Paul Celan (1920–1970) was a Romanian poet and translator. He was born as Paul Antschel into a Jewish family and changed his name to “Paul Celan”. While his parents were deported and eventually died in Nazi labor camps, Celan himself was interned for eighteen months before escaping to the Red Army. He is regarded as one of the most important German-language poets of the post-World War II era.

Objective

 

The aim of the Paul Celan Fellowship Program is to overcome deficits and asymmetries in the exchange of ideas and the reception of scholarly literature which result from the division of Europe in the 20th century. Therefore, the program supports translations of canonical texts and contemporary key works in the humanities, social sciences and cultural studies from Eastern to Western, Western to Eastern, or between two Eastern European languages. Special emphasis is put on translations of relevant works written by East European authors and/or by female scholars. A thematic relation to one of the research fields of the IWM is likewise welcomed.

 

Please note that fiction and poetry will not be accepted.

 

Conditions

Paul Celan Visiting Fellows are invited to spend three to six months between September 2021 and June 2022 at the IWM to pursue their translation projects. Fellows receive a monthly stipend in the amount of EUR 2,800 to cover all expenses related to the stay in Vienna. In addition, the IWM provides the fellows with an office including access to internet, in-house research and administrative facilities as well as other services free of charge.

 

Application

Applications have to be submitted via the online application form including:

 

a curriculum vitae with a bibliography of translations and other relevant publications

the name of the author and the work to be translated (from the original language) and an explanation for the choice thereof

the exact number of pages

a contract or a letter of intent from a publisher

proof that the translator/ publisher holds the rights to the translation and its publication (or has an option for them)

the planned date of publication

Please submit all your application materials as PDF files!

 

Selection

The finalists will be selected by a jury of experts. Applicants will be notified of the jury decision in late srping 2021. The jury is not required to publicly justify its decisions, nor to provide applicants individual feedback on their applications.