American Scandinavian Foundation Awards Annual Translation Prize to Michael Meigs (ALT) for excerpts from Lars Gustafsson's novel The Dean

Edward P. Gallagher, president of the American Scandinavian Foundation, writes to advise that excerpts from the translation by Michael Meigs of Lars Gustafsson's novel The Dean, with action situated in Austin and the Big Bend region, have been selected as the winning entry in the Foundation's 32nd annual Translation Prize.

The judges praised the translation, commenting, "With great confidence and flair this elegant translation conveys the ironic tone of the narrator in Lars Gustafsson's The Dean, capturing perfectly the pretensions and insecurities of the main characters as well as the social context of contemporary academic life."

The Translation Prize includes a $2,000 award, a bronze medallion and the publication of an excerpt from the translation in an upcoming issue of the ASF's journal Scandinavian review.

AustinLiveTheatre.com is currently publishing excerpts from the novel, as authorized by Prof. Gustafsson and his literary agent. Already available: Chapter One and Chapter Two.

Beating Back the Waves: Lars Gustafsson's Thoughts on Technology, Art and Freedom of Expression

The Swedish government authorities have recently taken steps aimed at limiting or shutting down Pirate Bay, the saucily unrepentant group that facilitates large scale sharing via Bit Torrent of copyrighted videos, films, music and books. The Scandinavian countries have the world's highest rates of Internet usage, and copyright holders in other countries have been ardently urging the Swedish authorities to act to protect copyrights that are formally guaranteed by international treaties.

Swedes are known for their socialist and mutually responsible approach to governing themselves, but at the same time, many of them are adamant advocates of total Internet freedom.

A Franco-German proposal on copyright enforcement and the Internet recently failed to prosper at the European Parliament, giving further impetus to Sweden's new "Pirate Party," which is organizing in order to influence the debate.

Noted Swedish writer Lars Gustafsson, who taught in Austin until his retirement in 2003, takes a look at the issues in the May 28 entry in his multilingual blog. The translation from Swedish to English was begun by Rasmus, the writer publishing at www.copyriot.se and was refined by AustinLiveTheatre.com.

Here's what Gustafsson has to say:

Beating Back the Rising Waters: On Internet Freedom and Citizens’ Rights

A writer of antiquity relates that the Emperor of Persia ordered his forces to flog the ocean’s waves because a storm was hindering the departure of his troop ships.

Stupid. Today, perhaps he might have complained to the Stockholm district court? Or consulted with the judges?

It is remarkable how strongly the plight of citizens’ rights in spring, 2009 resembles the struggle for freedom of press in France in the decades leading up to the French revolution.

A new world of ideas is emerging, one that would never have been possible without the ever increasing rapidity of technological development.

Read more at AustinLiveTheatre.com . . . .