Upcoming Translation Events November 2022

Tuesday, November 1:

Winner Announcement: The Sarah Maguire Prize for Poetry in Translation 2022 | The Poetry Translation Centre (PTC) launched the Sarah Maguire Prize to recognise the best book of poetry by a living poet from Africa, Asia, Latin America or the Middle East published in English translation and to champion the art of poetry in translation. This second edition of the prize has been judged by the poets and translators Kit Fan, Kyoo Lee and chair of the judges Rosalind Harvey. Virtual. Hosted by the Poetry Translation Centre. Register for the Zoom link. More information here. 6:30 - 7:30 p.m. (GMT)

From internationally acclaimed Somali-Italian writer Igiaba Scego comes The Color Line, a gorgeous, haunting novel inspired by true events. We are happy to celebrate the new English translation of Scebo’s La linea del colore—which won the Premio Napoli Prize. Maaza Mengiste calls the novel “a testament to the possibilities of liberation that rest in every act against injustice, and in every moment of artistic creation.” Scego comes to our stage for a discussion about her powerful exploration of what it means to be “other,” to be a woman, and particularly a Black woman, in a foreign country, yesterday and today. Hybrid (in-person and virtual). Hosted by the Center for Fiction. More information here. Starts at 7:00 p.m. (ET)

 

Wednesday, November 2:

The Age of Goodbyes at Yu and Me Books with AAWW | Join the Asian American Writers’ Workshop and Feminist Press at Yu and Me Books to celebrate the publication of The Age of Goodbyes, with author Li Zi Shu and translator YZ Chin. In-person. Hosted by Yu and Me Books. More information here. 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. (ET)

2022 Words Without Borders Virtual Gala | Join host Merve Emre, honorary chair Isabel Allende, and a dazzling group of author and translator literary hosts for a celebration of the power of international literature. The event will feature dynamic readings by poets Lyuba Yakimchuk, Raquel Salas Rivera, and Jack Malik, as well as presentations by Vanessa Chan and Merve Emre. World-renowned author and WWB gala honorary chair Isabel Allende will join gala chair Chantal Restivo-Alessi for an exclusive virtual interview that will be screened at the event. Virtual. Hosted by Words Without Borders. More information here. Starts at 7:00 p.m. (ET) 

International Writers Series: Travels through Time | Join Igiaba Scego, author of The Color Line (Other Press), and Kirmen Uribe, author of Bilbao—New York—Bilbao (Coffee House Press), as they discuss their new novels with Anderson Tepper. In-person. Hosted by the Brooklyn Public Library. More information here. 7:00 - 8:30 p.m. (ET)

 

Thursday, November 3: 

“Hugs and Cuddles” by João Gilberto Noll: a discussion with Edgar Garbelotto, Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore, and Andrea Lawlor | Third Place Books is thrilled to partner with Community Bookstore (Brooklyn) to present a discussion of João Gilberto Noll's Hugs and Cuddles, translated by Edgar Garbelotto. The book's translator will be joined in conversation by Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore (The Freezer Door) and Andrea Lawlor (Paul Takes the Form of a Mortal Girl) in a unique discussion panel on the celebrated Brazilian author's life and latest work. Virtual. Hosted by Third Place Books, in partnership with Community Bookstore (Brooklyn). Register for the Zoom link. More information here. Starts at 7:00 p.m. (ET)

A Panel on the Politics of Translation with YZ Chin, Madhu Kaza, Emma Ramadan, and David Unger |  The Center for Fiction is delighted to welcome YZ Chin, Madhu Kaza, Emma Ramadan, and David Unger to join our panel discussion on the politics of translation. The art of translation is just that—an art, one that requires degrees of reverence, patience, and introspection. The role of the translator is also an advocate, tasked with defending the text as it is introduced to other cultures while preserving its truth and conveying the author’s message. Topics covered by the panel include navigating the dangers of literary translation, finding genuine, respectful ways of engaging with other cultures, negotiating the desires of the translator, and bringing new life to ‘lost’ books through the resurrecting craft of translation. Hybrid (in-person and virtual). Hosted by the Center for Fiction. More information here. Starts at 7:00 p.m. (ET)

 

Friday, November 4:

