Susan Bernofsky's Blog, page 20

2017 Warwick Prize for Women in Translation Announced

Celebratory GIF by Tynan Kogane

I’m almost too excited to work the keyboard right now, because a book I translated, Memoirs of a Polar Bear by the amazing Yoko Tawada, just won the inaugural Warwick Prize for Women in Translation!!! The Warwick Prize for Women in Translation (you have to say its whole name to avoid ambiguity), is the first-ever prize to celebrate work in English translation by women authors, who have traditionally been direly underrepresented in the landscape of literary prizes. Having a prize just for them will help draw attention to all the gorgeous books written by women around the world every year. I’ve wanted for this to happen for ages, so would have been celebrating tonight regardless, but now I’m triply happy (the other 1/3 is because I love this book so much I can’t even tell you). I hope you’ll check out the novel, as well as the other beautiful books from this year’s stellar shortlist. And big gratitude to Chantal Wright and the entire Translation at Warwick and Warwick University team that made this prize a reality (not to mention all the fierce translationistas (see credits at the bottom of this page) of the U.K. who lobbied hard for several years to make this happen). I’m so delighted that there’s now a prize out there honoring Women in Translation, and look forward to celebrating many more longlists, shortlists, and prizewinners to come.

P.S. This prize is just for books published in the U.K.; Memoirs of a Polar Bear qualified only because Portobello co-published it with New Directions. We still need a Women in Translation Prize for books published in the U.S. Who’s going to start one?

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Fall 2017 PEN Translates Awards Announced

Here’s something for American publishers to salivate over: English PEN gives out grants (supported by Arts Council England) twice a year to help publishers in the U.K. publish translated books. PEN Translates grants cover up to 75% of translation costs, or even up to 100% in the case of smaller publishers. That’s the kind of thing that can happen when you live in an country where the government provides more robust and wide-sweeping financial support for the arts than is available to us in the U.S., despite heroic efforts on the part of the NEA. These grants to U.K. publishers don’t stipulate anything about the nationality of the translator, so if you have a project that’s right to pitch to a publisher across the pond, pitch away!

Here’s the list of supported translations that’s just been announced:

The Yogini by Sangeeta Bandyopadhyay, translated from Bengali by Arunava Sinha. Tilted Axis Press, October 2019. Country of origin: India
Butterfly Valley by Sherko Bekas, translated from Sorani (Iraqi Kurdish) by Choman Hardi. Arc Publications, March 2018. Country of origin: Iraqi Kurdistan
The Desert and the Drum by Mbarek Ould Beyrouk, translated from French by Rachael McGill. Dedalus, June 2018. Country of origin: Mauritania
The Eight Mountains by Paolo Cognetti, translated from Italian by Simon Carnell and Erica Segre. Harvill Secker, April 2018. Country of origin: Italy
The Chilli Bean Paste Clan by Yan Ge, translated from Chinese by Nicky Harman. Balestier Press, June 2018. Country of origin: China
Men Don’t Cry by Faïza Guène, translated from French by Sarah Ardizzone. Cassava Republic, September 2018. Country of origin: France
L’ora de partir by Sèrgi Javaloyès, translated from Occitan by James Thomas. Francis Boutle, autumn 2018. Country of origin: France
A Place Upon Your Face by Sema Kaygusuz, translated from Turkish by Nicholas Glastonbury. Tilted Axis Press, November 2018. Country of origin: Turkey
The Luminous Novel by Mario Levrero, translated from Spanish by Annie McDermott. And Other Stories, spring 2020. Country of origin: Uruguay
Negative Space by Luljeta Lleshanaku, translated from Albanian by Ani Gjika. Bloodaxe Books, February 2018. Country of origin: Albania
Home is Like a Different Time by Eva Moreda, translated from Galician by Craig Patterson. Francis Boutle, 2018. Country of origin: Spain
States of Passion by Nihad Sirees, translated from Arabic by Max Weiss. Pushkin Press, August 2018. Country of origin: Syria
The Books of Jacob by Olga Tokarczuk, translated from Polish by Jennifer Croft. Fitzcarraldo Editions, 2019. Country of origin: Poland
The Shape of the Ruins by Juan Gabriel Vásquez, translated from Spanish by Annie McLean. Maclehose Press, May 2018. Country of origin: Colombia
The Polyglot Lovers by Lina Wolff, translated from Swedish by Saskia Vogel. And Other Stories, February 2019. Country of origin: Sweden
Moving Parts by Prabda Yoon, translated from Thai by Mui Poopoksakul. Tilted Axis Press, October 2018. Country of origin: Thailand

