Monthly Archives: December 2019
IPC Media: Unifying Strength of Diversity: European Literature through Time, Genres and Languages
Grant Awarded: 59,968.2 €
In the project Unifying Strength of Diversity: European Literature Through Time, Genres and Languages IPC media will translate, print, disseminate and promote 9 works of high literary value of renowned and awarded European authors (2 EUPL winners) and present them to Serbian, French and Spanish readership. Seven of them will be translated from lesser used languages into Serbian: “La Ferocia” by Nicola Lagioia from Italian, “Příhodná chvíle, 1855” by Patrik Ouředník from Czech, “Rzeczy, których nie wyrzuciłem” by Marcin Wicha from Polish, “От изток на запада” by Miroslav Penkov from Bulgarian, “Az Illés szekerén” by Endre Ady from Hungarian, “Septem Plauti Comoediae” by Titus Maccius Plautus from Latin, “Teaterstykke” by Jon Fosse from Norwegian; and 2 of them will be translated from lesser into wide used languages: “Jaz” by Darko Tuševljaković from Serbian into Spanish, “Sasvim skromni darovi” by Uglješa Šajtinac from Serbian into French. The overall concept of this project is based on idea of mapping history of European literature and culture in general, showing its richness and diversity not as an obstacle, but as unifying strength. Diversity in this project is evident in different languages (10 of them), time (from antiquity till today) and genres (novels, short stories, poetry, plays). Selected works address various topics, which should bring awareness to a number of sensitive issues today and address socially relevant topics: migration (Penkov, Šajtinac), treatment of older people (Wicha), political (in)correctness (Plautus, Ouředník), depression and alienation (Tuševljaković), corruption (Lagioia), fate and atheism (Ady), family relationship and existential anxiety in contemporary society (Fosse) etc. Within this project IPC media wants to achieve better circulation of European literature, to reach new audience and improve transnational circulation of authors and translators.
Urban Reads: Different is Okay – The Best of Urban Europe
Grant Awarded: 56,692 €
Within a carefully thought-out project named “Different is Okay – The Best of Urban Europe”, Urban Reads plans to translate, distribute, place and promote 10 European novels, short stories, illustrated novels and comics written in 8 languages, all of them dealing with specific subjects contemporary teens can relate to; the topics are meant to bring European diverse culture closer to Serbian adolescents, invoke critical thinking in Serbian youth and help them shape themselves as beings who are able to care about both other people and their surroundings.
Urban Reads is the only Serbian publisher engrossed in solely adolescent readers who seek both seriously treated topics and titles that are able to answer the questions they are unwilling or unready to discuss with their parents, peers and teachers. Every selected book deals with an issue that may show them how similar European adolescent problems are, and each topic can be recognized as crucial for forming a curious adolescent: Invisible deals with bullying, Je ger døden deals with death, Supergigante deals with family loss, Nothing deals with adolescent take on the meaning of life, Needlework deals with depression and abuse, Being Young deals with the best and worst things about being young, Being Me tells us the story of all the expectations society puts on girls, Piccolo Regno deals with coming of age problems in unstable political environment, Carmilla is a gothic classic that deals with forbidden homosexuality and desires, Elisabeth tells a story of a female friendship and late appreciation of life. Several of these novels are part of “The White Ravens” catalogue, the most important continued publication of the International Youth Library; one of the novels won Michael L. Printz Honor, an award dedicated to “best book written for teens, based entirely on its literary merit”, and all of them won local and regional prizes and recognitions both for their literary excellence and importance.
Zavet: Еight Books to Remind You that All Borders Are Fictional
Grant Awarded: 44,206.3 €
For this project, Zavet have selected literary works of excellence that they feel will add real value and contribute to the cultural riches available to European citizens. These works have each been carefully chosen through a rigorous and highly selective editorial process for their outstanding literary merit and their universal qualities, which allow them to transcend local and national interests. Zavet will work with the most reputable and experienced literary translators to ensure that their excellence is upheld in the Serbian-language editions. They believe passionately that these literary works will lead to meaningful inter-cultural dialogue and reach readers and they will ensure that these translated books reach as many readers as possible through expert design, production, and publicity, marketing, and sales distribution.
The proposed project “8 Books to Remind You that All Borders Are Fictional“ includes translation into Serbian language, publication, promotion and distribution of the package of eight books. Three books are contemporary European novels originally written in French and English languages. Three books are short story collection originally written in Romanian, Czech and Slovenian. Two books are graphic novels originally written in Slovenian and Dutch. The authors come from seven countries: Romania (Florin Lazarescu), France (Yannick Haenel), UK (Sunjeev Sahota), Ireland (Jan Carson), Czech (Ivana Myšková), Netherlands (Peter Pontiac) and Slovenia (Tomaž Petrič and Veronika Simoniti). The authors have received critical acclaim in their home countries and abroad. They are not translated into Serbian yet and thus this is a great opportunity to introduce new works of high quality European literature to the Serbian audience.
Odiseja: Perfect Reads for Generation Z
Grant Awarded: 44,984.5 €
Odiseja will translate 8 children’s & YA books from less represented languages, considering each genre’s transnational circulation: many countries are well represented in Serbia with adult fiction but not with children’s; European YA novels are rarely translated, as well as Catalan and Luxembourgish books in general. Project’s goals are to promote EU literature and EUPL, help refining new skills, and its priority is to reach new generations of readers and create future consumers of EU culture. Books selection, production, promotion and distribution strategy is determined by the specifics of target group, Generation Z (age 8-22): short attention span, phone and visual-content addicted digital natives who prefer reading paper books, but inform and purchase online, usually interested in literature on global issues and real problems of contemporary people. Thus we’ll offer them fiction both popular and awarded, in best translation, visually appealing, with age-fitting text/illustration ratio, relatable protagonists and relevant themes with potential to initiate debate and raise awareness. Books will be disseminated via regular and online bookstores, digital media, book fairs and exhibitions across Serbo-Croat language speaking countries, using innovative sale methods (phone app etc). Children’s books promotion will target children (school readings & competitions) and influential adults – parents, teachers, librarians (traditional, online and direct marketing). YA will be reached via digital media (age 12-17 especially through their peers booktubers and bookstagrammers; 18+ via readings, book fairs, digital and traditional media). EUPL will be promoted during authors visit, on euplsrbija social media and EUPL Festival (we founded both in 2019). Our exceptionally well attended annual Seminar for children’s book reviewers, with eminent EU critics lectures, improves skills needed for developing of barely-existent children’s literature criticism, essential for its promotion.
