Toespraak vaste voorzitter raad Van Rompuy bij uitreiking Europese boekenprijs (en)

EUROPEAN COUNCIL THE PRESIDT

Brussels, 5 December 2012

EUCO PRESSE 511 PRPCE 195

Speech by the President of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy i, on the occasion of the presentation of the European Book Prize

European Parliament, 5 December 2012

"The book is like the spoon, scissors, the hammer, the wheel", says Umberto Eco. "Once invented, it cannot be improved". Books are our cultural vehicle par excellence. They have taught us about Europe; they have brought Europe to us. A Europe distinguished first and foremost by its extraordinary diversity

Indeed, European culture is a culture of differences. Therein lies its peculiarity; therein lies its richness. And that is what we must preserve, cherish and encourage

The dissemination and translation of literary works play a prominent role in that regard, particularly in a Union with 23 official languages. Nothing unifies a people more than their language. Such works deserve our respect. We therefore need to study them, understand them and listen to their message

And that is where translation comes in. "Traduttore traditore", as the Italians say. Indeed. But this does not mean that one should not translate. Quite the reverse, in fact. For if translation does result in misinterpretation, it is all done with the best intentions. It can lead to reinterpretation in another language and in another way of thinking. And this new - or "different" - interpretation may even "add" to the work. Without necessarily distorting it, it may impart that "supplément d'dme" (Bergson)] from another part of our Union

Jacques Delors i was fond of saying that Europe needs a soul; here we see what I would venture to describe as a work's "spiral of life" - a spiral brought to life not only by its author, but also by its various translators, critics and readers throughout Europe. That is why I regard literary translation as an essential tool in the development of European culture

Such translation gives rise to exchanges, and such exchanges in turn open the door to the imagination and dreams of other Europeans, thereby enabling all of us to come closer to the "European spirit". A European spirit shaped by, for and on the basis of diversity. And a spirit which, through such exchanges, strives not so much for a unity of vision as for a unity of perception - a sense of "feeling" European

Clearly, Spain would be the same without Goya's paintings; however, it would be "felt" differently. Today we see Spain through Goya's eyes. And we understand it better. The same applies to Dante, who permeated and fashioned Italian culture and, at the same time, added that "extra something" that is forever embedded in European poetry and spirituality. To understand Germany, we read Goethe. To understand France, we read Montaigne. The great writers are often universal authors, even those who never left their home village or town

The European cultural world is shaped by the novel - the "narrative" as they say today -and by the thinking of philosophers and essayists. And even those who are not aware of it are more European than they think. They are, you might say, Europeans "without knowing it"

We Europeans are thus linked by a common cultural heritage, a heritage that, far from denying diversity, is the product of exchange and sharing. The fact is that territorial boundaries have often moved, communities have travelled or migrated, great minds have met, histories have sometimes been shared and sources of inspiration have mingled

Geographically and historically, Europe has been shaped through its fields, its cathedrals and its cafes. As George Steiner put it: "As long as there are coffeehouses, the idea of Europe will have content. If one were to draw a map of the coffeehouses, one would have the general outline of the European idea."

The prize being awarded this evening contributes in its own way to defining Europe via its books, the voices of its writers and the minds of its readers. I am also happy that my advisor, Luuk van Middelaar - a brilliant man - is on the shortlist, an honour in itself

As Alain Finkielkraut so rightly put it, "literature thwarts all forms of reductionism and, by so doing, it can help us to live better, to think better and, no doubt, to love better too. " It is therefore my hope that reading the books whose authors we are celebrating this evening will help to enrich and re-inspire our shared experience

In the name of a certain idea of Europe, may I wish you an excellent, fruitful read