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2018 Dublin Literary Award Longlist Announced

The Dublin Literary Award is the world’s only award for which books can only be nominated by libraries and librarians from around the world. The award honors books published during a calendar year that comes a year and a half prior to the prize announcement (e.g. the prize that will be announced in June 2018 will honor a book published in 2016); among other things, this gives librarians time to see which recent books are most in favor among their patrons, making this in a sense a reader’s award. It’s also one of the most generous awards out there, carrying a purse of €100,000 (€25,000 of which goes to the translator if the book in question is a translation). Nine of the 22 previous winners of the award have been works in translation – excellent odds! The award is sponsored by the Dublin City Council and the municipal government of Dublin, and administered by Dublin City Public Libraries. I’m particularly delighted to see that nearly one third of the books on this year’s longlist of 150 books (yes, possibly the world’s longest longlist) are works in translation. The longlist in this case is in fact the list of all the books nominated by the 400 library systems in 177 countries participating in this year’s award. The first culling will come when the 10 book shortlist is announced in April.

Here are the 48 works in translation from this year’s longlist (you’ll find the complete longlist on the Dublin Literary Award website).

Britt-Marie Was Here by Fredrik Backman, translated from the original Swedish by Henning Koch

The Young Bride by Alessandro Baricco, translated from the original Italian by Ann Goldstein

Seven Days in August by Brit Bildøen, translated from the original Norwegian by Becky L. Crook

Baba Dunja’s Last Love by Alina Bronsky, translated from the original German by Tim Mohr

This Too Shall Pass by Milena Busquets, translated from the original Spanish by Valerie Miles

Don’t Tell Me You’re Afraid by Giuseppe Catozzella, translated from the original Italian by Anne Milano Appel

Sudden Death by Álvaro Enrigue, translated from the original Spanish by Natasha Wimmer

The Island of Books by Dominique Fortier, translated from the original French by Rhonda Mullins

Waking Lions by Ayelet Gundar-Goshen, translated from the original Hebrew by Sondra Silverston

This House is Mine by Dörte Hansen, translated from the original German by Anne Stokes

Where Love Begins by Judith Hermann, translated from the original German by Margot Bettauer Dembo

The Transmigration of Bodies by Yuri Herrera, translated from the original Spanish by Lisa Dillman

War and Turpentine by Stefan Hertmans, translated from the original Dutch by David McKay

The Unseen by Roy Jacobsen, translated from the original Norwegian by Don Bartlett & Don Shaw

Human Acts by Han Kang, translated from the original Korean by Deborah Smith

Almost Everything Very Fast by Christopher Kloeble, translated from the original German by Aaron Kerner

One of Us is Sleeping by Josefine Klougart, translated from the original Danish by Martin Aitken

Dear Mr. M by Herman Koch, translated from the original Dutch by Sam Garrett

Two Gentlemen on the Beach by Michael Köhlmeier, translated from the original German by Ruth Martin

None Like Her by Jela Krečič, translated from the original Slovene by Olivia Hellewell

The Party Wall by Catherine Leroux, translated from the original French by Lazer Lederhendler

Death in Sunset Grove by Minna Lindgren, translated from the original Finnish by Lola Rogers

The Shelf Life of Happiness by David Machado, translated from the original Portuguese by Hillary Locke

Thus Bad Begins by Javier Marías, translated from the original Spanish by Margaret Jull Costa

