The “Translating the Future” Conference: Activist Translation
Thoughts on the different ways that translators can be activists, from a panel in the just-concluded "Translating the Future" conference.
Congratulations, Olga Tokarczuk (and Translators Too)!
A celebration of Olga Tokarczuk's Nobel Prize in Literature, which also means celebrating her many translators. #bemoreolga
Translation and Human Rights
Highlighting Women in Translation Month and the role of translators in protecting authors who are the targets of repressive regimes.
Introducing Debut Novelist Alison Littman
An interview with Alison Littman, author of Radio Underground, set in Hungary in the aftermath of the failed 1956 uprising.
What New Adult Should Be: A Review of Radio Underground
Discussion of New Adult literature and a fresh new book from an upstart small press set in the aftermath of the Hungarian Revolution of 1956.
Waiting for the Deus ex Machina
As we hope for a last-minute miracle in real life, some thoughts on the deus ex machina, why writers use it, why we should avoid it, and how we can.
Weird Little Movies
Hollywood blockbusters based on YA novels vs. quirky indie films, many of them from other countries with English subtitles: Why we need the latter, too.
How to Break into Translation: A Report on the Bridge Series Panel
A summary of a panel co-sponsored by PEN and the Center for Fiction on breaking in as a translator, including advice on mentoring and choosing a publisher.
Is This Novel Necessary?
A defense of literary fiction to challenge the notion that books are only necessary if they are bestsellers.
Remembering Hurricane Katrina: What Went Missing and What Got Found
For the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, a review of Fatima Shaik's new collection of short stories, What Went Missing and What Got Found.