Lost to translation: how English readers miss out on foreign female writers

Only a third of books translated into English last year were by female writers. As Women in Translation month wraps up, we investigate why – and if things are changing• In their own words: 10 female translators on the work that inspires themWhen Argentinian author Samanta Schweblin’s first book, El núcleo del disturbio came out in 2002, she was 24 years old, a fresh, female voice in a Latin American literary scene dominated by male greats: Jorge Luis Borges, Julio Cortázar, Mario Vargas Llosa, Gabriel García Márquez. Every good review was important, even if the praise was occasionally backhanded: one well-known Argentinian critic loved her debut and said that she wrote like a man.More than a decade later, she rolls her eyes. “That’s a compliment? It was so strange to me … and he was trying to be very nice, trying to cheer me up and push my career,” says Schweblin, now with a Man Booker International prize nomination under her belt. Related: In their own words: 10 female translators on the work that inspires them Related: The malice and sexism behind the ‘unmasking’ of Elena Ferrante Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2017-08-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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‘Historical reparation’: new bookshops in Europe give voice to female authors

Greta Livraria in Lisbon and Rare Birds in Edinburgh are among the new stores dedicated to women’s writingWith its neatly arranged tables and shelves laden with books written by women, Greta Livraria’s small space masks its big ambitions. Since opening earlier this year, the bookstore in Lisbon... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-12-28 05:00:25 UTC ]
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A sense of place: Brooklyn writers on why they love the borough

Novelists in Brooklyn draw inspiration from the New York borough’s cast of thousands, and particularly from its idiosyncratic neighborhoods. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2023-12-21 19:46:00 UTC ]
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E-readers were supposed to kill printed books. Instead, they're booming

When e-readers like the Amazon Kindle burst onto the scene, they were predicted to bring about the death of the print book — and maybe the independent bookstore too. But publishing sales data and on the ground observations from booksellers indicate that neither prediction has come true. Continue reading at CBC

[ CBC | 2023-12-17 09:00:00 UTC ]
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Turning Kids into Readers Requires More than Access to Books

In her farewell as a PW columnist, Sari Feldman reflects on the importance of reading instruction, inspired by her new full-time gig: grandmother. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-12-15 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Novelist's book is canceled after she acknowledges 'review bombs' of other writers

A debut author who used fake accounts to “review bomb” other writers on the influential online platform Goodreads has been dropped by her agent and had her book deal cancelled Continue reading at ABC News

[ ABC News | 2023-12-13 02:46:01 UTC ]
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Opinion: When libraries like Gaza's are destroyed, what's lost is far more than books

Governments and outside organizations can do a lot to preserve collections when disaster is looming. Even so, a part of human identity is erased with each library bombed. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2023-12-12 11:00:34 UTC ]
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Poet, Translator, Mirror: A Conversation with Miho Kinnas, by Renee H. Shea

Poet, Translator, Mirror: A Conversation with Miho Kinnas, by Renee H. Shea Interviews [email protected] Tue, 12/05/2023 - 15:32 Two-time Pushcart Prize nominee Miho Kinnas recently published Waiting for Sunset to Bury Red Camellias, her third book... Continue reading at World Literature Today

[ World Literature Today | 2023-12-05 21:32:32 UTC ]
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75 Notable Translations 2023, by Michelle Johnson

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[ World Literature Today | 2023-12-04 21:13:28 UTC ]
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Germany: Bookwire’s Audiobook Service Goes to Brazilian, English, Spanish Markets

Bookwire's 'WAY' audiobook services are to be available to French-language publishers early in 2024. The post Germany: Bookwire’s Audiobook Service Goes to Brazilian, English, Spanish Markets appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2023-11-29 04:44:54 UTC ]
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A.S. Byatt, British writer and author of Booker Prize-winning 'Possession,' dies at 87

British author A.S. Byatt, who was known for award-winning works including 'Possession' and 'The Children's Book,' has died. She was 87. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2023-11-17 17:18:21 UTC ]
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Zeke Caligirui on the Incarcerated Writers Who Edited An Anthology on Class

Writer and editor Zeke Caligiuri joins co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan to discuss American Precariat: Parables of Exclusion, a new collection of essays on class he co-edited along with eleven other incarcerated writers. The volume’s contributors include Eula Biss, Kao Kalia... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-11-16 09:08:02 UTC ]
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Sacred Space: Why Libraries Are Essential to Incarcerated Writers

Libraries are sacred space within the unending, unrelenting madness, the profane that is Society, places where the predominant ideology is to inform. The Library of Alexandria was considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World; the Library of Congress is a wonderfully ( dis )organized... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-11-14 09:35:32 UTC ]
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David Ferry, Poet and Translator Who Won Acclaim Late in Life, Dies at 99

After nearly 40 years as a professor, he began a new career writing poems and translating classics. He won a National Book Award when he was 86. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-11-11 18:29:17 UTC ]
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Mike McCormack: ‘If I’ve one gift as a writer, it’s patience’

The award-winning Irish author on losing his father at 18, the drawbacks of English editors and the theme of imprisonment in his workMike McCormack was born in London in 1965 and raised on a farm in County Mayo in the west of Ireland. He published his first story collection, Getting It in the... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-11-11 18:00:01 UTC ]
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Naomi Alderman: ‘A writer’s job is courage. You’ve got to be as honest as you can”

The bestselling author of The Power talks about her new techno-thriller, coping with grief and finding hope in the darkest of storiesNaomi Alderman, author of the bestselling novel The Power, is just getting over Covid and feeling a bit wiped out. “But don’t worry, I still seem able to talk for... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-11-04 09:00:34 UTC ]
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Everything You Need to Know About Groundbreaking Queer Feminist Science Fiction Writer Joanna Russ

When she was in high school in the early 1950’s, Joanna Russ (1930–2011) read Mark Twain’s short story  “A Medieval Romance,” about a duke without a male heir who brings his daughter up to fill the role, hiding her gender from all. Things get complicated when the duke’s niece falls in love with... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-11-03 08:41:28 UTC ]
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Stephanie Land's new memoir takes 'Maid' readers to school — not always in a good way

Stephanie Land's second memoir, 'Class,' a sequel to her blockbuster debut, 'Maid,' follows her journey to get an education — and holds readers at a distance. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2023-10-31 10:00:21 UTC ]
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Read the last words of writer Heba Abu Nada, who was killed last week by an Israeli airstrike.

Novelist, poet, and educator Heba Abu Nada, a beloved figure in the Palestinian literary community and the author of Oxygen is Not for the Dead, was killed in her home south of Gaza City by an Israeli airstrike on Friday. She was thirty-two years old. In her final tweet, written in Arabic on... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-10-24 15:54:33 UTC ]
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Love, grieving, intimacy and enduring war: what is the role now for books and writers in Ukraine? | Charlotte Higgins

The Lviv BookForum was vibrant this year, but still there is the backdrop of conflict and the need to find a place for storytellingLast year’s Lviv BookForum, a literary festival in the elegant western Ukrainian city, was mostly an online affair, held in a basement lecture theatre that might... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-10-21 05:00:38 UTC ]
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An Open Letter in Support of Adania Shibli From More Than 350 Writers, Editors, and Publishers

This letter was originally published by ArabLit. The shocking and tragic events that began on October 7th and are ongoing today have had repercussions all over the globe, including within the publishing world. Award-winning Palestinian author Adania Shibli, who was a finalist for the 2020... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-10-17 09:05:58 UTC ]
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