“I Refuse to Know My Place: Translator Authority and the Translator as Author” by Anton Hur | There are fewer than five, possibly three, full-time literary translators working from Korean to English in the entire world today, and Anton Hur has been one of them since 2017. As a freelancer, he has no institution to lean against, as he is not an academic, celebrity, or rich. What authority, if any, can a translator claim in the maelstrom of powerful interests that surround a translated manuscript? When the translator is not the author, agent, editor, or even the marketing department at the publisher, what are the ways in which the translator’s authority is questioned, denigrated, or denied altogether? Is “translator authority” an oxymoron? Hur relates the many ways his authority and expertise as a translator have been challenged—in publishing, in the media, and even in classrooms where he teaches—to discuss the idea of translator authority and the translator as author and what it means for translators to “know their place.” Virtual. Hosted by the Princeton Institute for International and Regional Studies. Register for the Zoom link. More information here. 12:30 - 1:30 p.m. (ET)

Us&Them: A Writer/Translator Reading Series | Us&Them gives literary translators with parallel careers as writers a place to showcase both sides of their work. Readings are hosted four times a year at Molasses Books in Bushwick. For Fall 2022, Chloe Garcia Roberts, Corey Miller, Taije Silverman, and Gretchen Schmid will be reading. In-person. Hosted by Molasses Books. More information here. Starts at 8:00 p.m. (ET) 

 

Saturday, November 5:

Days Come & Go: A Conversation with Hemley Boum | Chronicling the beauty and turmoil of a rapidly changing Cameroon, Days Come & Go is the remarkable story of three generations of women both within and beyond its borders. As passions rise, fall, and rise again, Boum’s stirring English-language debut offers a discerning portrait of a nation that never once diminishes the power of everyday human connection. Join us for an online discussion with author Hemley Boum, who will discuss her latest book, translated by Nchanji Njamnsi. Hemley and Nchanji will be in conversation with Nkiacha Atemnkeng, a writer and music enthusiast from Cameroon. Virtual. Hosted by the Alliance Française de Seattle, in partnership with Elliott Bay Book Company. More information here. 12:00 - 1:00 p.m. (PST)

 

Monday, November 7:

International Book Club: Elena Knows by Claudia Piñeiro | From the ‘Hitchcock of the River Plate’ (Corriere della Sera) comes Piñeiro’s third novel, a unique tale that interweaves crime fiction with intimate tales of morality and search for individual freedom. On Monday, November 7th, at 7 p.m, join us to discuss Elena Knows by Claudia Piñeiro. Hybrid (in-person and virtual). Hosted by McNally Jackson. Register for the Zoom link. More information here. Starts at 7:00 p.m. (ET)

10th Anniversary Reading of the Loose Translation Award | Join the MFA Program in Creative Writing & Literary Translation at CUNY Queens College for a reading to celebrate ten years of the Loose Translation Award, which offers publication by Hanging Loose Press of a book-length literary translation from any language and in any genre to current or former Queens College MFA students. Staff from the press will briefly introduce the award, followed by a reading by past recipients from their prize-winning collections. The readers are: Yves Henri Cloarec, Ellis Ging, Rob Gunther, Hoyt Jacobs (a reading in this beloved student’s memory by his parents), Ilaria Papini, Anne Posten, Saba Riazi, and Julia Johanne Tolo. Virtual. Hosted by the MFA Program in Creative Writing & Literary Translation at CUNY Queens College. More information here. Starts at 7:00 p.m. (ET)

 

Tuesday, November 8:

Words Without Borders invites you to a multilingual reading and celebration of poetry in translation, held in partnership with the Academy of American Poets. Join us for an evening of poetry in Arabic, French, Malay, Spanish, and English, with readings by Samira Negrouche and translator Marilyn Hacker; Zahid M. Naser and translator Pauline Fan; Jeannette Clariond and translator Samantha Schnee; and translator Kareem James Abu-Zeid. The poems featured at the reading were also published in Words Without Borders and in POETS.org’s Poem-a-Day series throughout September, which was National Translation Month. While we cannot gather in person this year, we look forward to convening virtually with you and these fantastic translators and poets based around the world to celebrate the power of poetry to bring us together across languages, cultures, and continents. Virtual. Hosted by Words Without Borders. Register for the Zoom link. More information here. Starts at 12:00 p.m. (ET)

