In Praise of Translation
London - Jan 19, 2015
featuring Adam Thirlwell, Daniel Hahn, Deborah Smith, and Stefan Tobler. View photos here.
Summary
For the second year running, the Free Word Centre generously hosted Asymptote’s anniversary celebration in Farringdon, London. Tickets were sold out hours before the event, and, undeterred by one of the season’s coldest evenings so far, almost 100 guests gathered to hear four leading figures in London’s literary scene discuss their favourite translated books. Criticism Editor Ellen Jones kicked off the evening with Asymptote’s animated video, before introducing the four speakers. Adam Thirlwell discussed Daniel Sada’s Almost Never, translated from Spanish by Katherine Silver, and Deborah Smith praised Jason Grunebaum’s translation of Uday Prakash’s The Girl With The Golden Parasol, “the first translation from Hindi in a generation.” Stefan Tobler chose Inger Christensen’s slim book of poems, Alphabet, translated from Danish by Susana Nied, and finally Daniel Hahn chose his fellow panellist Deborah’s translation of The Vegetarian, originally written in Korean by Han Kang, who we were delighted to have with us in the audience. Stefan Tobler led the speakers in a spirited discussion about the need for a translation to establish its own authority, the possibility of a translator improving an original work, and the kinds of literature from minority languages that tends to be published in English, prompted by some thoughtful questions from the audience. After much resounding applause, the discussion continued informally over a glass of wine in the next-door auditorium.
Photos
