American cover of "A Thousand Peaceful Cities" by Jerzy Pilch
The 25-title fiction longlist for the 2011 Best Translated Book Awards was announced on January 27 at Three Percent - a resource for international literature at the University of Rochester. The list of 25 authors from 19 countries writing in 12 languages includes Jerzy Pilch's "A Thousand Peaceful Cities", translated by by David Frick
The list highlights established authors, like Javier Marías and David Grossman, alongside newcomers, such as Julia Franck and Abdelfattah Kilito. It also features titles from the past three centuries, from Eline Vere (originally published in Dutch in 1893) to I Curse the River of Time (first published in Norwegian in 2008), and there's a wide range of length, with Cyclops checking in at 550 pages, and Bad Nature, or With Elvis in Mexico at a much briefer 57 pages.
With 148 pages Pilch's A Thousand Peaceful Cities ranks roughly in the middle of the pool. Early in 2011 the same novel has been singled out as one of the finest novels of 2010 by a prestigious trade magazine - Kirkus Reviews (The Best Fiction of 2010).
Founded in 2007 with the goal of bringing additional attention to international works of literature, the Best Translated Book Awards are one of the only awards in the country honoring original works in translation. Selection criteria include the quality of the work itself, along with the quality of the translation. All original translations (not retranslations or reprints) published between December 1, 2009, and November 30, 2010, were eligible.
This year's set of judges consists of Monica Carter (Salonica), Scott Esposito (Conversational Reading and Center for the Art of Translation), Susan Harris (Words Without Borders), Annie Janusch (Translation Review), Matthew Jakubowski (writer & critic), Brandon Kennedy (bookseller/cataloger), Bill Marx (PRI's The World: World Books), Michael Orthofer (Complete Review), and Jeff Waxman (Seminary Co-op and The Front Table).
The award itself has grown greatly over the past few years. Beginning as an online-only event, the Best Translated Book Awards now feature an awards ceremony and a $5,000 cash prize - awarded to each winning author and translator, thanks to the support of Amazon.com.
The 10-title fiction shortlist will be announced on Thursday, March 24, concurrent with the announcement of the finalists for the poetry award. Winners will be announced on April 29 in New York City, as part of the PEN World Voices Festival.
For the complete short-list go to: www.rochester.edu.
Source: press release.