Translating Identity with Priscilla Layne, Alta L. Price, and Mithu Sanyal | Introducing two dazzling and witty new German books in English translation which explore themes of identity: Identitti, by Mithu Sanyal (translated by Alta L. Price) and 1,000 Coils of Fear by Olivia Wendel (translated by Priscilla Layne). Priscilla Layne, Alta L. Price and Mithu Sanyal will take part in a discussion chaired by writer, translator and editor Eluned Gramich. Virtual. Hosted by the National Centre for Writing, in partnership with the British Centre for Literary Translation, Goethe-Institut London, and New Books in German. More information here. Starts at 7:00 p.m. (GMT)

 

Thursday, November 10:

Writer Markéta Pilátová and her book S Baťou v džungli (With Bata in the Jungle) | Czech Center New York will introduce another Czech writer, translator, and journalist Markéta Pilátová. She will talk not only about writing her book S Baťou v džungli (With Bata in the Jungle) (2017). Writer, translator and journalist Markéta Pilátová (1973) studied Romance Studies and History at the Faculty of Arts of the Palacký University in Olomouc, where she worked as an assistant professor for six years. For two years, she worked as a Czech language lecturer at the Department of Slavic Studies in Granada, Spain, after which she went to Argentina and Brazil for a long time, where she taught the descendants of Czech expatriates. As a journalist, she mainly writes for the weekly magazine Respekt, in which she was also employed for some time. She currently resides permanently in the Czech Republic. She is the author of a number of novels, short stories, poems and children's books. Among the most famous ones, let's mention Žluté oči vedou domů (Yellow Eyes Lead Home) (2007), Tsunami Blues (2014) or S Baťou v džungli (2017). So far, the author's latest work is the novel Senzibil, which was published in 2020 by the Torst publishing house. Markéta Pilátová is one of the most translated contemporary Czech writers. In-person. Hosted by Czech Center New York. RSVP here. More information here.   

An Evening with The Continental Literary Magazine | The Continental magazine is a quarterly literary review featuring the best American contemporary writers along with writings by the brightest minds of Central Europe. Featuring English translations of works by promising emerging writers as well as by fiction authors from the region who have already achieved world renown and established themselves as major writers in English, The Continental focuses on the literature of Central Europe with the aim of creating a platform for contemporary Central European writers in the North American literary market. Greenlight welcomes Editor-in-Chief Sándor Jászberényi, Executive Director Dániel Levente Pál, and contributor Máté Makai for an evening featuring The Continental's latest issue, Noir. In-person. Hosted by Greenlight Bookstore. RSVP here. More information here. Starts at 7:30 p.m. (ET)

 

Saturday, November 12:

Transnational Literature Series: Jenny Bhatt with Aparna Kapadia | Join the Transnational Literature Series at Brookline Booksmith for a virtual event with translator Jenny Bhatt to celebrate her new book, The Shehnai Virtuoso and Other Stories by Dhumketu, a pioneer of the modern Gujarati short story. She will be in conversation with historian and professor, Aparna Kapadia, as they explore the politics and evolution of Gujarati literary traditions during the early-twentieth century. Virtual. Hosted by Brookline Brooksmith. More information here. Starts at 10:00 a.m. (ET) 

 

Monday, November 14:

An Evening with Writer Bianca Bellová | Czech Center New York presents a discussion with the Czech writer Bianca Bellová, author of the novel Jezero (The Lake) and the winner of the Czech literature award Magnesia Litera for 2017. She also received the European Union Prize for Literature. The evening will be moderated by Alex Zucker, whose English translation of this book was published this year. Adrian T. Bell, musician and husband of Bianca Bellová, will accompany the evening with music. In-person. Hosted by Czech Center New York. RSVP here. More information here. Starts at 7:00 p.m. (ET) 

 

Tuesday, November 15:

Víctor Català and Barcelona: Translating A Film (3,000 Meters) | Readers and critics in the 1920s were shocked by this experimental, tragi-comic novel by a writer they expected to write "rural dramas." What were the challenges in writing this first English translation? Moderated by Professor Albert Lloret. Virtual. Hosted by Catalan Studies at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Advance registration required. Register for the Zoom link here. 1:00 - 2:00 p.m. (ET)