Bricks and Mortar by Clemens Meyer, translated from the original German by Katy Derbyshire

Distant Light by Antonio Moresco, translated from the original Italian by Richard Dixon

Ladivine by Marie Ndiaye, translated from the original French by Jordan Stump

Judas by Amos Oz, translated from the original Hebrew by Nicholas de Lange

La Superba by Ilja Leonard Pfeijffer, translated from the original Dutch by Michele Hutchison

The Attempt by Magdaléna Platzová, translated from the original Czech by Alex Zucker

Sergio Y. by Alexandre Vidal Porto, translated from the original Portuguese by Alex Ladd

The Hill by Ivica Prtenjača, translated from the original Croatian by Tomislav Kuzmanović

The Bird Tribunal by Agnes Ravatn, translated from the original Norwegian by Rosie Hedger

Cry, Mother Spain by Lydie Salvayre, translated from the original French by Ben Faccini

Panorama by Dušan Šarotar, translated from the original Slovene by Rawley Grau

The Tobacconist by Robert Seethaler, translated from the original German by Charlotte Collins

Ma Belle by Maja Herman Sekulić, translated from the original Serbian by Persida Bošković

Why Did You Lie? by Yrsa Sigurdardóttir, translated from the original Icelandic by Victoria Cribb

The Core of the Sun by Johanna Sinisalo, translated from the original Finnish by Lola Rogers

Moonstone: the boy who never was by Sjón, translated from the original Icelandic by Victoria Cribb

Fish Have No Feet by Jón Kalman Stefánsson, translated from the original Icelandic by Philip Roughton

Estoril by Dejan Tiago-Stanković, translated from the original Serbian by Christina Pribichevich Zorić

Reputations by Juan Gabriel Vásquez, translated from the original Spanish by Anne McLean

The Man I Became by Peter Verhelst, translated from the original Dutch by David Colmer

The Latecomer by Dimitri Verhulst, translated from the original Dutch by David Colmer

I’ll Sell You a Dog by Juan Pablo Villalobos, translated from the original Spanish by Rosalind Harvey

A Beautiful Young Wife by Tommy Wieringa, translated from the original Dutch by Sam Garrett

Multiple Choice by Alejandro Zambra, translated from the original Spanish by Megan McDowell

 

Wishing all the longlisted translators the best of luck for also making the shortlist! Check back in April to see how that went.

 

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Translation on Tap in NYC, Nov. 1 – 30, 2017

I’m not sure how it can be almost-November already, but apparently that’s what’s happening, and maybe you’ll be hunting in the fog for a translation event to warm your soul. Voila.

Thursday, Nov. 2:

Stanislaw Lem and the Art of Adaptation: long-time Lem translator Michael Kandel will participate in this panel discussion on the great Polish sci-fi author’s work, joined by Christopher Caes and Ezra Glinter. More information here. Marshall D. Shulman Seminar Room (=1219 International Affairs Building), 420 W 118th Street, 12th Fl., 6:00 p.m.

Wednesday, Nov. 8:

At the Inkwell: translators Julia Knoblauch, Poupeh Missaghi, and Aaron Poochigian will be on the program at this reading series at KGB Bar, more information here. 85 E. 4th St., 7:00 p.m.

Friday, Nov. 10:

Astroecology Release Party: Translators Liz Clark Wessel and Kirkwood Adams join Swedish poet/artist Johannes Heldén to celebrate the release of his new book Asroecology from Argos Books. More information here. Bessie’s, Broadway at Ditmas St., Brooklyn, 6:00 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 18:

Found in Translation: Translators Margaret Carson, Chia-Lun Chang, and Kyoo Lee – representing three languages widely spoken in Flushing (Spanish, Chinese, and Korean) – will conduct a public workshop on translating poetry facilitated by Richard Newman. No knowledge of these languages required. RSVP requested. More information here. Lewis Latimer House, 34-41 137th St. Flushing, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.

