Storytime
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The Russian Blues
story by Polina Tsurikova.The difference between languages is apparent to anyone with the capability to speak more than a single language. Those differences go beyond translation and varied meanings, however. By going over the difference in perception of “The Starry Night” as told through the Russian terms for the color blue, it is possible to see just how deeply intertwined language and daily life truly are.
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Life and death, painting and poem
story by Anouska Wright.The Starry Night, painted by Van Gogh, was translated into a poem by Anne Sexton. In the painting a dramatic night sky, a bewildered black tree and a sleeping town is visible. Inspired by this, the poet focuses on life and death, the silence of the town, the bright starry night and the desire for dying in this starry night. Through intermedial translation, we can wonder if the mental symbolism of the painting has been lost in translation.