Dispatches from the World of Literary Translation

PEN/Heim Translation Fund Grants (named for Michael Henry Heim, who founded these awards fourteen years ago now with his wife Priscilla) are one of the best ways out there for younger or otherwise emerging translators to draw attention to their work and possibly even find a publisher as well as receiving $2000 – $4000 of financial support. I’ve written about the ins and outs of them before. These grants are explicitly open to those early in their careers – though everyone is welcome to apply. As of last year, this competition comes bundled with the new separately funded PEN Grant for the English Translation of Italian Literature (with a purse of $5000). All PEN/Heim applications for Italian-language projects will automatically be considered for it. So if you’re thinking about a book-length project and have a sample translation already in progress, time to sharpen your pencils. You’ll find more information and full application instructions on the PEN America website. Deadline for the receipt of applications is Sept. 15, 2017.

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