Passion for Literature in Translation Unites Booksellers & Publishers

Reading the World, a collaboration between booksellers and publishers that aims to bring international voices to the attention of American readers, is entering its second year with more participating booksellers, publishers, and major events. At next month's BookExpo America in Washington, D.C., the French Cultural Service will host a reception at the French Embassy, featuring international food and drink, for all booksellers and publishers participating in Reading the World.

Spearheaded by Karl Pohrt of Shaman Drum Bookshop in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and Chad W. Post, associate director and director of development of the Dalkey Archive Press, Reading the World grew out of a discussion over dinner at BookExpo America 2004, where booksellers and publishers brainstormed ways to support literature in translation.

Post explained to BTW that PEN America has long held The World Voices Pen Festival in New York City during the last week in April, and that May had been designated as World in Translation Month in 1993. The former continues to thrive, but World in Translation Month became dormant.

"We were considering ways to make the month more exciting," Post said. "We added Reading the World to World in Translation Month and almost immediately signed up 150 booksellers and five presses, for 2005. Each press selected four works from its list, which we distributed, participating booksellers then selected two from each house and the publishers provided them with reading copies for those 10. The 10 formed the basis of each store's Reading the World display. Brochures were printed and illustrator Peter Sis signed on to create a poster, which he's done again this year."

This year, the number of publishers participating has doubled to 10, and nearly 200 participating booksellers will now select 20 books, two from each publisher. The list of books include some very familiar titles and authors, including from FSG, Night by Elie Wiesel, translated from the Romanian; from Knopf, The Elementary Particles by Michel Houellebecq, translated from the French; and Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes, translated from the Spanish. Others, such as Things in the Night by Mati Unt, translated from the Estonian (Dalkey Archive); Stalemate by Icchokas Meras, translated from the Lithuanian (Other Press); and Massacre River by Rene Philoctete, from the Haitian (New Directions), may have passed many booksellers unnoticed. (The complete list of titles and participating publishers is available at readingtheworld.org.)

"Lots of booksellers are very excited," Post continued. "They feel good about selling these books and are passionate about increasing readership for these wonderful titles. [Literature in translation] doesn't always sell well, but [World in Translation Month] brings publicity and attention to translated works and sales go up. More and more countries are producing works of fiction, countries we've rarely heard from before -- Iraq, Bulgaria, Turkey."

Shawn Wathen, co-owner of Chapter One Book Store in Hamilton, Montana, told BTW, "This is the first year we've participated, and I am extremely enthusiastic. I teach a literature seminar at the public library, and every book I've selected has been a work in translation. My degrees are in Polish intellectual history and Polish literature so I'm familiar with world literature. [At the seminars] people keep coming back for more -- most works in translation are not by the standard authors they've heard of, and they want to sample them."

Wathen will mount a display for World in Translation Month, but many of these selections are familiar to Wathen and Chapter One patrons. "When I received the titles from Reading the World, I saw that we already stocked about 40 percent of them. Many of these books end up as staff picks, mainly because I read them and feel that they are must-reads."

At Vroman's in Pasadena, head book buyer Marie Du Vaure, signed on early to Reading the World. Last May, she displayed a whole table of books for World in Translation Month. She was pleased with the opportunity to feature lesser-known translated works from small presses, as well as major works. "It's hard to believe that Death in Venice by Thomas Mann (ECCO) is a translation -- but it is. There is so much good literature out there," said Du Vaure, who is French and was educated there. "Perhaps because of my own background, I feel it is so important to explore other perspectives and other horizons -- Arab literature, Latin American authors. And many of the great Russian and German works are being republished with all new translations."

Du Vaure appreciates the difficulty of translating another author's work. "The translator doesn't need to go word for word; I can tell if a book is a good translation, if the voice resonates. I am in awe of what they do."

"The display is a very good idea," Du Vaure told BTW. "It is sometimes difficult to venture outside of the vast American publishing world."

Du Vaure handsells many of the translated works. After describing books and assuring customers that these are books they might really enjoy, she explained, customers often respond positively.

Pohrt spoke ardently to BTW about the possibilities world literature affords Americans. "Booksellers are a progressive group, and want to support the idea. It's the best thing we can do in this difficult time -- to try and increase the market of Americans reading about other cultures. The U.S. has become insular. One of the most positive political acts we can do is to involve ourselves in books in translation."

Pohrt continued, "It's hard to commit genocide against people you understand and relate to. Recently I read Snow by Turkish writer Orhan Pamuk about a young man involved in Islamic fundamentalist politics. It's almost like reading science fiction -- it's a window into a world that I hadn't even considered. It gives a reader more information about what's going on than 99 percent of the news."

Pohrt recalled the origins of Reading the World, at a BEA dinner hosted by FSG. "We had all seen the NEA [National Endowment for the Arts] report "Reading at Risk," and the U.S. had invaded Iraq. We wanted to do something positive. I like the idea that this started at the ground level with booksellers and publishers. It bubbled up quickly; five publishers jumped on board and 150 booksellers. It's something we can do ourselves without hitting up publishers for a lot of money. I'd like to see it grow organically."

Reading the World's profile will be raised at BEA with the Savouring the World party hosted by the Literary Attach for the French Cultural Service, Fabrice Rozie, who offered to have the reception at the French Embassy in Washington for booksellers participating in Reading the World. Foreign representatives, publishers, and authors will also attend, with food and drink supplied by many of the countries whose literary works are featured. Also at BEA, America Online is planning to run related events at the Cyber Caf for two days. Participating editors will speak about some of their translated selections, according to Post.

Booksellers interested in participating in this year's Reading the World, and those needing additional information, should contact Post at [email protected]. --Nomi Schwartz