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Translators/Translation Curators Sought for Transgender Studies Quarterly

(Guest post from TSQ)

Twice yearly, Transgender Studies Quarterly (Duke University Press) print-publishes a short “translations” section of about 3000 words, featuring translated texts (literary, interviews, historical, poetic, journalistic, legal decisions, etc.) that have to do with transgender experience in some significant way. Recent TSQ Translations Sections have featured contemporary Turkish trans activists and Black German trans community organizers, as well as Japanese and Italian short literary works in translation. Other Sections have included first-time translations of medieval manuscripts, contemporary writings from imprisoned trans people, manifestoes, memoirs, original poetry, etc.

The TSQ Translations Section editor extends an invitation to you or a colleague to guest curate (or even just contribute to) a future Translations section. Perhaps you already have a few texts in mind that have been an important contribution to transgender life in their original language for one reason or another, but have not yet appeared in English. Perhaps you have a few translations yourself on trans topics and would enjoy having an outside editorial pair-of-eyes on them before print publication. Perhaps you are part of a translation community where these themes are being explored and worked on.

Most of the editing and coordinating are done by the Section staff, so guest editors are primarily responsible for thinking about, identifying, curating, and either translating or coordinating the translation of a few texts (usually 3 or so texts of 1000 words each), usually from one language or theme, which will then appear in English for the first time in TSQ. No remuneration is available for this work.

Note that, since TSQ is focused on transgender studies specifically, rather than on LGB studies, the journal prefers work that addresses transgender identity in some specificity, though LGB and other subjectivities are always welcome as an additional feature of the proposed texts. Rights to the originals remain, of course, with the original rights-holders, but Duke University Press asks contributors to arrange for the translation rights to be granted for this publication.

The TSQ Translations Section editor, David Gramling, invites potential guest editors and contributors to contact him directly with ideas. Note that, though TSQ is an academic journal, it has a broad readership and an even broader cultural and political mandate. So diversity of genres, backgrounds, and contexts are most welcome. Experimental and interpretive approaches to “translation” are also encouraged. TSQ’s Translation Section is working to make trans and LGBT studies ever more multilingual and planetary, at a moment when nationalist retrenchment is alluring for so many.

The next open spot for curation is coming up quickly – Jan 15, 2018.

For more information on TSQ, see the articles below:

Joselow, Maxine (22 June 2016). “A Push for Transgender Studies”. Inside Higher Ed. Washington, D.C.

Kellaway, Mitch (27 May 2014). “Duke Univ. Press Debuts Academic Journal for Transgender Studies”. The Advocate. Here Media. 

Morgan, Glennisha (16 May 2013). “Duke University Press’ Transgender Studies Quarterly to Publish in 2014″. The Huffington Post. 

Kang, Andy (28 May 2014). “Groundbreaking Transgender Studies Quarterly Released”. GLAAD. 

“Archive of All Online Issues” TSQ, Duke University Press.

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Apply Now to Be a Translator-in-Residence at the University of Iowa

The MFA in Translation Program at the University of Iowa  in Iowa City hires two translators-in-residence per year, each serving a term of at least five weeks during the Fall or Spring semester. While in residence, each translator runs a workshop and provides one-on-one mentoring to students in the MFA program. The position comes with a stipend of $6500 plus a housing and travel allowance. Applications for residencies during the 2018 – 2019 academic year are currently being accepted; the deadline for applying is Nov. 15, 2017. For more information about the translator-in-residence positions at the University of Iowa, please consult the website of the Translation Program.

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Want To Be the First Ever Translator-in-Residence at Princeton? Apply now!

Princeton University (more specifically, the Princeton Institute for International and Regional Studies, or PIIRS) is inviting applications for a shiny new translator-in-residence position scheduled for the Spring 2018 semester that comes with a salary, office space, and what sounds like relatively light teaching duties: the translator-in-residence will participate in classes offered by the Program in Translation and Intercultural Communication and the Program in Creative Writing (rather than organizing classes of their own), along with some mentoring of undergraduate translators. I assume the point is that they’ll spend most of their time working on their own translations. The application deadline is Nov. 30, 2017, with the selected translator to be informed most likely by Dec. 15. Having done graduate work at Princeton in the 90s, I can say with some confidence that it’s a pleasant place to spend time, with some seriously gorgeous spots to take long walks (woods and a canal with a path beside it that stretches for miles and is fun even in the snow), a world-class library, great record and book stores, too many chain boutiques for a town of that size (so it goes), and a really really nice coffee shop. There are much worse places to hang out. You’ll find more information on this position and application guidelines on the Princeton University website.

