Acknowledgements
It took seven month (from June to December 2000) to conduct research and write this project. This would not have been possible in such a short period of time, had I not received the guidance and spiritual support from many individuals whom I would like to acknowledge here. It is hard to draw the boundary between the two kinds of support because they usually go together. I first want to thank those who have given me guidance in researching and writing the project, but their care and understanding cannot be overlooked.
I would like to thank Regina Bendix who‑‑due to her openness to the unexplored, and sometimes unexplainable topics that are not readily embraced by all scholars--has introduced me to the subject of homophonic translation in one of her Seminars, "Translation as Cultural Practice," September 1999. It was also with her assistance that I was able to conduct a research on this topic and receive a valuable feedback, especially for the first and the second chapter of the project. It is finally because of her cheerfulness and encouraging comments that the scope of my research and writing process have never been regretted.
I would also like to thank Bob Perelman for his feedback and suggestions on my work, especially the third chapter. His introduction to many extraordinarily interesting ideas related to homophonic translation and literature in general have inspired me to investigate them further
in my future academic pursuit.
I am also indebted to Kris Rabberman for her feedback on my work as well as her extremely cheerful attitude and the conviction that my work will be submitted on time (which in September seemed an impossible task). Moreover, I would like to thank my peers from the MLA Seminar that Kris was conducting, especially to Linda Brinker, Bud Haslett, Karen Gloyd, and Todd Schwartz for their insights into my work.
The email correspondence with Professor Laurence Venuti--whose book The Invisibility of Translation has sparked my enthusiasm to homophonic translation—and with Professor Lee Haring, who was co‑teaching Regina's Seminar, have been extremely helpful. Since the correspondence took place in the beginning of my research process, it has been of a great importance to establish and narrow the focus of the project. Also, an email and then a brief meeting with Charles Bernstein at the MSA (Modernist Society of America) have been helpful in shaping the tone and ideas presented in the section on "Homophonic Poets" in the Third Chapter. I am also indebted to Tom Kingston for his valuable thoughts about "sound" in the Second Chapter.
For the spiritual support I would like to thank my husband, Victor, who has patiently listened to my views on homophonic translation and endured my constant praises of Louis Zukofsky (one
of homophonic translation's practitioners) During the course of my research, he has actually embraced the practice of homophonic translation as an everyday practice, making my writing process more enjoyable. Thus, if my email message would finish with "Have an iced beer can" instead of "Have a nice weekend," he responded, "Best wrecked guards" for "best regards," and if I signed myself as "Lily‑young Fond Sarcasm" instead of one of my nicknames, "Lilian von Tsaran," he signed as "Lord By‑wrong" for "Lord Byron," and so on.
I would also like to thank my mom, Nuka, for her constant concern and support that manifested itself in her almost daily e‑mails and hour‑long weekly phone calls. Finally, I would like to thank my friends from Poland, especially Przemek Wnuk, Dominika Borowska, Alina Olejniczak, Ada Basta, and Krzysiu Jeziorny, who have never failed to send me "stress‑free" e‑mails, despite the difficulty of accessing the Internet at Polish Universities. As for the more immediate release of stress, I am indebted to Larry Campbell who has organized an invaluable time for Victor and myself in Maine and in Thailand, and who has always treated us for wine‑abundant dinners whenever he was in the country.