Upcoming Translation Events (Virtual & In-Person): September 2024

Tuesday, September 3:
Álvaro Enrigue, Francine Prose, Natasha Wimmer, and Andrew Martin on Roberto Bolaño | Join Álvaro Enrigue, Francine Prose, Natasha Wimmer, and Andrew Martin for a panel on the life and work of Roberto Bolaño, in celebration of Picador’s reissues of By Night in Chile, The Return, and Antwerp. RSVP required. In-person. Hosted by McNally Jackson. More info here. Starts at 6:30 p.m. (ET)
Wednesday, September 4:
Ross Benjamin presents The Diaries of Franz Kafka, in conversation with Elif Batuman | An essential new translation of Franz Kafka’s complete, uncensored diaries—a revelation of the idiosyncrasies and rough edges of one of the twentieth century’s most important, influential, and visionary writers Dating from 1909 to 1923, Franz Kafka’s Diaries contains a broad array of writing, including accounts of daily events, assorted reflections and observations, literary sketches, drafts of letters, records of dreams, and unrevised texts of stories. RSVP required. In-person. Hosted by McNally Jackson. More info here. Starts at 6:30 p.m. (ET)
Thursday, September 5:
The Salem Literary Festival presents Found in Translation | Jennifer Croft, author of The Extinction of Irena Rey, will be in conversation with Hanna Weber, member of the National Book Critics Circle's Gregg Barrios Book in Translation Prize committee. Moderated by Diane Stern. Registration required. Virtual. Hosted by the Salem Literary Festival. More info here. Starts at 7:00 p.m. (ET)
Sunday, September 8:
Le livre est sur la table: The Challenges of Translating Poetry | Literary translation is already a special and frequently under-recognized art form. Translating poetry offers additional challenges. We will present brief readings of poetry written in Arabic, French, German, and Portuguese—in their original languages and as translated into English—followed by a conversation about the work and unique problem solving that went into creating their English language versions. Join us in the Flow Chart Space for a very special reading and discussion featuring four exceptional translators of poetry and the Digital Director and Senior Editor from Words Without Borders. Hybrid (In-person and Virtual). Hosted by Words Without Borders. More info here. Starts at 3:00 p.m. (ET)
Tuesday, September 10:
Idra Novey presents Soon and Wholly, in conversation with Omotara James and Erica Baum | New poetry by the author of acclaimed 2023 novel Take What You Need faces the complexities of life on a swiftly heating earth. Like Lydia Davis and Anne Carson, Novey draws from the well of her work translating myriad authors, from Brazilian writer Clarice Lispector to Iranian poet Garous Abdolmalekian. RSVP required. In-person. Hosted by McNally Jackson. More info here. Starts at 6:30 p.m. (ET)
Thursday, September 12:
Karl Marx’s Capital: An Evening with Paul North, Paul Reitter, and Emily Apter | Deutsches Haus at NYU presents a reading of Karl Marx’s Capital: Critique of Political Economy, Volume 1 (Princeton University Press, 2024) and a conversation with the book’s editor Paul North (Yale University) and translator Paul Reitter (Ohio State University), which will be moderated by Emily Apter (NYU). The first new English translation in fifty years—and the only one based on the last German edition revised by Marx himself—produces a critical edition of Capital for our time, one that faithfully preserves the vitality and directness of Marx’s German prose and renders his ideas newly relevant to modern readers. RSVP required. Hybrid (In-person and Virtual). Hosted by Deutsches Haus at NYU. More info here. 6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. (ET)
Saturday, September 14:
Damir Karakaš and Ellen Elias-Bursać with Zain Khalid | Join the Transnational Literature Series at Brookline Booksmith for a virtual event with author Damir Karakaš and translator Ellen Elias-Bursać to discuss and celebrate the release of Celebration. They will be in conversation with writer Zain Khalid. RSVP required. Virtual. Hosted by Brookline Booksmith. More info here. 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. (ET)
Monday, September 16:
Translation Launch: Capital Vol. I by Karl Marx translated by Paul Reitter and edited by Paul Reitter and Paul North | The first new English translation in fifty years—and the only one based on the last German edition revised by Marx himself—featuring extensive original commentary, including a foreword by acclaimed political theorist Wendy Brown. Ticket purchase required. In-person. Hosted by The Powerhouse Arena. More info here. 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. (ET)
Wednesday, September 18:
Contemporary Translated Works: Migratory Birds book group | Join us for a conversation with Julia Sanches on her translation of Migratory Birds by Mariana Oliver, a prize-winning essay that asks us what it means to leave the familiar behind and make the unfamiliar our own. The conversation will be followed by a group discussion with the Contemporary Translated Works Book Group, co-presented by Mechanics’ Institute and Center for the Art of Translation, to delve deeper into the book. Registration and book purchase required. Hybrid (In-person and Virtual). Hosted by the Center for the Art of Translation. More info here. Starts at 3:00 p.m. (ET)
