Don Bartlett, translator of the My Struggle series, discusses the “tension between being true to the original [work] and being readable,” Melanie Mauthner divulges how she translates Scholastique Mukasonga, and others dive into the artistry behind translating a piece of foreign fiction.
Meet Karl Ove Knausgaard’s translator Don Bartlett, interviewed by Scott Esposito for The Paris Review.
When did you first encounter My Struggle?
I went to a panel discussion in London with three Norwegian writers, led by someone I knew was clued up on Norwegian literature. Afterward, I talked to Karl Ove and asked him what he was working on. He said he had just written five—I think it was five—novels. I asked him what about. He said, with a laugh, Myself.
We are proud to announce that Karl Ove Knausgaard’s My Struggle: Book Two – A Man in Love, translated from the Norwegian by Don Bartlett, is nominated for the 2015 International Impac Dublin Literary Award!
“Book 2 of the six-volume literary masterwork My Struggle flows with the same raw energy and candor that ignited the series’ unprecedented bestselling run in Scandinavia, a virulent controversy, and an avalanche of literary awards.”
142 books have been nominated by libraries worldwide for the €100,000 award, the world’s most valuable annual literary prize for a single work of fiction published in English. Nominations for the 2015 Award include 49 novels in translation with works by 37 American, 19 British, 9 Canadian, 9 Australian and 7 Italian authors. For the first time, translated titles comprise over one third (34.5%) of the longlist!
Head to Dublin Literary Award’s website to see the full list of nominees.
Congratulations to Archipelago Books translator, Don Bartlett, whose name was announced last week as one of the recipients of the American Academy of Arts and Letters’ 2014 awards.
Don Bartlett is the translator extraordinaire of the infamous My Struggle series
The Arts and Letters Awards in Literature honor exceptional accomplishment in any genre.
Awards will be presented in New York in May at the Academy’s annual Ceremonial.
For the complete list of award recipients see the Academy of Arts & Letters’ full release.
