I’m on the road (currently in Kraków for the Conrad Festival) and not in a position to blog in as much detail as I would prefer, but I wanted to be sure to draw your attention to three excellent translation events coming up in New York over the next week in the Bridge Series (or in collaboration with it). The first one is tonight! I really wish I could attend all of these, but I won’t get back from Europe in time.
1. Wednesday Nov. 2, 7:00 p.m:
Arvind Krishna Mehrotra and Jason Grunebaum, both respected translators from the Hindi, will read from their work and speak at McNally Jackson Books (52 Prince Street). Jason has a smart, thoughtful article on translating Uday Prakash in a volume on translation I’m co-editing with Esther Allen for Columbia UP, and Mehrotra is a distinguished translator of many works. This should be a great conversation. More info here.
2. Thursday Nov. 3, 7:00 p.m:
Did you know that William Carlos Williams translated from the Spanish? Poet and translator Jonathan Cohen has just edited By Word of Mouth: Poems from the Spanish by William Carlos Williams, 1916-1959 for New Directions and will be at the Americas Society (680 Park Avenue) on Thursday to present the book. He will be joined by poet and critic Julio Marzan and ND editor Declan Spring. Admission is free, but reservations are required. More info here.
3. Friday, Nov. 4, 7:00 p.m.:
Three of the most illustrious editors of translations in NYC – Drenka Willen, Barbara Epler and John Siciliano – will be coming together to speak about the process of acquiring, editing and promoting translations. I’ve spoken at length with all three about translation and worked several times with the brilliant Barbara Epler (whose editorial touch verges on the miraculous), and if there’s anything about the topic these three don’t know, it’s probably not worth knowing. This event will be held at The Center for Fiction at 17 East 47th St. (between Fifth and Madison). More info here.
4. Wednesday, Nov. 9, 7:30 p.m.:
The Center for the Art of Translation in San Francisco is having its NYC launch event for the forthcoming TWO LINES volume entitled Counterfeits. Luc Sante (a co-editor on the volume) will be MC’ing, with translators Patrick Philips, Alex Zucker, Alyson Waters, and Adam Giannelli, plus author Magdaléna Platzová reading – a great line-up! This night of literature from Egypt, the Czech Republic, Argentina, and more is being co-produced at McNally Jackson Books (52 Prince Street) by the Bridge Series. Wine reception to follow. Sure wish I could be there. More info here.