DeepSummary
The podcast is an interview with Dr. John Pitt, a professor at UC Irvine who specializes in Japanese literature, media, and environmental history. The conversation focuses on Pitt's English translation of the poetry collection 'Tree Spirits, Grass Spirits' by the Japanese poet Hiromi Ito. Pitt discusses Ito's background, her writing style, and the significance of plants in her work.
Pitt explains that Ito's book explores themes of immigration, language, gender, care work, and death through the lens of plant life. He highlights how Ito uses plants to contemplate philosophical questions about the relationship between humans and nature, and how the book challenges traditional notions of genre by blending poetry, prose, and essays.
Pitt also shares insights into the translation process, including the challenges of translating plant names and maintaining Ito's distinct voice. He emphasizes the book's experimental nature and how his translation aims to capture the defamiliarization Ito experienced as an immigrant, encouraging readers to engage with unfamiliar Japanese plant names.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- Hiromi Ito's poetry collection 'Tree Spirits, Grass Spirits' blends genres, combining elements of poetry, prose, and essays to explore philosophical themes through the lens of plant life.
- Ito uses plants as a metaphor to contemplate issues of immigration, language, gender, care work, and death, drawing parallels between the natural world and human experiences.
- The book challenges traditional notions of genre and language, encouraging readers to engage with unfamiliar Japanese plant names and embrace the defamiliarization that Ito experienced as an immigrant.
- Pitt's English translation aims to capture Ito's distinct voice and the experimental nature of her work, while also preserving the essence of her poetic practice.
- Ito's work encourages a sense of wonder and appreciation for the natural world, inviting readers to observe and connect with the life that surrounds them.
- The book explores the relationship between humans and nature, questioning the boundaries between the two and prompting philosophical reflections on our understanding of plant life.
- Ito's writing style and use of plants as a medium for self-expression challenge traditional modes of autobiography, blurring the lines between truth and fiction.
- The translation process involved navigating the complexities of translating plant names and maintaining the nuances of Ito's language and poetic devices.
Top Episodes Quotes
- “Ito has a real issue with the term essay, which I find quite interesting. And this is something that she has repeatedly pushed back against over the years, even as, or maybe especially because publishers want to market some of her books as a book of essays, right? But she doesn't see it that way.“ by John Pitt
- “So there's this whole chapter about that and about how she felt absolutely devastated, like it was breaking up the family. And this has all these personal resonances with her.“ by John Pitt
- “But in the end, I really think it's a story about wonder, as maybe unacademic as that might sound. Right. There is the sense of wonder that runs throughout the book, this real desire to not take for granted the life that grows all around us.“ by John Pitt
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Episode Information
New Books in Environmental Studies
Marshall Poe
4/28/24