writing and translation
words and phrases of Flusser’s that may lose or gain significantly in translation from German to English.
The German verb “einbilden” is ordinarily translated into English as “imagine.” But at one point in Into the Universe of Technical Images, Flusser calls attention to the difference between “einbilden” and the cognate “imaginieren”. Expressing his gratitude to Kant for...
Flusser translated the title of his essay “Geste und Gestimmtheit” as “Gesture and Sentimentality”. I didn’t. I found, and to some extent still find that particular word misleading at best. Its equivalence to “Gestimmtheit” is almost...
The German word “Entwerfen” — drafting or drawing — is closely related, a kind of reversal of the verb “werfen,” which is to throw, or hurl, or toss. Flusser uses the association to describe...
Flusser’s “The Gesture of Writing,” along with my notes about it, has just been published in New Writing: the International Journal for the Practice and Theory of Creative Writing (Taylor and Francis) vol 9...