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Apply Now for TRANSLAB Workshop for German-language Nonfiction

Applications are currently being accepted for TRANSLAB, an all-day translation workshop that will be offered on Thursday, Nov. 30 at the Goethe-Institut New York by the office of the Frankfurt Book Fair New York Inc. in collaboration with Geisteswissenschaften International (a translation funding program for German works in the humanities and social sciences), and the German Historical Institute. This workshop led by acclaimed translator Shelley Frisch will address the challenges of translating academic and nonfiction prose, offering translators a chance to collaborate with one another, have their work critiqued, and meet with New York editors. To apply, send your resume to the Frankfurt Book Fair New York office. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis until the workshop is filled, so the sooner you apply, the more likely you’ll be to land a spot in the workshop. The Frankfurt Book Fair New York also publishes New Books in German, which has a nonfiction section – check it out!

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2017 Warwick Prize for Women in Translation Shortlist Announced

The shortlist for the first-ever prize to specifically honor literature in translation by female authors has just been announced. The Warwick Prize for Women in Translation shortlist has six books on it (down from 16 on the longlist, out of a total of 58 that were submitted), and I couldn’t be more delighted to see a book of mine on this list, in most excellent company. This is a prize for books published in the U.K. and Ireland; the U.S. still needs a Women in Translation Prize of its own – if you have the means and resources, please establish one!

Here are the finalists:

Second-hand Time by Svetlana Alexievich, translated from Russian by Bela Sheyavich (Fitzcarraldo Editions, 2016)
Swallow Summer by Larissa Boehning, translated from German by Lyn Marven (Comma Press, 2016)
Clementine Loves Red by Krystyna Boglar, translated from Polish by Antonia Lloyd-Jones and Zosia Krasodomska-Jones (Pushkin Children’s Books, 2016)
The Coast Road by Ailbhe Ní Ghearbhuigh, translated from Irish by Michael Coady, Peter Fallon, Tom French, Alan Gillis, Vona Groarke, John McAuliffe, Medbh McGuckian, Paul Muldoon, Michelle O’Sullivan, Justin Quinn, Billy Ramsell, Peter Sirr and David Wheatley (The Gallery Press, 2016)
Swallowing Mercury by Wioletta Greg, translated from Polish by Eliza Marciniak (Portobello Books, 2017)
Memoirs of a Polar Bear by Yoko Tawada, translated from German by Susan Bernofsky (Portobello Books, 2016)

The winner of the Warwick Prize will be announced at a ceremony to be held at the University of Warwick in the U.K. on Nov. 15, 2017. May the best book win! For more information, visit the Warwick Prize website.

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2017 PEN Center USA Translation Award Announced

Somehow the announcement of the West-Coast-based PEN Center USA’s awards didn’t reach my desk on the East Coast in a timely fashion this year. But now that the news has belatedly arrived, I’m delighted to share it with you. This year’s prize in the category literary translation has gone to Kareem James Abu-Zeid for his translation of Confessions by Rabee Jaber (New Directions). Three runners-up were also named as a shortlist (which contains, I’m happy to see, 50% female authors):

Philip Boehm, The Fox Was Ever The Hunter by Herta Müller (Metropolitan)

Geoffrey Brock, Six Memos For The Next Millennium by Italo Calvino (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)

Jordan Stump, Cockroaches by Scholastique Mukasonga (Archipelago)

For a list of the 2017 prizewinners in all eight categories, please visit the PEN USA website. Congratulations to all the translators whose work was honored!

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