The Polish Antigone: Zyta Rudzka and Lisa Palmes, translator of the novel “Only Those With Teeth Can Smile”

Polish Antigone: Zyta Rudzka and Lisa Palmes
Moderated by Karolina Golimowska, 7:30 PM
Bibliothek Reinickendorf – Humboldt-Bibliothek, Karolinenstrasse 19, 13507 Berlin
Reading: Celina Muza
Translation: Dorota Cygan

Zyta Rudzka will present her novel Ten się śmieje, kto ma zęby (Only Those with Teeth Can Smile) in conversation with her translator Lisa Palmes. The book’s protagonist, Wera, grapples with tragic loss but refuses to see herself as a victim: “My character lost love, her husband, her job. She sold off her few possessions at the market. But Wera is indestructible. She doesn’t celebrate loss. She doesn’t want to be a widow or a victim. She loves who she wants and lives how she wants—that’s her strength. I meet women like her all the time—I wanted to give them a voice,” says Zyta Rudzka, winner of the NIKE Literary Award and one of Poland’s most distinguished prose writers.

Wera’s story doesn’t follow a typical feminist narrative—it is instead a raw, punk-like literary punch, exposing the life of a free and strong woman who remains anonymous because she comes “from the people.” Her fight for a dignified burial for her husband, Dżokej, echoes the struggle of Antigone. Rudzka’s prose is highly original, and Wera’s voice is so distinct that it poses a real challenge for any translator. What kind of language did translator Lisa Palmes create for Wera’s rich, vivid story?

Partner: Humboldt-Bibliothek Tegel