Shapiro Honored for Verse Translations

Olivia DrakeNovember 11, 20081min

Norman Shapiro, professor of romance languages and literatures, received the Lewis Galantière Award, given biennially by the American Translators Association (ATA) for a distinguished book-length literary translation into English. Shapiro was honored for his volume of critically-praised verse translations, The Complete Fables of Jean de La Fontaine (Illinois, 2008). The wisdom, wit, and elegance of La Fontaine (1621-1695), the preeminent fable-writer since Aesop, made him the universally admired master of the genre.

This prestigious award honors one of the ATA’s founding members, Lewis Galantière (1894-1977), celebrated for his translations from French drama, fiction, and poetry during the middle decades of the 20th century and still widely read.