Actes Sud editor Farouk Mardam-Bey is responsible for some 80% of France’s translations of Arabic literature and has put a new spotlight on Syrian works.
On Dany Laferrière, Language and the Académie Française
Haitian-Canadian writer Dany Laferrière — who supports the end of the use of the term Francophone — has been admitted to Académie Française, prompting debate.
Montreal Foreign Rights Agency Juggles Languages and Cultures
Our interview with the Canadian Montréal Contacts-The Rights Agency addresses the challenges and opportunities of working in dual languages and cultures.
Reborn Haiti Lit Fest Promises Post-Quake Reading Revival
Literary Festival Etonnants Voyageurs Haiti — “Astonishing Travelers Haiti” — will bring 40 authors to the island for the first time since the 2010 earthquake.
Market Snapshot: Children’s Publishing in France
Olivia Snaije looks at what makes French children’s publishing unique, particularly the illustration and attention to detail.
Algerian Writer Awarded German Book Trade Peace Prize
This year’s coveted German Book Trade Peace Prize will go to Algerian writer Boualem Sansal during a ceremony on Sunday October 16 in Frankfurt
Say Bonjour to the Amazon French Kindle Store
Amazon announced the launch of its French Kindle Store, along with a 99-euro French-language Kindle device
Exile, Literature and the High Price of Freedom
Authors exiled from Iran, Cuba, Afghanistan, Egypt, Algeria and the Congo discuss oppression, inspiration, and the cost of freedom.
Does a Narrow Focus Give a Trade Publisher a Competitive Advantage?
By Edward Nawotka Today’s feature story offers a profile of Gallic Books, a UK-based publisher that specializes in translations from the French, a previously underserved niche in the market. As publishers face increasing competition from self-publishing, tech start-ups and the Web, does such single-mindedness offer them any competitive advantage? Certainly by developing an expertise in a particular market segment, publisher …
The Elegance of Gallic Books
The English publisher is devoted exclusively to translations from French, and business is good By Olivia Snaije Books in translation? And only from French? Most would have seen it as a long shot. Yet the founders of the 3-year old London-based Gallic Books, Jane Aitken, Managing Director, and Editorial Director Pilar Webb, have pulled it off and then some. They …