Every three years, a literary translator is honored with the PEN/Ralph Manheim Medal “whose career has demonstrated a commitment to excellence through the body of their work.” The prize was named for the incredibly prolific Ralph Manheim, who translated from Dutch, Serbo-Croatian, and Polish as well as French and German and brought us the work of many important international authors including Günter Grass, Céline, Aimé Cesaire, and Peter Handke. Recent recipients of the Manheim medal include Michael Henry Heim, Margaret Sayers Peden, and Burton Watson. Its first recipient was Gregory Rabassa in 1982, its first female recipient Edith Grossman in 2006. Nominations for the award are accepted from all current PEN members, and the recipient is then voted on by the PEN Translation Committee. Time is running out to submit your nominations – they will be accepted only until Sept. 15, 2017.
Coincidentally, Sept. 15 is also the deadline for 2018 PEN/Heim Translation Fund applications. Please apply now!