Record number of translated Icelandic works
75 grants for translations of Icelandic works into 26 languages
Successful promotion of Icelandic literature abroad in recent years has resulted in a great increase in translations of Icelandic works into other languages.
A collaborative effort by the public sector and the Icelandic publishing industry in recent years towards promoting Icelandic literature abroad has delivered a substantial increase in translations of Icelandic works.
Iceland was Guest of Honour at the 2011 Frankfurt Book Fair, and as a result 230 Icelandic works and books on Iceland were published in German, and attracted a lot of media attention in Germany and elsewhere. The impact of this event was worldwide and has generated a record number of Icelandic books available in numerous languages.
The Icelandic Literature Center has now allocated the last grants for 2013 for translations of Icelandic works into a foreign language. The Center received 89 applications in 2013 from international publishers, thereof 13 for translations into other Nordic languages. 75 translations grants were allocated. The Nordic Council of Ministers administers funding for translations between the Nordic languages.
This year the Center allocated grants for translations into 26 languages, thereof seven grants for translations into Dutch, and eight into German. These are translations of novels, children's books, poetry, and non-fiction books. It is interesting to note that novels by Sjón and Gyrðir Elíasson are soon to be published in Chinese, and recently Leigjandinn / Un locataire by Svava Jakobsdóttir was published in French translation.
An interesting development has been taking place in translations of Icelandic works in recent years –aside from the German language area, the most substantial rise in translations has been into French and English. A brochure from the Icelandic Literature Center with an overview of recent translations into English, and an overview of recent Icelandic works into French, can be found below.