Category Archives: Literary traslations 2017
Women’s Decameron: for a new Renaissance in European literature
Štrik Publishing House
Maximum Grant Awarded: 59.954,25 €
The project Women’s Decameron: for a new Renaissance in European literature will promote the existing diversity of gender, genres and languages in European literature, Creative Europe programme and essential European values. We will promote literary diversity, transnational connections and circulation on several levels: cultural (ten high quality works by female authors from ten countries; authors visits), linguistic (ten languages, seven lesser used), genre (novels, short-stories, poetry, drama, young adult; four less represented), old and new literary voices in a diverse rendering of one unifying theme – women’s issues.
We want to support a new Renaissance in European literature, until now dominated by men, which would provide equal opportunities for diverse literary voices, themes, genres and languages. We want to show that the production of women’s high quality literature is larger than it used to be, and that women’s literature itself is very diverse genre-wise and equally relevant when written in lesser used languages, all of which enables it to contribute to audience development and create space for equal opportunity and advancement of society in general. We will ensure wide accessibility of the works through our distribution strategy, and enlargement and renewal of reading audiences by using both proven and innovative promotion methods and digital technologies.
Besides books, we will promote translators (we are the only publisher to put translators΄ names on the cover, we will put their biographies in books, on our website, in the project apps, and submit their translations for awards). In short, we will achieve: diversity, transnational mobility and circulation of literature; promotion of high quality women’s literature, EACEA Programme, EULP books, translators, lesser used languages and genres; presentation of old and new generation of renowned female authors; socially responsible behavior and the improvement of the state of gender equality in Serbia.
Beyond horizons: cross-cultural mosaic of contemporary European fiction
Heliks Publishing House
Maximum grant awarded: 58.537,12 €
Our principal idea behind the project “Beyond horizons: cross-cultural mosaic of contemporary European fiction” was to enrich Serbian literary space with quality translations of contemporary literature from various European cultures. The project itself includes translation and promotion of ten fiction books written in nine languages (Icelandic, English, Czech, Bulgarian, Swedish, Romanian, Italian, Spanish and Norwegian). The first criterion in choosing the titles was their artistic merit, proven with literary awards their authors have been granted: five of them have won EUPL award, while the others received esteemed prizes, like Swedish August Prize. Such through selection calls for equally careful choice of translators.
Among the skilled, renowned translators we will team up with, some have already been engaged in our other literary EACEA projects. To achieve maximum visibility and attainability of the books, titles will be printed and issued as e-Books. Diverse models of distribution will be carried out through well-established online and traditional networks, with special focus on readership in the neighbouring countries. Greatly significant for our project is promotion segment, based on cooperation with popular web portals, traditional media, and educational and cultural institutions.
The peak of our promotion activities will be authors’ visits and Belgrade Book Fair, the most important regional manifestation of that kind. Each book, being the part of the mosaic this project represents, is defined by its specific style, tone and theme, but only when brought together do they give more comprehensive, layered and opulent picture of the present moment in European literature. An additional objective of the project naturally stems from this: maintaining continuity with previously realised EACEA projects, with giving prominence to the common thread, that of widening the network of transnational literary exchange and intercultural dialogue in Europe of today.
European Literature Today: Universal Stories оf Personal Revolutions
Arete Publishing House
Maximum Grant Awarded: 44.008,15 €
The main idea of the project European Literature Today: Universal Stories оf Personal Revolutions is to explore trough literature relationship between the individual and the history. Turbulent European history – its warfare and reconciliations, migrations and settlements, great people and great events – was always an inexhaustible inspiration for the writers of the Old Continent. Each chosen work, speaks about common people and their personal revolutions against the large social and political issues and events. Project includes works of six authors from six different countries of European Union. Two authors are winners of EUPL. List of selected titles includes one poetry book, two short story collections and three novels.
All authors won significant prizes for their work: renewed Latvian Oswalds Zebris and Tiit Aleksejev from Estonia are winners of EUPL with the novels “Gaiļu kalna ēnā” and “Palveränd”. One of main goals of this project is presenting to Serbian readership entirely unknown literature from small Baltic countries like Latvia and Estonia. Another writer from Baltic region is Polish poet Eugeniusz Tkaczyszyn-Dycki winner of Nike Literary Award and Gdynia Literary Award. His works have been adapted to theatre and played all across Poland. World famous English writer Hilary Mantel is the only woman who has been awarded the Booker Prize twice. Novel “A Place of Greater Safety” represents beginning the one of most exiting carriers in Europe’s contempоrary literarture. Mircea Cãrtãrescu is arguably biggest contemporary Romanian writer and with awarded book “Frumoasele străine” he just proved that. Judit Szaniszló is new literary star from Hungary. With short story collection “Beenged” she already earned the title of the most talented young writer in the country by literary critics: she won György Petri Award in 2015 and Pál Békés Award in 2017. All selected titles will be translated into Serbian language for the first time and published both as book and e-book.
Old Continent, New People: Finding Your Own Place
Odiseja Publishing House
Maximum Grant Awarded: 48.638,27 €
Odiseja will translate 8 books from less represented languages, considering each genre’s transnational circulation: i.e. while their literature for adults is well represented in Serbia, there are none Bulgarian or Hungarian children’s books; European YA novels are underrepresented, as well as Maltese and Luxembourgian literature in general. Additionally binding books from the project is their focus on now essential theme of integration, whether they speak of fitting-in, or of establishing social position from female perspective, or of immigrants, or tell the stories of transformed people looking for a redefined place in community.
These works of fiction will be published with highest quality of translation, editing, design, print and disseminated through regular and online bookstores, book fairs and selling exhibitions across Serbo-Croatian language speaking countries, using innovative sale methods. Children’s books promotion will target 2 groups: children (readings & competitions in schools) and influential adults (parents, teachers, librarians) via traditional, online and direct marketing. YA will be reached via social networks and online media, and adult audience via all means available: promotions, book fairs, social networks, online and traditional media. EUPL winners will be additionally promoted during EUPL Festival, and 2 authors during their visits.
Cooperation with public and school libraries, cultural centers, NGO’s will increase project’s visibility. Seminar for children’s book reviews will provide necessary basic skills for initial forming of currently non-existent children’s books’ literary criticism, essential for promotion of children’s literature, development of new audiences and of culture in general. Project will hopefully initiate social debate of immigration and integration, it will raise profiles of translators, of ЕU writers and less known countries, of EUPL, and it’ll help developing new skills and improve position of vulnerable groups.
