Upcoming Translation Events June 2023

From L-R: "The Book of Eve" by Carmen Boullosa, translated by Samantha Schnee; "Watch Us Dance" by Leila Slimani, translated by Sam Taylor; "Owlish" by Dorothy Tse, translated by Natscha Bruce

Friday, June 2:

Carmen Boullosa presents The Book of Eve, with Peter Constantine | P&T Knitwear is pleased to welcome Carmen Boullosa to celebrate her new novel, The Book of Eve, with a talk, audience Q&A, and book signing. In brilliant prose, Carmen Boullosa offers "a stirring challenge to an age-old narrative" (Publishers Weekly), a twist on the Book of Genesis that dismantles patriarchy and rebuilds our understanding of the world—from the origin of gastronomy, to the domestication of animals, to the cultivation of land and pleasure—all through the feminine gaze. Carmen will be joined in conversation by Peter Constantine, Professor of Translation Studies at the University of Connecticut and the publisher of World Poetry Books. After the talk, Carmen will sign copies of her book. In-person. Organized by P&T Knitwear. More info here. 7:00 - 8:00 p.m. (ET) 

 

Saturday, June 3:

Colloquy: Emerging Translators | Please join us for the seventh installment of Colloquy: Translators in Conversation, spotlighting Emerging Translators, with readings and discussion from Alex Braslavsky, Elina Alter, and Greg Nissan, hosted and moderated by Colloquy curator Catherine Fisher. Colloquy is an event series presented by World Poetry Books in collaboration with Montez Press Radio and partnering bookstores which invites translators to engage with live audiences in an exploration of the art of translation. Colloquy events are simultaneously broadcast on internet radio for broader access by our collaborators at Montez Press Radio. In-person. Hosted by World Poetry and organized by Clemente Soto Vélez Cultural and Educational Center. More info here. RSVP required. 5:00 - 7:00 p.m. (ET) 

 

Monday, June 5:

The Radio Operator: An Evening with Ulla Lenze and Marshall Yarbrough | Deutsches Haus at NYU presents a reading and conversation focusing on The Radio Operator (HaperVia, 2021) with the author Ulla Lenze and the book's translator Marshall Yarbrough. The Radio Operator is a gripping historical novel about a German immigrant who becomes embroiled in a Nazi spy ring operating in New York City in the early days of World War II. The conversation will reflect on the inspiration and research that went into the book and also on the translation into English. In-person. Hosted by Deutsches Haus at NYU. More info here. RSVP here. 6:00 - 7:30 p.m. (ET)

 

Wednesday, June 7:

Italics: Writing, Translating, Self-translating, and Performing Italian poetry in the US today | Italics brings together poets, translators, and publishers to discuss and share their work, perspectives, and experiences on contemporary Italian poetry in the U.S. This one-day event will foster encounters centered around the intersection of Italian poetry and New York City, providing a unique opportunity for participants to engage with one another and explore the complexities and richness of Italian poetry. Participants will engage with a wide range of topics, including the role of Italian poetry in the American literary landscape and the challenges and rewards of translating Italian poetry into English. Fostering valuable and productive exchanges between poets, translators, and scholars from diverse fields and perspectives, Italics is intended as a creative space of encounter for voices that are often silenced both in Italy and the U.S. due to their origin, gender, or sexual orientation. The event will also provide a platform for endangered languages, such as Italian Southern dialects. We are grateful and humbled by the generosity of many high-profile poets, translators, and publishers who have agreed to participate in this initiative. In-person. Hosted by the Italian Academy at Columbia University and organized by Multiverse: Poetry Club & World Poetry in Translation. More info here and here. 9:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. (ET) 

 

Thursday, June 8:

Book Launch: Ryunosuke Akutagawa's Kappa New English Translation with Lisa Hofmann-Kuroda and Allison Markin Powell | Yu and Me Books presents Ryunosuke Akutagawa's Kappa, with translators Lisa Hofmann-Kuroda and Allison Markin Powell. The Kappa is a creature from Japanese folklore known for dragging unwary toddlers to their deaths in rivers: a scaly, child-sized creature, looking something like a frog, but with a sharp, pointed beak and an oval-shaped saucer on top of its head, which hardens with age. In-person. Hosted by Yu and Me Books. More info here. 7:00 - 8:20 p.m. (ET)

 

Saturday, June 10:

Poetry in Translation: Reading & Conversation with PEN Award Finalists | A reading and conversation with the 2023 PEN Award for Poetry in Translation Winner and Finalists. PEN award poets from Chile, Haiti, Iran, the Slovenian-Austrian border, and Bolivia read by their U.S. translators, followed by Q&A. Virtual. Hosted by Literary Arts. More info here. Register for the Zoom here. 7:00 - 8:30 p.m. (ET)

 

Wednesday, June 14:

Dana Shem-Ur presents Where I Am with Joshua Cohen | P&T Knitwear is pleased to welcome Dana Shem-Ur to celebrate her debut novel, Where I Am — a piercing novel about life abroad in a cultural setting not one’s own — with a talk, audience Q&A, and book signing. Dana will be joined in conversation by Joshua Cohen, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Netanyahus. After the talk, Dana will sign copies of her book. In-person. Hosted by P&T Knitwear Books & Podcasts. More info here and here. 7:00 - 8:00 p.m. (ET)

 

Thursday, June 15:

