Hello Dear Friends,
I am pleased to be featured in a reading this Tuesday, September 16th - a Bookend event in the Brooklyn Book Festival. Hosted by Words Without Borders an organization dedicated to publishing, and promoting works in translation to English readers, I’ll be reading a beautiful short story translated to English taken from their September issue.
“Did you know that literature in other languages makes up only 2-3% of English language publishers’ output?” This BBC article describes the issue and looks at why there is such a poor rate of translating works into English.
The author writes, “Literature – fiction especially – offers a crucial window into the lives of others, promoting empathy and understanding in a way that traveling somewhere rarely does. By not translating more widely, publishers are denying us greater exposure to one of reading’s most vital functions.”
Recently on FaceBook, there was a “chain post” where people are asked to list 10 books that had an impact on their lives.
I challenge you to post 3 books, that were translated to English from another language, that have had an impact on you. Let’s pay attention to how important translated works are.
Then, come to the reading this Tuesday and meet folks who are interested in making literature as rich and interesting as possible. Hear wonderful works from authors you might not have had a chance to know about otherwise.…And say hi to ME!
Reading is Fundamental
Can’t make it?
Bookmark Words Without Border’s webpage and read their monthly magazine. To date they’ve published over 1,700 pieces from 124 countries and 101 languages.
Hope to see you soon!
Event RSVP: http://bit.ly/1C12NYY
Brooklyn Book Festival: http://bit.ly/1uuJ8kr