Stephanie McCarter and Cheri Magid discuss Ovid's Metamorphoses | Third Place Books and Community Bookstore (Brooklyn) are thrilled to welcome translator Classics professor Stephanie McCarter for a discussion of her new rendering of Ovid's Metamorphoses, in beautiful hardcover from Penguin Classics. In this historic new edition, Stephanie McCarter addresses accuracy in translation and its representation of women, gendered dynamics of power, and sexual violence in Ovid’s classic. McCarter will be joined in conversation by Cheri Magid, playwright and librettist Cheri Magid, Assistant Arts Professor of Dramatic Writing at New York University. Virtual. Hosted by Third Place Books and Community Bookstore. More info here. Register for the Zoom link here. Starts at 7:30 p.m. (PT)

Wednesday, November 16:

Translating the intersection of gender and class in a Víctor Català short story, “Carnival.” | Have a go at translating the original style of a major Catalan feminist writer. The workshop text will be sent to registered participants. Moderated by Mara Faye Lethem, Winner of the 2022 Spain-USA Foundation Translation Award. Virtual. Hosted by Catalan Studies at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Advance registration required. Register for the Zoom link here. 12:00 - 1:30 p.m. (ET)

European Literature Night | Critically acclaimed authors as well as translators and performers representing 11 E.U. countries will read excerpts from new works and beloved classics and engage in a panel discussion exploring the topic of literature and peace. In-person. Hosted by the Ukrainian Institute of America. More information here and here. Reservations required (Eventbrite link will be available soon). 6:00 - 10:00 p.m. (ET)

 

Thursday, November 17:

Writers in Conversation: Maureen Freely and Merve Emre | Translator Maureen Freely will present her translation of Turkish author Sevgi Soysal’s novel Dawn, in conversation with Merve Emre. Virtual. Hosted by Community Bookstore, in partnership with Archipelago Books, Third Place Books, and the Transnational Literature Series at Brookline Booksmith. Register for the Zoom link. More information here. 6:00 p.m. (ET)

Late Launch for Yesterday by Juan Emar | We are delighted to invite you to join us at Molasses Books Thursday, November 17th at 8pm to celebrate the English-language debut of Juan Emar’s Yesterday, in a gorgeous translation by Megan McDowell. Megan will be joined by author John Wray for a special conversation on the Chilean master, the translation process, and more. Books and drinks will be available to purchase at the bar and we’ll do a celebratory toast for Yesterday with a nice splash of prosecco! In-person. Hosted by Molasses Books. More info here. Starts at 8:00 p.m. (ET)

Join Sinoist Books, author Li Peifu, and translator James Trapp to discuss Graft. Virtual. Hosted by Borderless Book Club. Register for the Zoom link. Starts at 8:30 p.m. (GMT)



Friday, November 18:

Transnational Literature Series: To Exorcise the Fear of War: Abdelaziz Baraka Sakin with Sinan Antoon | Join us for a virtual event with Abdelaziz Baraka Sakin and Sinan Antoon. Abdelaziz Baraka Sakin is one of Sudan's most prominent and popular authors. Sakin has written many novels and collections of short stories, including al-Jango (2010), which won the al-Tayyib Salih prize and was, shortly after, banned by the Sudanese government. In 2012, his books, including Woman from Campo Kadis (2004), were confiscated from the Khartoum book fair and banned. In 2012, Baraka Sakin left Sudan, seeking exile in Austria, where he has lived since. He publishes his books in Cairo. Sinan Antoon is a poet, novelist, translator, and scholar. Antoon has published three collections of poetry and four novels in Arabic. His work has been widely translated, and he is the translator of works by Mahmoud Darwish, Saadi Youssef, and Ibtisam Azem. Antoon is an Associate Professor at New York University's Gallatin School and co-founder and co-editor of Jadaliyya.This conversation will be held primarily in the Arabic language, with English language interpretation provided by Asmaa Abady, a linguist with over seventeen years of experience within language based roles. Virtual. Hosted by the Literatures of Annihilation, Exile, and Resistance. More information here. Starts at 12:00 p.m. (ET)