The International Library Part II: Translating Traditions / Translating the Book of Genesis | A striking example of translation and its many layers—of language, of myth, of tradition—Mexican author Carmen Boullosa’s The Book of Eve (El libro de Eva) twists, challenges, and ultimately revises a classic tale for a contemporary moment. As Eve, fueled by “fiery disobedience,” tells her own version of the Book of Genesis, she brazenly rejects the stories that have oppressed women across millennia. No, she was not created from Adam’s rib; no, she was not expelled from the Garden of Eden for nibbling a forbidden apple; and no, humanity was not deluged by a great flood. Join translator Samantha Schnee and Boullosa for a conversation about translation twice (and sometimes thrice) over. Organized by the International Library. Hybrid (in-person and virtual). All meetings will take place in person at The Center for Fiction in Brooklyn (1:30pm ET) with audiences at the American Library in Paris (in Paris; 19h30 CEST) and the Center for the Art of Translation in San Francisco (10:30am PT) for a live streaming experience. More info here. 1:30 - 2:30 p.m. (ET) 

Peirene Press: Venom | Peirene Press presents Venom by Saneh Sangsuk with translator Mui Poopoksakul. Virtual. Hosted by Borderless Book Club. More info here. Register for the Zoom link here. 3:00 - 4:30 p.m. (ET)

American Launch of Leïla Slimani’s Latest Novel, Watch Us Dance | Join us for the launch of the American edition of Leïla Slimani’s latest book Watch Us Dance (Penguin Random House). Slimani will discuss her latest work alongside her translator, Sam Taylor, and New Yorker journalist Parul Sehgal. The discussion will be followed by a Q&A session and book signings. Watch Us Dance recounts the rebellions within an interracial family that play out against the countercultural rebellions of the 1960s in this sexy, stylish, sophisticated new novel by the award-winning, internationally bestselling author of The Perfect Nanny and In the Country of Others. Leïla Slimani draws on her family’s inspiring story to deliver a tense, provocative, page-turning novel about one family’s, and one country’s, coming of age in the face of the seductions of power and privilege. In-person. Hosted by Albertine Books. More info here. RSVP here. Starts at 6:00 p.m. (ET)

 

Sunday, June 18:

Mikhail Kuzmin's "New Hull" + Fritz Lang's "Dr. Mabuse, The Gambler" | One hundred years after its publication, “New Hull”, a 12-part poem cycle dedicated to the first part of Fritz Lang’s DR. MABUSE series, DR. MABUSE, THE GAMBLER (1922), has been translated for the first time. This special event will help launch the chapbook by Russia’s preeminent gay and proud poet Mikhail Kuzmin (1872-1936). To celebrate the centenary of the film and the poem it inspired, DR. MABUSE, THE GAMBLER will screen in a gorgeous new 4K restoration. During the intermission between the two parts of Lang’s film, translator Simona Schneider will read from the poem-cycle and discuss the “queer lens” the poem provides onto this modernist masterpiece, Kuzmin’s melancholy optimism, and how it resonates today. How does the poem change our way of watching the film and the meaning of Mabuse’s infamous glare? More info here. Hosted by Ugly Duckling Presse. Starts at 3:00 p.m. (ET)

 

Thursday, June 22:

Indonesian Novel in English translation: 24 Hours with Gaspar | Yu & Me Books presents 24 Hours with Gaspar by Sabda Armandio, translated by Lara Norgaard and in conversation with David Damrosch and Esther Allen. A breathtakingly imaginative futuristic crime thriller. Decades into the future, Indonesia's crowded capital city is underwater. A mysterious novelist searches what remains of the metropolis for the story of an old, infamous crime. In-person. Hosted by Yu and Me Books. More info here. 7:00 - 8:00 p.m. (ET)

Owlish: Dorothy Tse and Natascha Bruce | Dorothy Tse and Natascha Bruce join the Center for the Art of Translation at Green Apple Books on the Park to talk about Dorothy’s latest book to appear in English, Owlish, translated by Natascha Bruce. Hybrid (in-person and virtual). Hosted by the Center for the Art of Translation. More info here. Starts at 10:00 p.m. (ET)

 

Monday, June 26:

Transnational Literature Series: Dorothy Tse | Join the Transnational Literature Series at Brookline Booksmith for an event with Dorothy Tse to discuss and celebrate the release of Owlish. Hybrid (in-person and virtual). Hosted by Brookline Booksmith. More info here. Barring technical difficulty, this event will be livestreamed to Brookline Booksmith’s YouTube channel. 7:00 - 8:15 p.m. (ET)

 

Tuesday, June 27:

Transnational Literature Series: Maureen Freely, Aysegül Savas, and Merve Emre | Join the Transnational Literature Series at Brookline Booksmith, Community Bookstore, and Third Place Books for a virtual event with translator Maureen Freely, author Aysegül Savas, and critic Merve Emre to discuss and celebrate the release of Cold Nights of Childhood by Tezer Özlü. Virtual. Hosted by Brookline Booksmith. More info here. Starts at 3:00 p.m. (ET)

 

Thursday, June 29:

Transnational Series: Alejandra Oliva | Join the Transnational Literature Series at Brookline Booksmith for an in-store event with Alejandra Oliva to discuss and celebrate the release of Rivermouth: A Chronicle of Language, Faith, and Migration. Hybrid (in-person and virtual). Hosted by Brookline Booksmith. More info here. Barring technical difficulty, this event will be livestreamed to Brookline Booksmith’s YouTube channel. 7:00 - 8:15 p.m. (ET)