he was awarded the National Translation Award for "The Undiscovered Chekhov: Thirty-Eight New Stories". [cite web
title = National Translation Award (past winners)
publisher = American Literary Translators Association
date = 2007
url = http://www.utdallas.edu/alta/about/pastwin.html] In 2002, Constantine's translation of "The Complete Works of Isaac Babel", edited by Nathalie Babel, received a Koret Jewish Book Award and a National Jewish Book Award citation. His translation of the Modern Greek Poet Stylianos Harkianakis's poetry book "Mother" received the 2004/2005 Hellenic Association of Translators of Literature Prize. In 2007 Constantine was the recipient of the Helen and Kurt Wolff Translator's Prize for his translation of Benjamin Lebert's novel "The Bird is a Raven". [cite web
last =
first =
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = Peter Constantine recipient of the 2007 Helen and Kurt Wolff Translator's Prize
work =
publisher = Goethe Institute
date = 2000
url = http://www.goethe.de/ins/us/lp/prj/wol/rec/2007/deindex.htm] His translation of "The Essential Writings of Machiavelli" was a finalist for the 2008 PEN/Book-of-the-Month Club Translation Prize.

Translator

* Citation
first = Hans
last = Deichmann
first2 = Peter (with Peter Glassgold)
last2 = Constantine
title = Objects: A Chronicle of Subversion in Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy
year = 1997
place = New York
publisher = Marsilio Publishing
id = ISBN 1-56886-048-X
* Citation
first = Thomas
last = Mann
author-link = Thomas Mann
first2 = Peter
last2 = Constantine
title = Six Early Stories
year = 1997
place = Los Angeles
publisher = Sun and Moon Press
id = ISBN 1557132984
* Citation
first = Gunter
last = Grass
author-link = Gunter Grass
first2 = Peter
last2 = Constantine
title = For Yasar Kemal
year = 1997
place = foreword by Vanessa Redgrave. London
publisher = International Artists Against Racism
id = ISBN 0 9532451 0 1
* Citation
first = Anton
last = Chekhov
author-link = Anton Chekhov
first2 = Peter
last2 = Constantine
title = The Undiscovered Chekhov: Thirty-Eight New Stories (Hard Cover)
year = 1998
place = New York
publisher = Seven Stories Press
id = ISBN 1-888363-76-2
* Citation
first = Werner
last = Küstenmacher
author-link =
first2 = Peter
last2 = Constantine
title = Frommer's Moon: A Guide For First-Time Visitors 1999
year = 1999
place = London
publisher = John Wiley & Sons
id = ISBN 0028628691
* Citation
first = Anton
last = Chekhov
author-link = Anton Chekhov
first2 = Peter
last2 = Constantine
title = The Undiscovered Chekhov: Forty-Three New Stories (Paperback)
year = 2000
place = foreword by Spalding Grey. New York
publisher = Seven Stories Press
id = ISBN 1-58322-026-7
* Citation
first = Yannis
last = Souliotis
first2 = Peter
last2 = Constantine
title = In Greek Blue: Poems
year = 2000
place = Athens
publisher = Mimnermos, 2000
* Citation
first = Kadare
last = Ismail
author-link = Ismail Kadare
first2 = Peter
last2 = Constantine
title = Elegy For Kosovo
year = 2000
place = New York
publisher = Arcade Publishing
id = ISBN 1559705280
* Citation
first = Kadare
last = Ismail
author-link = Ismail Kadare
first2 = Peter
last2 = Constantine
title = Three Elegies for Kosovo
year = 2000
place = London
publisher = Harvill Press
id = ISBN 1860467075
* Citation
first = Hannah Arendt
last = Heinrich Blücher
author-link = Hannah Arendt
first2 = Peter
last2 = Constantine
title = Within Four Walls: The Correspondence between Hannah Arendt and Heinrich Blücher, 1936-1968
year = 2000
place = New York
publisher = Harcourt
id = ISBN 0-15-100303-3
* Citation
first = Isaac
last = Babel
author-link = Isaac Babel
first2 = Peter
last2 = Constantine
title = The Complete Works Of Isaac Babel
year = 2001
place = edited by Nathalie Babel. Foreword by Cynthia Ozick. New York
publisher = W.W. Norton & Company
id = ISBN 0-393-04846-2
* Citation
first = Anton
last = Chekhov
author-link = Anton Chekhov
first2 = Peter
last2 = Constantine
title = The Undiscovered Chekhov: Fifty-One New Stories
year = 2001
place = London
publisher = Duck Editions
id = ISBN 0715631063
* Citation
first = Brina
last = Svit
author-link =
first2 = Peter
last2 = Constantine
title = Con Brio
year = 2002
place = London
publisher = Harvill Press
id = ISBN 1-86046-857-8
* Citation
first = Isaac
last = Babel
author-link = Isaac Babel
first2 = Peter
last2 = Constantine
title = The Collected Stories
year = 2002
place = edited by Nathalie Babel. Foreword by Cynthia Ozick. New York
publisher = W.W. Norton & Company
id = ISBN 0-393-32402-8
* Citation
first = Isaac
last = Babel
author-link = Isaac Babel
first2 = Peter
last2 = Constantine
title = The Red Cavalry Stories
year = 2003
place = edited by Nathalie Babel. Foreword by Michael Dirda. New York
publisher = W.W. Norton & Company
id = ISBN 0-393-32423-0
* Citation
first = Felix
last = Morrisseau-Leroy
author-link =
first2 = Peter
last2 = Constantine
title = Three Haitian Creole Tales
year = 2003
place = Los Angeles
publisher = Green Integer Press
id = ISBN 1931243220
* Citation
first = Nikolai
last = Gogol
author-link = Nikolai Gogol
first2 = Peter
last2 = Constantine
title = Taras Bulba
year = 2003
place = introduction by Robert D. Kaplan. New York
publisher = Random House Modern Library
id = ISBN 0-679-64255-2
* Citation
first = Leo
last = Tolstoy
author-link = Leo Tolstoy
first2 = Peter
last2 = Constantine
title = The Cossacks
year = 2004
place = introduction by Cynthia Ozick. New York
publisher = Random House Modern Library
id = ISBN 0-679-64291-9
* Citation
first =
last = Voltaire
author-link = Voltaire
first2 = Peter
last2 = Constantine
title = Candide
year = 2005
place = New York
publisher = Random House Modern Library
id = ISBN 0-679-64313-3
* Citation
first = Brina
last = Svit
author-link =
first2 = Peter
last2 = Constantine
title = Death of a Prima Donna
year = 2005
place = London
publisher = Harvill Press
id = ISBN 1-84343-045-2
* Citation
first = Benjamin
last = Lebert
author-link = Benjamin Lebert
first2 = Peter
last2 = Constantine
title = The Bird is a Raven
year = 2006
place = New York
publisher = Alfred A. Knopf
id = ISBN 1-4000-4284-4
* Citation
first = Bernhard
last = Schlink
author-link = Bernhard Schlink
first2 = Peter
last2 = Constantine
title = Self's Deception
year = 2007
place = New York
publisher = Vintage Books
id = ISBN 978-0-375-70908-1
* Citation
first = Niccolò
last = Machiavelli
author-link = Niccolò Machiavelli
first2 = Peter
last2 = Constantine
title = The Essential Writings of Machiavelli
year = 2007
place = New York
publisher = Random House Modern Library
id = ISBN 0-679-64313-3
* Citation
first =
last = Sohocles
author-link = Sophocles
first2 = Peter
last2 = Constantine
title = Three Theban Plays
year = 2007
place = New York
publisher = Barnes & Noble Classics Collection
id = ISBN 1-59308-235-5