Juliana Leite in conversation with Inês Rodrigues ('23) | Join us in Casa Hispanica for an interview between writer Juliana Leite and Inês Rodrigues ('23), along with a reading of Leite's short story, "My Good Friend," translated from the Portuguese by Zoë Perry for The Paris Review, which won the 2024 O. Henry Prize. A discussion about the translation of Leite's work from Portuguese into English will follow. In-person. Hosted by the Department of Latin American and Iberian Cultures at Columbia University. More info to follow. Starts at 6:00 p.m. (ET)
Tuesday, September 24:
Launch reading by Nia Broomhall, Niall Campbell, Sarah Holland-Batt and Laura Wittner (plus translator Juana Adcock) | Join Bloodaxe for this launch reading by Nia Broomhall, Niall Campbell, Sarah Holland-Batt and Laura Wittner, plus Laura's translator Juana Adcock, celebrating the publication of our four new September titles. All the poets will be reading live and discussing their work with the host, Bloodaxe editor Neil Astley. Nia Broomhall's pamphlet Backalong is the winner of the Mslexia Poetry Pamphlet Competition. Virtual Hosted by Bloodaxe Books. More info here. 2:00 - 3:30 p.m. (ET)
Paul Celan and the Trans-Tibetan Angel translator Susan Bernofsky with Marie Myung-Ok Lee | Join us for a reading to celebrate Susan Bernofsky's recent translation of Yoko Tawada's Paul Celan and the Trans-Tibetan Angel. She will be in conversation with Marie Myung-Ok Lee, author of Hurt You. Registration required. In-person. Hosted by Book Culture. More info here. Starts at 7:00 p.m. (ET)
Eliana Hernández-Pachón, Robin Myers, and Mónica de la Torre at Poet’s House | Join writer Eliana Hernández-Pachón, translator of her poetry, Robin Myers, and poet and translator Mónica de la Torre for a reading from The Brush (Archipelago Books, 2024), a polyvocal poem about a painful incident in Colombian history. Following her reading, Hernández-Pachón, Myers, and de la Torre will discuss the process of composing The Brush and translating it from Spanish, and explore how Hernández-Pachón built the voices of her three speakers (Pablo, Ester, and the Brush). This event is a part of the Crosswords series, featuring poetry in translation. Hybrid (In-person and Virtual). Hosted by Poets House and Archipelago Books. More info here. 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. (ET)
Thursday, September 26:
The Center for the Art of Translation Presents the Day of Translation 2024 | On Thursday, September 26, the Center for the Art of Translation will present its annual Day of Translation. Co-hosted this year by The Center for Fiction in Brooklyn, NY, this day-long symposium of provocative panels on language and literature will conclude with a keynote address delivered by National Book Award-winning poet and translator Don Mee Choi. This year’s panels include “Fiction and Translation,” an investigation of the connections and boundaries between writing and translating; “Desert Poetics and Translation,” an examination of what is illuminated when translated literature is approached from the common ground of environment rather than language or nation; and “Typography and Translation,” an exploration of the intersections between the arts of typography and translation. In-person. Hosted by the Center for the Art of Translation. More info here. 12:00 - 6:30 p.m. (ET)
José Henrique Bortoluci presents What Is Mine with Eric M. B. Becker | José Henrique Bortoluci presents What Is Mine (translated by Rahul Bery), in conversation with Eric M. B. Becker. In-person. Hosted by Community Bookstore. More info here. 7:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. (ET)
Friday, September 27:
Another Way to Say: Nicholas Glastonbury, Marine Cornuet, and K.B. Thors | We’re delighted to invite you to a reading and discussion by brilliant translators Nicholas Glastonbury (Summerhouse by Yiğit Karaahmet), Marine Cornuet (Algeria, capital: Algiers by Anna Gréki), and K.B. Thors (Herostories and essay by Kristín Svava Tómasdóttir). This event is a part of Another Way to Say reading series, dedicated to translations, multilingual writing and polyglot experience. Hosted by Archipelago Books, Another Way to Say, and Molasses Books. More info here. Starts at 8:00 p.m. (ET)
Monday, September 30:
Describing Language and Telling Stories: Adèle Rosenfeld & Jeffrey Zuckerman | Join French novelist Adèle Rosenfeld and acclaimed translator Jeffrey Zuckerman as they discuss Rosenfeld’s debut novel, Jellyfish Have no Ears, just published by Graywolf Press and translated by Zuckerman. The talk will be moderated by novelist Hilary Leichter. RSVP required. In-person. Hosted by Albertine Bookstore. More info here. 6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. (ET)
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