36 grants awarded for translations into Icelandic from English, French, Latin, Spanish, Catalonian and German
Works by authors Olga Tokarczuk, Alejandro Palomas, Carson Ellis, Friedrich Hölderlin, Kim Thuy, Hal Sirowitz, Barbara Demick and many more receive translation grants.
The Icelandic Literature Center has released details of the first allocation of the year of grants for translations into Icelandic. On this occasion 36 grants worth ISK 12.5 million were allocated, which is similar to the figure for last year.
Diverse works translated by both veteran and new translators
The works to which grants were allocated span a diverse range, and a variety of books are on the way for readers of all ages. Translations will be made from English, French, Latin, Spanish, Catalonian and German, so Icelandic readers can look forward to thrilling reading from many different cultures.
The importance of good translators is undisputed: without them we would not be able to read books from other countries in Icelandic. Many of the translators of the books for which grants have now been awarded have extensive experience, and have received prizes and awards; others are newer to the field, and it will be interesting to observe them in the future.
Works for which grants have been allocated include the following:
- Les Liaisons dangereuses by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos. Translator: Friðrik Rafnsson. Publisher: Ugla útgáfa
Prowadź swój pług przez kości umarłych by Olga Tokarczuk. Translator: Árni Óskarsson. Publisher: Bjartur
Eat the Buddha: Life and Death in a Tibetan Town by Barbara Demick. Translator: Uggi Jónsson. Publisher: Angústúra
A Journal of the Plague Year by Daniel Defoe. Translator: Aðalsteinn Eyþórsson. Publisher: Sæmundur / Sunnan 4
Cilka's Journey by Heather Morris. Translator: Ólöf Pétursdóttir. Publisher: Forlagið
Hyperion; oder, Der Eremit in Griechenland by Friedrich Hölderlin. Translator: Arthúr Björgvin Bollason. Publisher: Háskólaútgáfan
Un Hijo by Alejandro Palomas. Translator: Sigrún Ástríður Eiríksdóttir. Publisher: Drápa
César Birotteau by Honoré de Balzac. Translator: Sigurjón Björnsson. Publisher: Skrudda
My dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell. Translator: Harpa Rún Kristjánsdóttir. Publisher: Króníka
The Lie Tree by Frances Hardinge. Translator: Dýrleif Bjarnadóttir. Publisher: Partus forlag
Rainbow Valley by Lucy Maud Montgomery. Translator: Sigríður Lára Sigurjónsdóttir. Publisher: Ástríki
My Therapist Said by Hal Sirowitz. Translator: Aðalsteinn Ásberg Sigurðsson. Publisher: Dimma
The Terrible by Yrsa Daley-Ward. Translator: Ari Blöndal Eggertsson. Publisher: Hringaná
Ru by Kim Thuy. Translator: Arndís Lóa Magnúsdóttir. Publisher: Benedikt bókaútgáfa
Books for children and young readers which were allocated grants:
- The Beast of Buckingham Palace by David Walliams and Tony Ross. Translator: Guðni Kolbeinsson. Publisher: BF-útgáfa
- The Bolds in Trouble by Julian Clary and David Roberts. Translator: Magnús Jökull Sigurjónsson. Publisher: Ugla útgáfa
- Du Iz Tak? by Carson Ellis. Translator: Sverrir Norland. Publisher: AM forlag
- Dans mon petit coeur by Jo Witek and Christiney Roussey. Translator: Hallgrímur Helgason. Publisher: Drápa
- Wizards of Once. Never and Forever by Cressida Cowell. Translator: Jón Stefán Kristjánsson. Publisher: Angústúra
See full details of grant allocations for translations into Icelandic in the first allocation of 2021 (in Icelandic).
Note that the Icelandic Literature Center does not handle applications for grants for translations into Icelandic from other Nordic languages; such applications are made in the relevant Nordic country.