Upcoming English Translation of Zapffe's On the Tragic

[Jeff Coleman]

Perhaps I shouldn't get too, ahem, optimistic, here, but it appears that the English translation of Peter Wessel Zapffe's On the Tragic that many of us have been hoping for is under way, and due to be published in the not-too-distant future.

"After 75 years of lingering in all but total obscurity to the English-speaking world, Benjamin Eriksen (translator) and Sean Schifano (editor) have begun work on a complete English translation of Peter Zapffe’s magnum opus, On the Tragic. Following the publication of Zapffe’s Samlede verker in 2015, the manuscript is expected to go to press next year, with a preface by David Benatar."

A Neglected Philosophical Pessimist - For Our Times? (guest post by Sean Schifano) - Daily Nous

[bendk]

I am pleased to hear about this. I would inform the publisher that they should try to get an Afterword or blurb by Ligotti. It would probably sell another 500+ copies. And point out that he had the #1 bestselling philosophy book on Amazon at one time, and that he is one of a handful of living authors published by Penguin Classics.

They should also include the short essay "The Last Messiah."

[Jeff Coleman]

I suspect one or both of the guys working on the translation are TLO members, so getting Ligotti involved is a distinct possibility, I reckon.

	TLO THOMAS LIGOTTI ONLINE

[NewTownManager]

is there any update on this translation?

[In A Dark Light]

Indeed. The English speaking world needs more Zapffe in translation.

[Revenant]

Zapffe and Mainlander both desperately need English translations.

[NewTownManager]

im curious if the editor and translator could be contacted as crowdfunding is more easier in this time with Kickstarter

[bendk]

Any update on this?

I would definitely kick in some bucks for a Kickstarter.

[Michael]

Quote Originally Posted by bendk

Any update on this? I would definitely kick in some bucks for a Kickstarter.

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[A Defrocked Academic]

I have not been able to find any project that looks active as of 2021. However, I think we can assume that “On the Tragic” will eventually be translated into English provided that Ligotti’s stature continues to rise. As I wrote in a previous thread, I think the most realistic scenario would involve an academic scholarship, as in the case of Mainländer.*

For anyone who is interested in "On the Tragic":
The official English-language summary found here and the translation of Chapter 1 and parts of Chapter 2 here (see my final post) give a sense of the overall content and tone of the work. There is also a blog post here which discusses “On the Tragic” to some extent, and includes excerpts. In addition, there is a PDF file with the title “Zapffe in Translation” available elsewhere on the web. I will not provide a link, but it is easily Googled and includes some passages from “On the Tragic”. Anyone who is reading this is likely to have seen that file already.

There is also the possibility that pure machine translation will become powerful enough to produce an authentic English-language version of “On the Tragic”. This would require simulating not only human-level translation but also human-level scholarship. Once such a level of technology has been reached, the perennial aspects of the human condition that have inspired texts such as “On the Tragic” may be irrevocably altered, rendering the work itself less relevant (assuming that there are still humans around to read Zapffe). But that is well beyond the scope of this thread.

*Although this scholarship seems to have been cancelled? See also: https://www.reddit.com/r/Mainlander/...lation_update/