(Percy) Paul Selver (22 March 1888 – 6 April 1970) was an English writer and translator. A prolific translator of

Czech literature Czech literature can refer to literature written in Czech, in the Czech Republic (formerly Czechoslovakia, earlier the Lands of the Bohemian Crown), or by Czech people. Most literature in the Czech Republic is now written in Czech, but histor ...

into

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

, he was best known as the translator of

Karel Čapek Karel Čapek (; 9 January 1890 – 25 December 1938) was a Czech writer, playwright and critic. He has become best known for his science fiction, including his novel ''War with the Newts'' (1936) and play ''R.U.R.'' (''Rossum's Universal Ro ...

.Robert M. Philmus, 'Matters of Translation: Karel Capek and Paul Selver, ''Science Fiction Studies'', Volume 28, Part 1 (March 2001)

Life

Paul Selver was born to a Jewish family, the son of Wolfe and Catherine (Minden) Selver. He gained a B.A. in English and German from the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...

. After serving in the army during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

he became a translator, novelist, and contributor to

Alfred Richard Orage Alfred Richard Orage (22 January 1873 – 6 November 1934) was a British influential figure in socialist politics and modernist culture, now best known for editing the magazine ''The New Age'' before the First World War. While he was working as a ...

's magazine ''

The New Age ''The New Age'' was a British weekly magazine (1894–1938), inspired by Fabian socialism, and credited as a major influence on literature and the arts during its heyday from 1907 to 1922, when it was edited by Alfred Richard Orage. It published ...

''.'Mr Paul Selver: Translator and man of letters', ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...

'', 16 April 1970. Selver spoke and translated from several Germanic and

Slavonic languages The Slavic languages, also known as the Slavonic languages, are Indo-European languages spoken primarily by the Slavs, Slavic peoples and their descendants. They are thought to descend from a proto-language called Proto-Slavic language, Proto ...

. In

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

he was a linguistic assistant to the exiled Czech government, but was dismissed when the Communists took over. In 1968 he was awarded a

Civil List pension Pensions in the United Kingdom, whereby United Kingdom tax payers have some of their wages deducted to save for retirement, can be categorised into three major divisions - state, occupational and personal pensions. The state pension is based on ...

for his services to literature. He died on 6 April 1970, his wife having died six months earlier.

Works

Translations

* (ed.) ''An anthology of modern Bohemian poetry''. London: Henry J. Drane, 1912 * (ed. with intro.) ''Modern Russian poetry: texts and translations'', London & New York: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner, & co., 1917. * 'The Woman' and 'The Invincible Ship' in ''People of the Universe: four Serbo-Croatian plays'' by Josip Kosor. London: Hendersons, 1917. * (ed. with intro.) ''Anthology of modern Slavonic literature in prose and verse'', London: Kegan Paul & Co., 1919. * (ed. with intro.) ''Modern Czech poetry: selected texts with translations and an introduction''. London & New York: K. Paul, Trench, Trubner & Co. Ltd., 1920. * (with Jaroslav Císař and František Pokorný) ''The Czechoslovak Republic : its economical, industrial and cultural resources'', Prague: L'effort de la Tchécoslovaquie, 1920. * ''Poems'' by

Sigbjørn Obstfelder Sigbjørn Obstfelder (21 November 1866 – 29 July 1900) was a 19th-century Norwegian writer and poet. Background Obstfelder was born in Stavanger, Norway on November 21, 1866. He was the eighth child in a family of sixteen children, being o ...

. Translated from the

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe * Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway * Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including ...

. Oxford, 1920. (Norwegian and English on facing pages.) * ''Poems'' by

Jens Peter Jacobsen Jens Peter Jacobsen (7 April 1847 – 30 April 1885) was a Danish novelist, poet, and scientist, in Denmark often just written as "J. P. Jacobsen". He began the naturalist movement in Danish literature and was a part of the Modern Bre ...

. Oxford, 1920. * ''The jail experiences in 1916'' by

Josef Svatopluk Machar Josef Svatopluk Machar (; 1864 – 1942) was a Czech poet and essayist. A leader of the realist movement in Czech poetry and a master of colloquial Czech, Machar was active in anti-Austrian political circles in Vienna. Many of his poems were sati ...

