In the opening chapters of Mission London by Alek Popov (Istros Books, November 2014, translated by Daniella and Charles Gill de Mayol de Lupe), the staff of the Bulgaria’s UK Embassy awaits the arrival of the newly appointed ambassador. “They sat fidgeting ... beneath the map of Bulgaria, with its cold pink and yellow colouring. … Continue reading The Satire of Alek Popov: A Review by Ellis Shuman
“Was your book originally written in English? If so, we regret that we may not be the best publisher for you.” So begins the courteously-written online FAQS section of MacLehose Press, the English-language translation imprint of Quercus Books. This little publisher has good reason to remain direct, as they rarely accept original English-language works. Instead, … Continue reading Publisher Spotlight: MacLehose Press
The by far most important institution involved in promoting Bulgarian literature in the English-speaking world is the Elizabeth Kostova Foundation. I (TH) am extremely grateful to its Managing Director Milena Deleva (MD), for being so kind to agree to this interview despite her very busy schedule. TH: Milena, most readers know probably Elizabeth Kostova at … Continue reading Promoting Bulgarian literature in the Anglosphere: Interview with Milena Deleva, Managing Director of the Elizabeth Kostova Foundation
It is already a tradition at the Global Literature in Libraries Initiative to organize a series of “Literature Months” devoted to the national literatures of countries and languages from all over the world. In this tradition, the month of June will see the “Bulgarian Literature Month” in which our readers will have the opportunity to … Continue reading Bulgarian Literature Month – a short introduction
May GLLI Blog Series: Japan in Translation, No. 29 Editor's note: Though it took 18 years from publication in Japan until translation and publication in English, Kazuki Kaneshiro’s Go: A Coming of Age Novel, just released in March by AmazonCrossing, is already eliciting superlative reviews. Go's zainichi protagonist Sugihara is “one of the most memorable characters … Continue reading Takami Nieda on Kaneshiro’s Zainichi Tour de Force “Go”
May GLLI Blog Series: Japan in Translation, No. 28 What’s the significance of the numbers 18, 49, 82, and 183? If you answered that those are the numbers of light novels published in English annually from 2014-2017, you’re right. But I have a sneaking suspicion you are more likely thinking, “Wait, a ‘light’ novel? What’s … Continue reading The Vast Light Novel Universe — by translator Emily Balistrieri
May GLLI Blog Series: Japan in Translation, No. 27 Editor's note: Forget the old saw that English language readers won't read literature in translation. For the last seven years, Monkey Business: New Writing from Japan has been publishing an annual journal of what it calls "the best of contemporary Japanese literature" in English. The paperback editions of … Continue reading Me and My Monkey — by Roland Kelts
The #TA60 list of classics in translation celebrates the 60th anniversary of The Society of Authors Translators Association by acknowledging the translators who rewrote these wonderful books so anglophone readers could enjoy them. Please share, and remember: always #namethetranslator! THE DEATH OF ARTEMIO CRUZ by Carlos Fuentes was first published in English in 1964, translated … Continue reading Translators Association – 60 Years of Classic Translations: The Death of Artemio Cruz (1964)
May GLLI Blog Series: Japan in Translation, No. 26 Editor's note: Kadono Eiko is the recipient of the 2018 Hans Christian Andersen Award, the most prestigious prize given in children's literature worldwide. She is best known outside of Japan for Majo no Takkyubin, ("Kiki's Delivery Service"), which was made into a popular animated movie by … Continue reading Sharing the Magic: Translating Kadono Eiko, by Lynne E. Riggs
May GLLI Blog Series: Japan in Translation, No. 25 In any form of conflict, be it a global war or family strife, children are the most deeply impacted. Literature reflects this, and Japan, so profoundly transformed by its role in global war, is certainly no exception. Many Japanese children’s creators today experienced war first-hand as … Continue reading Stories for Peace — Sako Ikegami on War in Japanese Children’s Literature
Global Literature in Libraries Initiative 