Author

* Citation
first = Peter
last = Constantine
title = Japanese Street Slang
year = 1992
place = foreword by James D. McCawley. New York
publisher = Tengu Books
id = ISBN 0-8348-0250-3
* Citation
first = Peter
last = Constantine
title = Japan's Sex Trade: A Journey Through Japan's Erotic Subcultures
year = 1993
place = Tokyo
publisher = Yen Books
id = ISBN 4-900737-00-3
* Citation
first = Peter
last = Constantine
title = Japanese Slang: Uncensored
year = 1994
place = Tokyo
publisher = Yen Books
id = ISBN 4-9007-3703-8
* Citation
first = Peter
last = Constantine
title = Making Out in Indonesian
year = 1994
place = Tokyo
publisher = Yen Books
id = ISBN 4-900737-02-X
* Citation
first = Peter
last = Constantine
title = Making Out in Korean
year = 1995
place = Tokyo
publisher = Yen Books
id = ISBN 4-900737-33-X
* Citation
first = Peter
last = Constantine
title = Making Out in Vietnamese
year = 1998
place = Hong Kong
publisher = Periplus Editions
id = ISBN 4-900737-48-8
* Citation
first = Peter
last = Constantine
title = A Sucht B
year = 1998
place = Bern
publisher = Scherz Verlag
id = ISBN 3502121303

Editor

* Citation
first = Peter, Edmund Keeley, Karen Van Dyck
last = Edited with Bien
title = A Century of Greek Poetry: 1900-2000
year = 2004
place = New Jersey
publisher = Kosmos Publishing
id = ISBN 1-932455-00-0
* Citation
first = and William Weaver
last = Edited with Bradford Morrow
title = Conjunctions: 38, Rejoicing Revoicing
year = 2002
place = New York
publisher = Bard College
id = ISBN 9780941964548
* Citation
last = Edited with Bradford Morrow
title = Conjunctions: 31, Radical Shadows
year = 2001
place = New York
publisher = Bard College
id = ISBN 0941964477
* "The Caribbean Writer", Volume 12, 1998. Special Section: Poems by Celie Diaquoi Deslandes, edited and translated by Peter Constantine from the French.
* "The Caribbean Writer", Volume 10, 1996. Special Section: Surinamese short fiction by Paul Bandel, Hélène Ramjiawan, Anne Zeggen en Monique Pool. Edited and translated by Peter Constantine from the Dutch.

References

External links

* [http://www.wordswithoutborders.org/?translator=PeterConstantine Translations of short stories and poems published in "Words Without Borders"]
* [http://www.conjunctions.com/archives/c31-ac1.htm A translation of Anton Chekhov's comical short story "After The Fair"]
* [http://www.conjunctions.com/archives/c31-ac2.htm A translation of Anton Chekhov's comical short story "First Aid"]
* [http://www.conjunctions.com/archives/c38-ap.htm A translation of Alexandros Papadiamantis' "The Seal's Dirge"]
* [http://www.conjunctions.com/archives/c31-fd.htm Dostoevsky's "Siberian Notebook"]
* [http://www.conjunctions.com/webcon/strindberg.htm An excerpt from August Strindberg's novella "Paul and Peter"]
* [http://www.morningred.com/friend/1998/10/pages/rosetta.html A translation of Haye Hinrichsen's short story "Dung", translated from the Friesian]
* [http://www.greeninteger.com/green_integer_review/issue_1/Salah-Garmadi.htm A translation of "Counsel for My Family After My Death", a poem by the Tunisian poet Salah Garmadi]
* [http://www.kcrw.com/etc/programs/bw/bw020307an_isaac_babel_celeb/media_player_archives?action=listen A radio discussion with Michael Silverblatt about "The Complete Works of Isaac Babel" with Peter Constantine, Nathalie Babel, and Cynthia Ozick]