Karen Leeder Wins Translation Pitch: New Literary Voices

english pen award karen leeder

Professor Karen Leeder has won at the Translation Pitch: New Literary Voices with PEN Presents... at ELN 2016

Her pitch promoting translations of poetry by Ulrike Almut Sandig won the ‘PEN Presents’ translation pitch prize as part of #ELNF2016. Sandig's Thick of It (Dickicht) was honoured by judges Max Porter, Meike Ziervogel and Stefan Tobler at this years's ceremony.

Six translators went head-to-head, pitching their ‘must-acquire’ European books to a live audience and a jury of top publishing experts: Porter (Granta/Portobello), Ziervogel (Peirene Press) and Tobler (And Other Stories). This whirlwind tour of contemporary European writing uncovered brilliant books from Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Germany, Turkey and France which have not yet been translated into English.

Translators: Antoinette Fawcett, Emma Mandley, James Womack, Sam Nagele, Paula Darwish and Karen Leeder.

Actors: Lois Tucker and Max Berendt, Liars League.

English PEN’s ‘PEN Presents’ initiative seeks to help UK publishers to discover – and publish – the most exciting books from around the world, and to support literary translators in their development as advocates for international literature.

Read more and see some photos of the event.

Listen to the event podcast:

KE Project  |  Mediating Modern Poetry