Words Without Borders Latest Offers a Global View of “Queer” Culture

In What's the Buzz by Edward Nawotka

International literary magazine Words Without Borders is focusing on queer culture this month with a selection of translated stores from across the globe… From their press release: We’re delighted to again give voice to a literary tradition that examines the world through an unaccustomed lens and with uncommon clarity and vigor. Writers from Africa, Asia, the Middle East, South America, …

Free E-books from PEN World Voices Festival Writers

In What's the Buzz by Edward Nawotka

By Edward Nawotka The PEN World Voices Festivals has an extraordinary line up of writers this year. In case you weren’t able to make it to New York, the Festival organizers are offering free e-books summarizing some of the writing from each day’s participants and tailored to that day’s programming. Instructions: click on the version you want to download. Open …

Interview with Jeff Belle of AmazonCrossing

In Global Trade Talk by Helen Gregg

By Helen Gregg AmazonCrossing is an imprint of Amazon.com specializing in translating world literature into English. The editors use data readily available through Amazon –- customer reviews, ratings, sales –- to select books for translation. Jeff Belle, Vice President of Books and the head of AmazonCrossing, took time to answer a few questions. AmazonCrossing’s latest title, Pizzicato by Rusalka Reh, …

Will 2011 Be the Year Translated Lit Gains Traction in the US?

In Discussion by Edward Nawotka

By Edward Nawotka Today’s lead story looks at the surprise success of Words Without Borders and their new anthology Tablet & Pen. Yes it might merely be wishful thinking, but could translated lit finally be gaining some traction in the US? The consensus is that “American’s don’t read translated lit” and as we’ve written here before, there are valid reasons …

Serbia’s Geopoetika Publishes English Translations with an Eye Towards Foreign Rights Sales

In Global Trade Talk by Chad W. Post

By Chad W. Post Unfortunate as it is, the situation facing Serbian literature is incredibly common for “small language” cultures: although a number of Serbian writers from the first half of the twentieth century have been translated into English and published throughout the world (like Danilo Kiš, Milorad Pavić, and Borislav Pekić), many of the best writers of the past …