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The National Book Award Interviews

October 2023

The covers of the 10 books longlisted for the 2022 National Book Award in Translation

In celebration of this year’s National Book Award for Translated Literature, we spoke with the longlisted author-translator pairs to find out how each title and its subsequent translation came to be, and ask about the nuances of the translation process. Check back throughout the week as we publish more interviews.

Plus, read interviews with the 2022 National Book Award winners, finalists, and semifinalists.

Image of translator Anton Hur and writer Bora Chung semifinalists for the 2023 National Book Award

The National Book Award Interviews: Anton Hur and Bora Chung

By Words Without Borders

“It was fate that I translated this book,” says National Book Award semifinalist Anton Hur.

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Headshots of translator Lisa Dillman and writer Pilar Quintana semifinalists for the 2023 National...

Credits: Lisa Dillman by April Hunt. Pilar Quintana by Danilo Costa.

The National Book Award Interviews: Lisa Dillman and Pilar Quintana

By Words Without Borders

“This novel is my answer to that fear, to that childhood fear” says Pilar Quintana of her Abyss, longlisted for the 2023 National Book Award for Translated Literature.

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At left Sam Taylor and at right David Diop both finalists for the 2023 National Book Award for...

The National Book Award Interviews: Sam Taylor and David Diop

By Words Without Borders

“When I translate, it’s just me and the text, and I work quickly, intuitively. If I ever try to slow down or analyze what I’m doing, I lose that sense of flow.”

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Brazilian writer Stênio Gardel on the left and translator Bruna Dantas Lobato on the right finalists...

The National Book Award Interviews: Bruna Dantas Lobato and Stênio Gardel

By Words Without Borders

“This was just being at the right place at the right time,” says translator Bruna Dantas Lobato.

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At left a portrait of Dutch writer Astrid Roemer author of National Book Award for Translated Literature...

The National Book Award Interviews: Astrid Roemer on On a Woman’s Madness

By Words Without Borders

“There is a sense of hidden English in my novels because of my family circumstances.”

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Interviews with the Authors and Translators on the 2023 Longlist

Photos of National Book Award semifinalists Sophie Hughes and Fernanda Melchor

The National Book Award Interviews: Sophie Hughes and Fernanda Melchor

By Words Without Borders

Trust is the lifeblood of successful author-translator collaborations, and by trusting me so unwaveringly, Fernanda has also shown me how to trust myself.

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National Book Award semifinalists Lizzie Davis at left and Juan Cárdenas at right

The National Book Award Interviews: Lizzie Davis and Juan Cárdenas

By Words Without Borders

Trust creates room for play, which, in my opinion, is vital to the act of translation and to any artistic collaboration, says translator Lizzie Davis.

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At left the cover of Mohamed Mbougar Sarr's THE MOST SECRET HISTORY OF MEN and National Book Award...

The National Book Award Interviews: Lara Vergnaud on The Most Secret Memory of Men

By Words Without Borders

I always say that the last book I translated is the hardest book I’ve ever translated. But in this case, I think it’s true!

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Interview with the 2022 Winners of the National Book Award for Translated Literature

Portraits of Samanta Schweblin and Megan McDowell

Left: Samanta Schweblin, photo by Alejandra Lopez; Right: Megan McDowell, photo by Camila Valdés

The National Book Award Interviews: Samanta Schweblin & Megan McDowell

By Words Without Borders

I’m always a little amazed at the subtlety of Samanta’s language, how much she can convey in so few words—that hasn’t changed over all the books of hers I’ve translated.

Interviews with the 2022 Finalists

Portraits of Yoko Tawada and Margaret Mitsutani

The National Book Award Interviews: Yoko Tawada & Margaret Mitsutani

By Words Without Borders

We’re living in a world where both languages and people are constantly in flux. In this novel, I wanted to focus on a small group of people making their way through that world.

Portraits of Jon Fosse and Damion Searls

Left: Jon Fosse, photo by Tom Kolstad Samlaget; Right: Damion Searls, photo by Beowulf Sheehan

The National Book Award Interviews: Jon Fosse & Damion Searls

By Words Without Borders

“To me writing is an act of listening. And if I am writing well then what I write will necessarily be new to me as well. Writing is a journey into the unknown.”

At left face of French language translator Mark Polizzotti and at right face of French Rwandan...

The National Book Award Interviews: Scholastique Mukasonga & Mark Polizzotti

By Words Without Borders

“One thing that makes 'Kibogo' such a compelling work is the critical distance it maintains from all the power structures it describes.”

Portraits of Mónica Ojeda and Sarah Booker

The National Book Award Interviews: Mónica Ojeda & Sarah Booker

By Words Without Borders

I always say to myself that Jawbone came to me as a nightmare, a vision full of fear and desire, but I really can’t remember how it started.

Interviews with the Authors and Translators on the 2022 Longlist

Left, author Shariar Mandanipour; right, translator Sara Khalili

Left, Shariar Mandanipour, photo © Danial Mondanipour; right, Sara Khalili, photo © Miriam Berkley

The National Book Award Interviews: Shahriar Mandanipour and Sara Khalili

By Words Without Borders

“There have been times when we have spent hours discussing a single phrase and how to give it the same life and soul in English.”

Portraits of Olga Ravn and Martin Aitken

Left: Olga Ravn, photo credit: Lærke Posselt; Right: Martin Aitken

The National Book Award Interviews: Olga Ravn & Martin Aitken

By Words Without Borders

I think my task was less linguistic than it was a matter of representing the environment in my mind and sensing its moods emotionally, entering that strange atmosphere so it could seep through into the translation.

Portraits of Saša Stanišić and Damion Searls

Left: Saša Stanišić, photo by Katja Sämann; Right: Damion Searls, photo by Beowulf Sheehan

The National Book Award Interviews: Saša Stanišić & Damion Searls

By Words Without Borders

I started working on [the book] in 2016 when my grandmother was showing the first serious signs of dementia. I wanted to create an archive of sorts, in which her life was told in stories.

Left: Mohammed Hasan Alwan; Right: William M. Hutchins

The National Book Award Interviews: Mohammed Hasan Alwan & William M. Hutchins

By Words Without Borders

I thought he was in search for something meaningful and, thus, he was exposing himself to conditions he hoped would light the way for a coming revelation.