. Oxford: B. Blackwell, 1921. * '' And so ad infinitum (The life of the insects) : an entomological review, in three acts, a prologue and an epilogue'' by

and

Josef Čapek Josef Čapek (; 23 March 1887 – April 1945) was a Czech artist who was best known as a painter, but who was also noted as a writer and a poet. He invented the word "robot", which was introduced into literature by his brother, Karel Čapek. ...

. Freely adapted for the English stage by

Nigel Playfair Sir Nigel Ross Playfair (1 July 1874 – 19 August 1934) was an English actor and director, known particularly as actor-manager of the Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith, in the 1920s. After acting as an amateur while practising as a lawyer, he turne ...

and

Clifford Bax Clifford Lea Bax (13 July 1886 – 18 November 1962)Armorial Families: A Directory of Gentlemen of Coat-Armour, A. C. Fox-Davies, T. C. & E. C. Jack, 1910, p. 106 was a versatile English writer, known particularly as a playwright, a journalist, ...

. London: Humphrey Milford, 1923. * '' R.U.R. Rossum's Universal Robots: a play in three acts and an epilogue'' by

. Adapted for the London stage by

. London: Oxford University Press, 1923. * ''Letters from England'' by Karel Čapek. London: Geoffrey Bles, 1925. * ''The land of many names: a play in three acts and a transformation'' by

. London: G. Allen & Unwin ltd., 1926. * '' The Macropulos secret: a comedy'' by

* ''My war memoirs'' by

Edvard Beneš Edvard Beneš (; 28 May 1884 – 3 September 1948) was a Czech politician and statesman who served as the president of Czechoslovakia from 1935 to 1938, and again from 1945 to 1948. He also led the Czechoslovak government-in-exile 1939 to 1945 ...

. London: Allen and Unwin, 1928. * ''Music of the heart: selected poems'' by Emanuel Lešehrad. Prague: K. Zink, 1929. * (ed.) ''An anthology of Czechoslovak literature'', London, : K. Paul, Trench, Trubner & co., ltd., 1929. * ''

The good soldier Schweik ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

'' by

Jaroslav Hašek Jaroslav Hašek (; 1883–1923) was a Czech writer, humorist, satirist, journalist, bohemian and anarchist. He is best known for his novel '' The Fate of the Good Soldier Švejk during the World War'', an unfinished collection of farcical incide ...

. London: Heinemann, 1930. * ''Letters from Spain'' by

. London: Geoffrey Bles, 1931. * ''Tales from two pockets'' by Karl Čapek. London: Faber & Faber ltd., 1932. * ''Thirty Years in the Golden North'' by Jan Welzl. Edited by Edward Valenta and B. Golombek. London: G. Allen & Unwin, 1932. * ''Letters from Holland'' by

. London : Faber and Faber, 1933. * ''The wizard of Menlo'' by Edmund Konrad. London: K.S. Bhat, 1935. * ''The wounded dragon'' by

Francis de Croisset Francis de Croisset (; born Franz Wiener, 28 January 1877 – 8 November 1937) was a Belgian-born French playwright and opera librettist. Early life Born as Franz Wiener, he was educated in Brussels on 28 January 1877 into a prominent Jewish-Bel ...

. London : Geoffrey Bles, 1937. * (tr. with Ralph Neale) '' Power and glory: a drama in three acts'' by

. London : G. Allen & Unwin, ltd., 1938. * ''Blackmail or war'' by Geneviève Tabouis. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books, 1938. * '' The mother: a play in three acts'', London: Allen & Unwin, 1939. * ''And this: our life'' by Jacqueline Vincent. Translated from the French ''L'enfant qui passe''. London, 1939. * ''Central stores'' by

Vicki Baum Hedwig "Vicki" Baum (; he, ויקי באום; January 24, 1888 – August 29, 1960) was an Austrian writer. She is known for the novel ''Menschen im Hotel'' ("People at a Hotel", 1929 — published in English as ''Grand Hotel (novel), Gran ...

. Translated from the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

Der grosse ausverkauf''. London: Bles, 1940. * ''Hollar : a Czech émigré in England'' by

Johannes Urzidil Johannes Urzidil (3 February 1896 in Prague – 2 November 1970 in Rome) was a German-Bohemian writer, poet and historian. His father was a German Bohemian and his mother was Jewish. Life Urzidil was educated in Prague, studying German, art his ...