Translation as Coded Critique by K. Maya Larson | In 2017, a young boy was arrested while reciting Hamlet’s monologue to passersby on a central Moscow street. Why would a child reciting poetry on a public street be arrested? Does it matter that he was reading a translation of Hamlet? Aided by Russian-language news stories and accounts by independent journalists, Larson discusses the event and its framings in light of translation’s role in critiques of Tsarist and Soviet censorship. Virtual. Hosted by the Princeton Institute for International and Regional Studies. Register for the Zoom link. More information here. 12:30 - 1:30 p.m. (ET)

 

Saturday, November 19:

International Writers Series: Literature & the World Cup | Join Emilio Fraia, Helon Habila, Andrés Neuman, and Patrice Nganang as they discuss the upcoming World Cup in Qatar with Anderson Tepper. Even more than elections, every four years the World Cup promises a rollercoaster of emotions—panic, dread, joy, ecstasy. So who better than writers to obsess over its rich, dramatic storylines and characters? On the eve of the World Cup in Qatar, four of global literature’s most thrilling—and soccer-mad—novelists come together to swap their World Cup hopes, dreams, gripes, and predictions: Emilio Fraia (Brazil), Helon Habila (Nigeria), Andrés Neuman (Argentina/Spain), and Patrice Nganang (Cameroon). Virtual. Hosted by the Brooklyn Public Library. More information here. 4:00 - 5:30 p.m. (ET)

 

Monday, November 21:

Dolores Dorantes with Robin Myers and Raquel Salas Rivera at the Poetry Project | Dolores Dorantes and Raquel Salas Rivera write with ferocious beauty, using language with all the strength of its transformative potential to invoke and enact a world rewritten, literally decolonized, returned to life, free. Please join us to celebrate Rivera’s latest book, Antes Que Isla Es Volcán, and Dorantes’s Copy, translated by Robin Myers, who will also join us to read. Virtual. Hosted by the Poetry Project. More information here. Registration through Eventbrite required. Starts at 8:00 p.m. (ET)

 

Tuesday, November 22:

The Albertine Book Club will discuss Broken Glass by Alain Mabanckou, translated by Helen Stevenson, and published by Soft Skull Press. Albertine Members will receive a Zoom invitation to join this book club session via email. Virtual. More information here. Hosted by Albertine. Starts at 6:00 p.m.


Tuesday, November 29:

Peter Cole, Iman Mersal, and Robyn Creswell | Tonight, we virtually welcome two poets with new collections: Peter Cole's Draw Me After and Iman Mersal's The Threshold. They overlap in regional affinity, with Cole dually based in Jerusalem and the US and Mersal hailing from Egypt and now residing in Canada. They also share the literary influences of Robyn Creswell, editor of Draw Me After and translator of The Threshold, with whom they'll discuss their new work. Jonathan Galassi, former president of FSG and poetry editor for the press, will introduce the night's speakers. Together, they are certain to have an enlivening conversation on poetry and publishing, collaboration and translation, and the culture and politics of the Middle East and North Africa. Virtual. Hosted by the Translational Literature Series at Brookline Booksmith and partners Elliott Bay Book Company, Rain Taxi, and Words Without Borders. More info here. 5:00 p.m. - 6 p.m. (PT)

2022 Queen Sofía Spanish Institute Translation Prize Ceremony | The 2022 Queen Sofía Spanish Institute Translation Prize is a $10,000 prize honoring the best English translation of a work written originally in the Spanish language. Among the finalists are translated works written by renowned authors from across the Spanish-speaking world: Argentina, Uruguay, El Salvador, and Spain. The six shortlist texts were selected by a distinguished Reading Committee comprised of experts in translation: Heather Cleary; Isabel Gómez, Chair; and Sophie Hughes, Winner of 2021 Translation Prize. Join us for the announcement of the winner and for a conversation about the winning translation with our Reading Committee followed by a Q&A. After the ceremony you are invited to join us for a Spanish cocktail hour. Please note that seating is limited. In-person. Hosted by Instituto Cervantes New York. More info here. Doors will open at 6:45pm. 

Entre Nous: Thinking Translation with Gayatri Spivak and Emily Apter | Gayatri Spivak and Emily Apter speak about translating thought and thinking translation. A conversation at the library organized in collaboration with Columbia Global Centers | Paris and the Institute for Ideas and Imagination. Hybrid (virtual and in-person). More information here. Advance registration required. 7:30 - 8:30 p.m. (ET)