Vita

NORMA COMRADA
990 Van Buren
Eugene, Oregon 97402
(503) 484-5187
comrada@oregon.uoregon.edu

EMPLOYMENT

1992- present: Writer; Translator

1989-1991: Director of Communications, University of Oregon Foundation.

1979-1988: Assistant to the President and Director for Affirmative Action, University of Oregon.

1954-1978: Kindergarten teacher and administrator; literacy teacher and supervisor; public affairs television series scriptwriter and presenter; editor; librarian; human resources consultant; Oregon State Legislature committee administrator; legislative lobbyist for public transit.

 

UNIVERSITY SERVICE RELATED TO SLAVIC STUDIES

Member, UO Russian and East European Studies Center, 1980-1992.

Courtesy Research Assistant, 1992-present.

Assistant Director, REESC, 1986-87, 1988-89, 1989-90.

Acting Director, REESC, Spring 1985.

EDUCATION

Certificate, Summer Program in Slavic Studies, Charles University, 1982.

M.S., Higher Education Administration, University of Oregon, 1983.

B.A., Psychology and Education, Whitman College, 1954.

INDEPENDENT RESEARCH ON KAREL CAPEK

Charles University Library; State Literary Archives; Czech Academy of Sciences

Institute of Czech Literature; private collections. Prague. 1968, 1972, 1977, 1980, 1982, 1987, 1990, 1994, 1997, 2000.

British Library; Colindale Newspaper Library. London. 1972, 1977, 1980, 1987.

Bibliotheque nationale; Institut d'études slaves. Paris. 1972, 1977, 1980.

 

GRANTS, AWARDS, HONORS

Invited to write about the origin and nature of my work on Capek for Spolecnost Bratrí Capku publications, which appeared in Zpravodaj, c. 39, and Zprávy SBC, prosinec 2000, c. 59.

Invited to present two papers at the Czechoslovak Society of Arts and Sciences XX International Congress, 2000.

Invited to present a paper at international symposium on Karel Capek - Writer and Democrat, Prague, 2000; airfare courtesy of the American Embassy/U.S.I.S.

Selected by Oregon Council for the Humanities as a presenter for the Chautauqua in the Schools pilot program. 1997-1999.

Selected as OCH Oregon Chautauqua presenter on issues of truth and justice in Capek's Tales from Two Pockets. 1995-98.

Harburg Foundation grant for article on retranslating the lyrics to Finian's Rainbow from its Czech adaptation back into English. 1995.

Translation of Capek's Tales from Two Pockets selected by Publishers Weekly as "one of the best books of 1994."

Letter of commendation for Tales from Two Pockets from the Capek Brothers Society (Prague). 1994.

Harburg Foundation grant for retranslation of the Finian's Rainbow lyrics from their Czech adaptation back into English. 1992-3.

OCH Summer Research Fellowship for research on Capek's motivation for writing Tales from Two Pockets and their place in his oeuvre. 1992.

Selected as OCH Oregon Chautauqua presenter on Capek's (anti)utopian fiction. 1990-95.

UO College of Arts and Sciences faculty travel grant for American Association for the Advancement of Slavic Studies conference. 1985.

Prize-winning essay for the Oregon Committee for the Humanities journal Sweet Reason: A Journal of Ideas, History and Culture. 1984.

 

PAPERS

"Karel Capek: The Man Who Gave Us Robots, Karburators, and the White Plague." Literature panel, SVU XX World Congress, Washington, D.C. August 2000.

"Karel Capek, Poet." Translation panel for SVU, as above.

"Karel Capek, Poems for the Year 2000." International symposium on Karel Capek - Writer and Democrat, Prague. 2000.

"Karel Capek Writes about Democracy." Karel Capek's World, panel, SVU XV World Congress, Toronto. October 1990.

"Tinkering vs. Leaving Things Alone: Karel Capek on Science, Progress and Responsibility." Karel Capek, 1890-1990: New Perspectives in a Centennial Year, panel organizer, IV World Congress, Soviet and East European Studies, Harrogate, England. July 1990.

"Karel Capek: Citizen and Social Critic of the First Republic." Karel Capek Colloquium, University of Michigan. March 1989.

"The Illusion of a Continuing Conversation: Karel Capek as Journalist." Karel Capek: Fifty Years after His Death, panel organizer, AA ASS, Honolulu. November 1988.

"What Does Not Change: Karel Capek Writes about Munich." Karel Capek, panel, SVU XIV World Congress, Washington, D.C. September 1988.

"Karel Capek, Journalist: 1938." Slavic Languages and Cultures, panel, Pacific Northwest Council on Foreign Languages, Eugene, OR. March 1988.

"To Amuse and Alarm: Some Known and Unknown Tales by Karel Capek." The Fantastical Tale in Slavic Literatures, panel, Western Slavic Association, Portland, OR. March 1986.

"Capek and Utopia: The World as It Should Be?" Images of Utopia, symposium, UO Russian and East European Studies Center, University of Oregon. January 1984.

 

LECTURES, PRESENTATIONS

Interviews re Capek and translation for The Prague Post, Ceský Rozhlas, Radio Prague International, and Zprávy SBC [Capek Brothers Society newsletter}. 2000.

"From Karel Capek to That Old Devil Moon: Adventures in Translating from the Czech." Slavic Fiction panel, American Literary Translators Association, October, 1997.

"The Life and Writings of the Czech Author Karel Capek." Series of classes for UO Learning in Retirement program. August 1997, 2001.

