Translation grants from Icelandic into foreign languages announced
50 grants allocated for translations of Icelandic literature into 24 languages.
The Icelandic Literature Center recently allocated 50 grants to foreign publishers to translate Icelandic literature. The grants were handed out for translations into 24 languages, among them English, Russian, French, Japanese, Finnish, Norwegian, Slovakian and Spanish.
The Icelandic Literature Center recently allocated 50 grants to foreign publishers to translate Icelandic literature. The grants were handed out for translations into 24 languages, among them English, Russian, French, Japanese, Finnish, Norwegian, Slovakian and Spanish. The grants do not only go to translating novels, but poetry, children's books, classics, crime novels and short stories as well.
The Icelandic crime novels are popular as ever, 14 grants were given out to translations by authors such as Lilja Sigurðardóttir, Ragnar Jónasson and Yrsa Sigurðardóttir.
Six grants were given out to Russian publishers for works by Sigríður Hagalín Björnsdóttir, Sjón, Kristín Helga Gunnarsdóttir, Arndís Þórarinsdóttir and Hulda Sigrún Bjarkadóttir, Hallgrímur Helgason and Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir.
Icelandic children's books are becoming more renowned abroad and now three Icelandic children's books are to be expected in foreign translations: Stór skrímsli gráta ekki by Áslaug Jónsdóttir, Kalle Giiettler and Rakel Helmsdal in Japanese, Fíasól gefst aldrei upp by Kristín Helga Gunnarsdóttir in Russian and Blokkin á heimsenda by Arndís Þórarinsdóttir and Hulda Sigrún Bjarkadóttir in Russian.
Andri Snær Magnason's book, On Time and Water has been widely distributed around the world in various languages and now three languages will be added to the collection, Dutch, Turkish and Slovakian. Guðrún Eva Mínervudóttir, who was nominated for the Nordic Council Literature Prize in 2021 along with Andri Snær, has also gotten deserved attention and her books are to be expected in Swedish and Ukrainian. Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir, who was awarded the Nordic Council Literature Prize in 2018 has become a known name in many countries and now her newest books, Dýralíf and Ungfrú Ísland will be translated in Danish, Norwegian, Spanish and Russian.
Four new English translations are to be expected and the one that got the highest grant is a classic from the Nobel Laureate, Halldór Laxness, Salka Valka. The novel will be published in the United States in a new translation by Philip Roughton next year. Svanafólkið by Kristín Ómarsdóttir and Hetjusögur by Kristín Svava Tómasdóttir will also be published in English next year.
You can take a look at all the grants by country here .