Miluše Juříčková - Translator of the Month
Our translator of the month for October is Miluše Juříčková who translates fiction books and technical writing from Norwegian to Czech. She studied Norwegian, English and German at Masaryk University in Brno, Czech Republic and has now lectured there for 36 years. Her main focus has been modern Norwegian and Scandinavian literature, translation studies and comparative literature. For more than 20 years she also worked as an accredited interpreter and translator, during which time she experienced many strange situations in courtrooms and prisons.
Miluše was awarded the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit. First as a Knight of 1st Class in 2003 and again in 2017 as a Commander, which gave her the opportunity to thank H.M. King Harald V. during a private audience at The Royal Palace. There were numerous topics of conversation and Miluše was truly proud to be able to talk about her students.
For many years, Bø in the Telemark region has become Miluse’s spiritual home in Norway, even though she has never lived there: with its college that developed into a university, warm people who became friends for life, beautiful nature which has inspired many artists, and fascinating historic landmarks. Telemark is also where several of her favourite authors also come from, which is why she considers the area her window to the whole of Norway.
How did you end up being a translator of Norwegian literature?
Norwegian literature has a unique tradition in Czech translations. First Bjørnson, then Ibsen were performed as early as the 1870s at the National Theatre in Prague. Hamsun’s Pan was translated in 1896, three years after the original. The first writing by Vesaas was published in 1939, and so on. Since then, interest among Czech readers has remained uninterrupted and will continue thanks to NORLA being its most important supporter. Around ten translated Norwegian titles come out here annually, that’s not including the highly popular crime novels. Here you will find Jo Nesbø and Jon Fosse sitting peacefully side-by-side on the city’s bookstore counters.
To answer your question, the temptation to contribute has been far to great, because Norwegian literature is provocative, different and intimate, so it is a great honour to be involved. Almost everything I have translated is connected to [my personal encounters with authors]. This began in the 1990s, when I regularly visited Finn Carling at his home in Smestad, and was followed by inspiring meetings with Hanne Ørstavik both in Brno and Oslo. When I met Thorvald Steen it was the start of a lifelong friendship: Thorvald is very interested in Czech history and culture, and has visited the Czech Republic several times on lecture and study tours. I hope that I will be able to translate more of his historical novels and essays.
Do you have a Norwegian book that you are especially fond of? If so, what makes it special to you?
The book I am most fond of would be The Master of Hestviken by Sigrid Undset. It is an extensive work about Olav and has a complex structure, but it is also a world-class novel (as Ida Jessen says in her latest book). The book’s reception in Norway was ruined by the author’s overt Catholicism and the audience’s expectations – many were disappointed – simply because it was totally different from Kristin Lavransdatter. Through its psychological elements, the book is far more than a novel about sin and confession, as it was for years often referred to in Norway. I don’t dream of translating it into Czech (it was published in excellent translations both in 1936 and in 1982), but I do dream of translating Undset’s forgotten book Return to the Future, about the author’s escape [from Nazi-occupied Norway]. I like the way Undset’s writing is problematic, she is a dinosaur that is continually moving…
Do you have a favourite Norwegian word and/or possibly one that’s a nightmare to translate?
This is a fun question that really deserves a separate translator’s seminar. I can mention one word that is beautiful and poetic in Norwegian, but has no proper equivalent in Czech: et tun, på tunet (“(in) a yard” or “(in a) a farmyard” in English). Its explanation is rooted in the Norwegian way of life throughout centuries, which is why historical and present-day contexts are so important to all my teaching. Knowledge about the world behind the words is Norwegian culture in a nutshell, and this can also be enriching for students who are not dreaming of becoming a professional translator.
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More about Miluše on Books from Norway
In the summer of 2023, Norway was Guest of Honour at the Authors’ Reading Month festival in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. It was a huge success, involving 31 Norwegian authors (one each day), wide press coverage and full rooms. Miluše was there to check out this great literary event, and we invite you to read her excellent summary here.
See all of Miluše’s published works here.
Those of you who understand Norwegian can read her interview here.
More interviews in NORLA’s series
Translators are our most important stakeholders when it comes to the spread of Norwegian literature in the world. Their work is of crucial significance, and in order to shed light on this, we embarked on this series of interviews, known as ‘Translator of the Month’.
You can find all of the interviews here
