A FEW NOTES FROM AFAR
It’s a great pleasure to see a project recognizing Tony Frazer for his marvelous work at Shearsman over the years. I have been lucky to work with him on two collections of poetry from Latin America, one a full book by Omar Pérez (Cuba), and the other an anthology of poetry from Uruguay for which I was one of many translators. My observations, made only from afar, will be modest in comparison to the artistic offerings and testimonies of those who have spent time with Tony as he made Shearsman work for so long and so well, at a time when publishing as a whole has been so challenged. The big picture will no doubt illustrate more about the significance of Tony’s choice to remain committed to poetry, and not just poetry but literary translation, at a historical moment when we constantly hear that it would be easier to do something else. I can’t imagine how much time and care he must dedicate to the press to carry out these commitments, or what energy it takes to maintain that essential resistance to market trends. Even so I will offer a couple of small-scale, geographically distant remarks, for Tony’s attention to detail felt important to me at each stage of our projects. His care is the reason I’ve recommended to others that they see what Shearsman is publishing, and in some cases, consider sending their own proposals there. Tony’s questions for our final edits were right on the mark, no small issue with the translation of contemporary poetry. While he himself was quick and reliable to respond to us, I was relieved with his patience when delays cropped up around technology issues (which are common to Cuban projects, but not all publishers respond well to such complications). We loved Tony’s unexpected choice of cover photo for Omar’s Did You Hear About the Fighting Cat?, and the web pages for the books are just right. The books are available in many locations. In short, everything works. It’s very satisfying, and we have heard from people who are just getting to know Omar’s work for the first time through the Shearsman book.
It’s a great pleasure to see a project recognizing Tony Frazer for his marvelous work at Shearsman over the years. I have been lucky to work with him on two collections of poetry from Latin America, one a full book by Omar Pérez (Cuba), and the other an anthology of poetry from Uruguay for which I was one of many translators. My observations, made only from afar, will be modest in comparison to the artistic offerings and testimonies of those who have spent time with Tony as he made Shearsman work for so long and so well, at a time when publishing as a whole has been so challenged. The big picture will no doubt illustrate more about the significance of Tony’s choice to remain committed to poetry, and not just poetry but literary translation, at a historical moment when we constantly hear that it would be easier to do something else. I can’t imagine how much time and care he must dedicate to the press to carry out these commitments, or what energy it takes to maintain that essential resistance to market trends. Even so I will offer a couple of small-scale, geographically distant remarks, for Tony’s attention to detail felt important to me at each stage of our projects. His care is the reason I’ve recommended to others that they see what Shearsman is publishing, and in some cases, consider sending their own proposals there. Tony’s questions for our final edits were right on the mark, no small issue with the translation of contemporary poetry. While he himself was quick and reliable to respond to us, I was relieved with his patience when delays cropped up around technology issues (which are common to Cuban projects, but not all publishers respond well to such complications). We loved Tony’s unexpected choice of cover photo for Omar’s Did You Hear About the Fighting Cat?, and the web pages for the books are just right. The books are available in many locations. In short, everything works. It’s very satisfying, and we have heard from people who are just getting to know Omar’s work for the first time through the Shearsman book.
Kristin Dykstra
