In celebration of Pride, June’s “Publisher Spotlight” posts will feature publishers of LGBTQ+ literature in English-language translation. This week’s piece is about Arsenal Pulp Press, the groundbreaking Canadian publisher of LGBTQ+ titles, global literature, and so much more.

Some readers might be questioning why Arsenal Pulp Press is getting a second feature in this column (see the winter post). The answer is that this indie press regularly releases some of the best global LGBTQ+ books for the enjoyment of English-reading audiences; I would be remiss if I didn’t showcase the many queer books in translation they produce.

As previously mentioned in winter’s “PS” post, Arsenal Pulp Press gained acclaim as the English-language publisher of Blue is the Warmest Color, the best-selling graphic novel created by French illustrator Julie Maroh. But the team at Arsenal Pulp Press was publishing exceptional LGBTQ+ titles from around the world before Le bleu est une couleur chaude made its English-language debut. The list below is a small sample of their queer-titles-in-translation catalog, which includes graphic novels, theory, and fiction, among other genres:

• Suite Francaise: Storm in June: A Graphic Novel, written by Emmanuel Moynot and translated by David Homel
• The Inverted Gaze: Queering the French Literary Classics in America, written by François Cusset and translated by David Homel
• Body Music: A Graphic Novel, written by Julie Maroh and translated by David Homel

Find more LGBTQ+ titles here.

A classic Arsenal Pulp Press translated title that remains impressive to this day is The Dictionary of Homophobia: A Global History of Gay & Lesbian Experience, edited by Louis-Georges Tin. Renowned in its original French, Tin’s comprehensive book is “based on the work of seventy researchers in fifteen countries”, and includes expansive international histories of and societal reactions to homosexuality. This practically encyclopedic collection is comprised of one hundred and seventy five essays that span time periods from early civilization to the present, as well as cover almost every region in the world. Its easy to imagine translator Marek Redburn awake well into the night, carefully converting this four hundred and ninety six page compendium into English. Thank goodness he did.

Today, Arsenal Pulp Press continues to be an advocate for marginalized and underrepresented voices in English-reading literary communities. Click here to learn more about the press’ forthcoming books, such as The Antifa Comic Book: 100 Years of Fascism and Antifa Movements Around the World. For more information about the press’ beginnings, check out their “About” page. All books can be browsed by category here.

By Chelsey Slattum