Translators Association – 60 Years of Classic Translations: The Tin Drum (1961)

Posted on by Global Literature in Libraries Initiative

Oskar Matzerath, the diminutive anti-hero of Günter Grass' THE TIN DRUM, was unleashed upon the English-speaking world in 1961. This first translation from the German was by Ralph Manheim. Weird, sweeping, brilliant, it’s frequently nominated as one of the great 20th century novels. Manheim’s translation contributed to the book’s huge international success, but from the … Continue reading Translators Association – 60 Years of Classic Translations: The Tin Drum (1961)

The Compassionate Imagination – Sally Ito on Translating Misuzu Kaneko

Posted on by David Jacobson

May GLLI Blog Series:  Japan in Translation, No. 14 Editor's note:  When I approached Canadian poet/translator Sally Ito about acting as translator for Are You an Echo? The Lost Poetry of Misuzu Kaneko, she and her aunt Michiko Tsuboi, her co-translator, had already translated at least a dozen of Misuzu's poems on their own.  The … Continue reading The Compassionate Imagination – Sally Ito on Translating Misuzu Kaneko

Anglophoned Fiction Favorites — by Smithsonian BookDragon Terry Hong, part 2

Posted on by David Jacobson

May GLLI Blog Series:  Japan in Translation, No. 13 Editor's note:  Today begins the second installment of Smithsonian BookDragon Terry Hong's current favorites in Japanese translated fiction.  It's interesting though perhaps coincidental to note that five of Terry's nine recommendations were written by women, and seven of the nine were translated by women.  I point … Continue reading Anglophoned Fiction Favorites — by Smithsonian BookDragon Terry Hong, part 2

Anglophoned Fiction Favorites — by Smithsonian BookDragon Terry Hong, part 1

Posted on by David Jacobson

May GLLI Blog Series:  Japan in Translation, No. 12 My two unfinished almost-ABD*-PhDs still makes my mother cringe. I know, I know: even in middle age, my tiger mother looms, not to mention I still have occasional nightmares about missing seminar with my beloved, last advisor. His passing remains my excuse for academic desertion, but … Continue reading Anglophoned Fiction Favorites — by Smithsonian BookDragon Terry Hong, part 1

Translation as Treason — Michael Dylan Welch on Translating Haiku

Posted on by David Jacobson

May GLLI Blog Series:  Japan in Translation, No. 11 Photo credit:  Greenhouse Fabrics In The Book of Tea, Kakuzo Okakura wrote that “Translation is always a treason, and as a Ming author observes, can at its best be only the reverse side of a brocade.” And so it seems to be—the art of translation is … Continue reading Translation as Treason — Michael Dylan Welch on Translating Haiku

Publisher Spotlight: Lavender Ink + Diálogos

Posted on by clscommunications

  When I think of Lavender Ink, I immediately think of two things: poetry and New Orleans. Since its inception, Lavender Ink has been a supporter of poets in and around the Big Easy. In fact, the press co-created (and continues to co-host) the New Orleans Poetry Festival and Small Press Fair, an international poetry … Continue reading Publisher Spotlight: Lavender Ink + Diálogos

Literary Blogger Tony Malone on Translations of Natsume Sōseki

Posted on by David Jacobson

May GLLI Blog Series:  Japan in Translation, No. 10 Part of the joy of reading literature in translation comes from discovering new voices and enjoyable writing, and without the actual translator that wouldn’t be possible.  The words we read come not from the writer but their foreign-language representative: Yoko Ogawa’s sinister prose is really that … Continue reading Literary Blogger Tony Malone on Translations of Natsume Sōseki

Excerpt from Eto Mori’s DIVE!!

Posted on by David Jacobson

May GLLI Blog Series:  Japan in Translation, No. 9 Editor's note:  It's mind-blowing how instantly global we've become.  A little more than a week ago UK blogger Zoe Toft (Playing by the Book) posted an interview with translator Avery Fischer Udagawa, who is the contributor of today's post.  Avery, by the way, lives in Bangkok, … Continue reading Excerpt from Eto Mori’s DIVE!!

Librarian Ash Brown on Manga in Translation

Posted on by David Jacobson

May GLLI Blog Series:  Japan in Translation, No. 8 Almost every week, a dozen or more volumes of Japanese comics–also commonly known as manga–are released in print in translation for the North American market while even more are made available digitally on a variety of platforms. Over the last decade or so, collections of comics … Continue reading Librarian Ash Brown on Manga in Translation

Translator Roundtable on Shiba Ryōtaro’s Ryōma!, part 2

Posted on by David Jacobson

May GLLI Blog Series:  Japan in Translation, No. 7 (part 2) Editor's Note:  This is the second part in a two-part series about the recent publication of. Ryōma! The Life of Sakamoto Ryōma:  Japanese Swordsman and Visionary. Ryōma! is the first English translation of Shiba Ryōtarō’s legendary best-seller Ryōma ga yuku, which has sold more than 24 million … Continue reading Translator Roundtable on Shiba Ryōtaro’s Ryōma!, part 2