Poets as Agents of Translation: an Analysis of Anthologies of Brazilian Poetry in Translation into Spanish

Abstract

This article surveys and analyzes translators of a corpus of almost forty anthologies of Brazilian poetry in translation into Spanish from 1912 to the present. Considering an already published corpus survey (LÁZARO, 2014), this phase of the research seeks to address the role of translators in “translation anthologies” (FRANK; ESSMANN, 1990; 1991) of poetry between Brazil and Spanish America. The hypothesis is that between non-central systems and literary genres, the intercultural relevance of these "translation agents" (MILTON; BANDIA, 2009) must be approached as an alternative force to purely editorial interests. Hence, we analyze the profiles of translators, and try to demonstrate the common association between the tasks of the organizer and the translator in this type of work, often carried out by poets. Finally, the article highlights the role that programs and initiatives promoting the translation of Brazilian literature overseas plays in such anthologies.