NEA Announces Newest Literary Translation Fellowship Recipients

This morning, the National Endowment for the Arts announced the recipients for its FY 2016 Literary Translation Fellowship. A total of $275,000 in grants will go to support twenty translators in their projects to translate fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry. Since 1981, the NEA has awarded 410 fellowships to 363 translators, with translations representing 66 languages and 77 countries.

From the NEA website:

“The NEA is committed to providing Americans with diverse art experiences,” said NEA Chairman Jane Chu. “Our support of literary translation provides opportunities for readers to expand their knowledge of other cultures and traditions while also experiencing some of the world’s most talented writers.”

Four of this year’s twenty recipients are tied ever-so-closely to Open Letter Books. In alphabetical order, and with a mere fraction of the skills and attributes they all boast, they are:

• Jennifer Grotz, director of the University of Rochester MA in Literary Translation Studies program, Open Letter poetry editor, and translator from Polish and French. Her translation of French author Hubert Haddad’s Rochester Knockings is forthcoming this October.

• K. E. Semmel, St. Louis Cardinals fan, and translator from Danish. His translation of Naja Marie Aidt’s Rock, Paper, Scissors comes out next week.

• Benjamin Paloff, translator from Polish and Czech. His translation of Andrzej Sosnowski’s Lodgings came out in 2011.

• Will Vanderhyden, University of Rochester MALTS graduate, and translator from Spanish. His translation of Carlos Labbé’s Navidad & Matanza came out last August, and his translation of Labbé’s Loquela is forthcoming this December.

A massive congratulations to all twenty fellowship recipients, and we look forward to seeing your final project results and products!

For the full NEA press release, go here.

For the full list of NEA Literary Translation Fellowship recipients, go here.