Of course, translation also goes in the other direction, and we are delighted that many of the books we have rediscovered and republished have been translated into various languages. This is just one example: Someone at at Distance which becomes The French Guest in the 2021 German translation.

Although many first translations are vital for introducing a new readership to an important author, they themselves then become the subjects of fierce debate, for example CK Scott Moncrieff's translation of Proust. Constance Garnett (1881-1946), mother of Bloomsbury Group member David Garnett, translated a huge number of Russian classics by writers such as Chekhov, Tolstoy, Turgenev, and Dostoevsky. Despite them soon sounding dated and stilted, many of her late C19 and early C20 translations are still print. 

Many books are only translated after they have been recognised in their home country or awarded prizes. But in an unusual sequence of events, Fitzcarraldo Editions quietly added The Years, the 2015 English translation by Alison L Strayer of Les Années (2008) by Annie Ernaux, to their list only to find themselves in 2022 the UK publishers of a Nobel Prize winner. The book was recently adapted into a play which has been the subject of much debate and discussion in the shop.

At Persephone Books we publish a number of books in translation and are indebted to their sensitive, knowledgeable translators. There is a mix of new translations, such as Maman, What Are We Called Now? translated from French by Francine Yorke, and existing translations, such as Into the Whirlwind translated from Russian by Paul Stevenson and the eminent Manya Harari (1905-69, above) who also translated Dr. Zhivago. 

This week on the Post we look at literature in translation and the vital, complex role played by translators. This has been prompted by Translated By, Bristol, a new festival founded by Polly Barton which is taking place from 12th - 25th May. Max Porter, a great friend of Persephone Books, will be discussing his work and his "collaboration" - an interesting word in the context - with his Dutch and French translators on 14th May. This page on his website brings together the covers of translations of Grief is a Thing with Feathers (2015), including the Dutch version above.