Literature as Translation IV: Translating Anne Enright
Dear colleagues and students,
On behalf of the European Federation of Associations and Conferences of Irish Studies (EFACIS), I would warmly invite you to participate in our forthcoming international translation project. Building on the past successes of our Yeats Reborn (2015) and Translating Banville (2018), and our involvement in the Aistriu project with N.U.I Galway, the fourth incarnation of our Literature as Translation initiative will focus on one of the most critically acclaimed Irish writers of the 20th Century, Anne Enright. We are dedicating this concerted, international translation effort in recognition of Enright’s contribution to Irish letters, both as an inspiration and support for other authors, and as a wonderful writer with a unique way of looking at the world. This will result in the launch of a bespoke translation website publishing regular outputs from participants, and a printed book of translations and scholarly commentary.
Enright has generously donated her short story ‘Night Swim’ (New Yorker, 2 March 2020) for use in this project. This piece has never been translated, and so would represent new ground in the field of Enright translation. The second piece is a non-fiction text; together they will form a body of translations which will be very useful in the study of both literature and translation. It also connects students and professors in these disciplines, thus developing a translation network which stands for quality translation scholarship. And apart from that, this project may well contribute to the acknowledgement of literary translation as a proper form of literature, not only based on the interpretation of a source text, but also inviting to new interpretations the original itself would never give way to.
The project is to be headed by Marija Girevska. She is an acclaimed Joycean translator and head of the EFACIS Centre in North Macedonia, and will be assuming overall control of the project; Hedwig Schwall, who headed the previous projects, will function in a supportive role, while the EFACIS Coordinator, James Gallacher, will provide technical and communications support and assume responsibility for digital publication.
We warmly appreciate your consideration of our invitation and look forward to hearing from you soon.
Yours sincerely,