. London: The "Czechoslovak", 1942. * ''"Panslavism" past and present'' by Vladimir Clementis. London : Czechoslovak Committee from Slav Reciprocity, 1943. * ''A Complicated Affair; or, Alias Weiskopf'' by

František Kubka František Kubka (March 4,1894 in Prague – January 7, 1969) was a Czechoslovak writer, journalist, diplomat and politician. He was a regular at the "Friday Men" meetings at Karel Čapek's house from 1921–1938.Andrea Orzoff ''Battle for the ...

. London : Ćechoslovák, 1944. * ''Mademoiselle de Maupin'' by

Théophile Gautier Pierre Jules Théophile Gautier ( , ; 30 August 1811 – 23 October 1872) was a French poet, dramatist, novelist, journalist, and art and literary critic. While an ardent defender of Romanticism, Gautier's work is difficult to classify and rem ...

. Translated from the French. London: Hamish Hamilton, 1948. * ''Gabrielle'' by Christine Brueckner. London: Robert Hale, 1956. * ''Khrushchev of the Ukraine : a biography'' by Victor Alexandrov. London: Gollancz, 1957. * ''The House of Crystal'' by Hans Kades. London: Angus & Robertson, 1957. * ''The Pursuer'' by

Günther Weisenborn Günther Weisenborn (10 July 1902 – 26 March 1969) was a German writer and fighter in the German Resistance against Nazism. He was notable for collaborating with Bertolt Brecht, along with Hanns Eisler, Slatan Dudow, on the play, '' The Mother ...

. London: Heinemann, 1962.

Novels

* ''Schooling'', London: Jarrolds, 1924. * ''One, Two, Three'', London : Jarrolds, 1926. * ''Private Life'', London : Jarrolds Publishers Ltd, 1929.

Poetry

* ''Personalities'', London: George Allen & Unwin, 1918 * ''A baker's dozen of tin trumpets, and two others of different metal'', London, S. Nott, 1935.

Autobiography

* (as Mark Grossek) ''First movement''. London, 1937.

Other

* (ed. with intro., notes and vocab.) ''The chameleon and four other tales'' by

Anton Chekhov Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (; 29 January 1860 Old Style date 17 January. – 15 July 1904 Old Style date 2 July.) was a Russian playwright and short-story writer who is considered to be one of the greatest writers of all time. His career ...

. London: Kegan Paul & Co., 1916. * 'London mourning', ''Today'', No. 30, Vol. 5 (August 1919) * ''Otakar Březina : a study in Czech literature'', Oxford : B. Blackwell, 1921. * ''Czech self-taught by the natural method with phonetic pronunciation: Thimm's system.'' London: E. Marlborough & Co, ltd., 1927. * ''Masaryk: a biography'', London: M. Joseph, 1940 * ''Czechoslovak literature, an outline'', London : G. Allen & Unwin, 1942 * ''Slovníček Anglického Slangu. Glossary of English slang with Czech equivalents''. London: G. Allen & Unwin Ltd., 1942 * ''A century of Czech and Slovak poetry'', London: New Europe Publishing Co.; Prague Press, 1946. * ''English phraseology. A dictionary containing more than 5,000 idiomatic and colloquial words and expressions'', London, J. Brodie, 1957. * ''Orage and the New Age circle: reminiscences and reflections'', London: Allen & Unwin, 1959 * ''France under Napoleon III, London: James Brodie, 1961. * 'Preface' to ''Song out of darkness: selected poems'' by

Vera Rich Vera Rich (born Faith Elizabeth Rich, 24 April 1936 – 20 December 2009) was a British poet, journalist, historian, and translator from Belarusian and Ukrainian. Biography Born in London in April 1936, she studied at St Hilda's College of th ...

. London : Mitre Press, 1961. * ''More English phraseology : a supplementary volume to the popular 'English phraseology''', Bath: James Brodie, 1965 * ''The Art of Translating Poetry'', London: John Baker Publishers Ltd., 1966

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Selver, Paul 1888 births 1970 deaths Translators from Czech Translators to English 20th-century translators