Susanne Petermann: “Translating Rilke’s Poetry”

The Friends of Hannon Library will host Susanne Petermann, poet and translator of the poetry of Rainer Maria Rilke, in the final installment of the Friends of Hannon Library Lecture Series for this academic year on May 11. 

 

Petermann has published her own poetry in a range of literary reviews, and her book of translations of Rilke’s French poetry, When I Go: The Selected French Poems of Rainer Maria Rilke, was published by Cascade Books in 2017. The topic of Petermann’s lecture will be a new series of Rilke poems translated from French to English in honor of the centennial of the poet’s death. Informed by her own poetic sensibilities, her translations help bring Rilke’s lesser-known French works to a wider audience.

 

Petermann currently lives in Southern Oregon and is a graduate of Macalester College in Minnesota. After college, she spent ten years traveling, studying language, and teaching English abroad. In addition to writing and translating, Petermann also works as a personal organizer. 

 

The Friends of Hannon Library event, titled “Translating Rilke’s Poetry,” will be held on May 11, 2023, at 7 p.m. in the Meese Room of the Hannon Library. Interested persons who are not able to attend in person may register to receive a Zoom link to attend virtually. Metered parking is available for those visiting campus to attend the event in lots 1, 12, 29, 36, 37, and 41.