Alex Zucker

Alex Zucker (born September 1, 1964) is an American literary translator.

Life and career

Zucker was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey. From ages 4 to 17, he lived in East Lansing, Michigan. He attended college at UMass Amherst, obtaining a Bachelor of Science in Zoology in 1986. In 1990, he received a master's in international affairs from the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University, with a certificate from the Institute on East Central Europe.^[1]

During his years in Prague (1990–95), he worked as editor-translator for the English-language section of the Czech News Agency,^[2] copy editor–translator for the English-language newspaper Prognosis,^[3] and freelance translator for a variety of Czech- and English-language cultural reviews and litmags, including Raut,^[4] Trafika,^[3] Yazzyk,^[3] and Zlatý řez.^[5]

While living in Greenpoint, Brooklyn (1996 to present), he has copyedited for Swing,^[6] Condé Nast Traveler, Interview magazine, and Vanity Fair magazine, as well as for Aperture publishing house^[7] and Bookforum.

Zucker also taught Czech from 2002 to 2004 at the NYU School of Continuing and Professional Studies.

Though currently in remission, his blog StickFinger ^[8] — in Czech StrčPrst, from the tongue-twister Strč prst skrz krk ("Stick finger through throat") — focused variously on humanitarian aid to Iraq in the early days of the war, U.S. foreign policy, Arab and Muslim civil rights within the U.S., literature, language, translation, and life and how to live it.

Zucker won the 2010 National Translation Award for his translation of Petra Hůlová's All This Belongs to Me.

Selected translations

• The Opportune Moment, 1855, a novel by Patrik Ouředník (Dalkey Archive Press, 2011).
• Case Closed, a novel by Patrik Ouředník (Dalkey Archive Press, 2010).
• All This Belongs to Me, a novel by Petra Hůlová (Writings from an Unbound Europe, Northwestern University Press, 2009). Winner of the 2010 National Translation Award.
• Minach, a play by Iva Klestilová Volánková, in Czech Plays: Seven New Works, ed. Marcy Arlin, Gwynn MacDonald, and Dr. Daniel Gerould (Martin E. Segal Theatre Center, 2009).^[9]
• A Well-paid Walk, subtitles, Dobře placená procházka (1966), dir. Miloš Forman, U.S. premiere, Milos Forman, A Retrospective, Museum of Modern Art, February 14–28, 2008.^[10]
• "The Game," by Ivan Blatný, in The Drug of Art: Selected poems of Ivan Blatný (Ugly Duckling Presse, 2007).^[11]
• The Unlucky Man in the Yellow Cap, lyrics and translation of Zuzana Justman's adaptation of the original play with music by J. R. Pick,^[12] directed by Marcy Arlin. Other lyrics by Peter Fish (also music), Zuzana Justman, and J. R. Pick.^[13]
• City Sister Silver, a novel by Jáchym Topol (Catbird Press, 2000).^[14] Selected for inclusion in the 2006 guide 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die.^[15]
• More Than One Life, a novel by Miloslava Holubová,^[16] translated with Lyn Coffin and Zdenka Brodská (Hydra Books, Northwestern University Press, 1999).
• "The Sightseers" by Michal Viewegh and "Sister" by Jáchym Topol, in Daylight in Nightclub Inferno: Czech Fiction From the Post-Kundera Generation, ed. Elena Lappin^[17] (Catbird Press, 1997).^[18]
• "Kchony Sees the World" by Ladislav Fuks, "Honking Horns" by Jiří Gruša, and "A Trip to the Railway Station" by Jáchym Topol, in This Side of Reality: Modern Czech Writing, ed. Alexandra Büchler^[19] (Serpent's Tail, 1996).^[20]
• "GM" by Gustav Meyrink and "A Trip to the Train Station" by Jáchym Topol, in Prague: A Traveler's Literary Companion, ed. Paul Wilson^[21] (Whereabouts Press, 1995).^[22]
• A Trip to the Train Station,^[23] a novella by Jáchym Topol (Petrov, 1995).

Zucker has also translated lyrics by Filip Topol,^[24] leader of the Czech rock group Psí vojáci (Dog Soldiers).^[25]

References

1. ^ Institute on East Central Europe at Columbia University
2. ^ ČTK English-language news service
3. ^ ^{a b c} Alexander Zaitchik: "Let the Kazoos Sound: A Decade of English Press in Prague," Think magazine, no. 50, Nov/Dec 2001
4. ^ Bigmag: Časopisy v Česku po 1989
5. ^ Bigmag: Časopisy v Česku po 1989
6. ^ Richard Rubin: "Swing Magazine Ceases Publication," The Chronicle Online, Nov. 20, 1998
7. ^ Aperture Foundation
8. ^ stickfinger.blogspot.com
9. ^ "First post-89 anthology of Czech plays in English brought out in New York," News, Český rozhlas, June 16, 2009
10. ^ MoMA: Milos Forman, A Retrospective
11. ^ The Drug of Art: Selected poems of Ivan Blatný
12. ^ The Unlucky Man in the Yellow Cap, FringeNYC festival, August 2006
13. ^ Felicia R. Lee: "Survivor's Play Bears Witness to the Holocaust," New York Times, Aug. 10, 2006
14. ^ City Sister Silver at Catbird Press
15. ^ Neil Bermel: "Velvet Evolution," New York Times Book Review, March 4, 2001
16. ^ University of Dallas at Texas Annotations, Oct. 5, 2002
17. ^ Elena Lappin at the Royal Literary Fund
18. ^ "Book Review: Daylight in Nightclub Inferno: Czech Fiction From the Post-Kundera Generation," Central Europe Review, vol. 1, no. 6, August 1999
19. ^ "Alexandra Büchler: crossing the frontiers of language," Czech Books, Český rozhlas, May 22, 2005
20. ^ "Three Anthologies of Czech Writing in English," Transcript 6 ("Iron and Velvet: A Decade of New Czech Writing")
21. ^ "Paul Wilson: translating modern Czech writers," The Book Show, ABC Radio National, March 21, 2008
22. ^ Prague: A Traveler's Literary Companion
23. ^ "Jáchym Topol: A Trip to the Train Station," Literary Anthology of Visegrad 4 Countries, Budapest, 2007
24. ^ Filip Topol & Agon Orchestra
25. ^ Psí vojáci official Web site

External links