"On Translating," "Translating from the Czech," and "Translating from Karel Capek." Presentations for college and university literature and language classes and translation seminars, UO Slavic Graduate Student Association, UO faculty Work-in-Progress seminar, Lane Literary Guild Windfall Reading Series, etc. 1980s, 1990s.

"Tales from Two Pockets: Karel Capek's 'Detective Stories.'" Presented for various libraries, bookstores and book clubs in the Pacific Northwest and Prague. 1993 - present.

"Criminals and Other Ordinary People: Karel Capek's Pocket Tales." OCH Chautauqua presentation, 1996-1998.

"Karel Capek: The Man Who Gave Us Robots, Karburators, and the White Plague." OCH Chautauqua program 1990-1995. Also UO Slavic Civilization course, 1991.

"Contemporary Czech Writing and Writers." Interview for UO "Oregon Newsline" and "Take 5," KWAX-FM. May, 1990.

Translation readings for the Karel Capek Centennial Celebration (Catbird Press/Northwestern University Press/IREX/PEN American Center), in conjunction with an IREX/NYU Czech Literature and Culture conference, New York. March, 1990.

"The Czechoslovak Republic: 1918-38; 1989-?" Slavic Civilization class, University of Oregon. 1990.

"Your Robots Were Scary, Mr. Capek; Didn't You Ever Write Anything Just for Fun?" Slavic Civilization class, University of Oregon. 1989.

"Czechoslovakia, 1918-1938: Experiment in Democracy." Slavic Civilization class, University of Oregon. 1987, 1988; OCH Chautauqua and Chautauqua in the Schools programs. 1990s.

"The Man Who Gave Us Robots, Karburators, and the White Plague." Radio interview for Creativity and Its Consequences, KWAX-FM series with a da Vinci exhibit, Willamette Science and Technology Center, Eugene, OR. 1986.

"Robots and Other Warnings from the Work of Karel Capek." The Humanistic Imperative in a Technological Age, faculty seminar, UO Fall Convocation, 1983.

Presentations on Capek and readings from my translations for arts, library, literary, emigré, O Learning in Retirement program, and other civic and cultural groups and organizations around the state, for high school and university classes, and in connection with drama productions and a UO Slavic Studies film festival. 1965- present.

 

AND TRANSLATION

Karel Capek: Life and Work. Translation of Ivan Klíma's Capek biography. North Haven, CT: Catbird Press, 2002.

Cross Roads. Translation of Capek's Bozí muka and Trapné povídky. North Haven, CT: Catbird Press, 2002.

"The End of the Twentieth Century" Translation of Capek rozhlásek for Lidové noviny, August 22, 1936, in Two Lines: A Journal of Translation, 2000; and in The Prague Post, January 5-11, 2000.

Apocryphal Tales, with a Selection of Would-Be Tales and Fables Translation of Capek's Kniha apocryfu and other works. North Haven, CT: Catbird Press, 1997.

"An Attempt at Murder." Pocket Tale reprint in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, October, 1996.

"Golem and Robot: A Search for Connections" Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts, Special Issue: The Golem, Vol. 7, 1996.

"Chintimani and Birds." Pocket Tale reprint in The SFBARS News [The San Francisco Bay Area Rug Society], Vol. VI, No. 1, January 1996.

"What does not change." [Karel Capek Writes about Munich] Transcultures, la Section d'Études slaves de l'Université libre de Bruxelles, Vol. II, 1995.

"The Receipt." Pocket Tale reprint in Prague: A Traveler's Literary Companion, Paul Wilson, ed. San Francisco: Whereabouts Press, 1995.

"The Crime on the Farm." Pocket Tale reprint in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, April, 1995.

Tales from Two Pockets. Translation of Capek's Povídky z jedné kapsy and Povídky z druhé kapsy. North Haven, CT: Catbird Press, 1994.

"The Clairvoyant." Reprint of a Pocket Tale in Legal Fictions: Stories about Lawyers and the Law, Jay Wishingrad, ed. New York, NY: The Overlook Press, 1992.

"The Garden of Eden" and "The Death of the Twentieth Century." Translations of Capek Lidové noviny verses, 8/4/34 and 8/22/36. Fishtrap Anthology, Darinda M. Schmidt, ed. Enterprise, OR: Fishtrap Gathering, 1992.

"Karel Capek on Science, Progress, and Responsibility." Kosmos: the Czechoslovak and Central European Journal, Summer, 1991.

"The Crime at the Post Office." Pocket Tale reprint in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, August, 1990.

The Mother (play); "The Blue Chrysanthemum," "The Crime at the Post Office," "The Clairvoyant," "The Poet" (Pocket Tales); "Inventions," "The Mail," "In Praise of Idleness" (feuilletons). Translations for Toward the Radical Center: A Karel Capek Reader, Peter Kussi, ed. Highland Park, NJ: Catbird Press, 1990.

"Karel Capek, Journalist: 1938." Selecta, Journal of the Pacific Northwest Council on Foreign Languages. Corvallis, OR: Oregon State University, 1988.

"Karel Capek and Utopia." Prize-winning essay for Sweet Reason: A Journal of Ideas, History and Culture, John Witte, ed. Portland, OR: OCH, 1984.

"The Last Judgment." Translation of a Pocket Tale with L. Pospíšil, JUDr., The Realm of Fiction, James B. Hall, ed. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 1965 and subsequent editions.

 

The Fateful Game of Love (play), Karel and Josef Capek.

Various Karel Capek columns, essays, feuilletons, and other journalism.

IN PROGRESS

Retranslation of Karel Capek's Dášenka.

Critical anthology of Karel Capek's journalism for Catbird Press, no EPD.