The good people of Booktrust have announced the longlist for the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize. And there are three German contenders out of the fifteen:
Daniel Kehlmann's Fame, trans. Carol Brown Janeway
Jenny Erpenbeck's Visitation, trans. Susan Bernofsky
and Juli Zeh's Dark Matter, trans. Christine Lo.
As they point out, there are a lot of independent publishers on the list, including the delightful Peirene Press who only do translated titles. This is a great way to call attention to their work, but it also goes to show how few major publishers bother with translations nowadays. I know there are editors at larger houses who long to do more translated fiction, and I hope the increasing attention going to international writing gradually puts them in a stronger position to do so.
The shortlist is out on 11 April, and the winning writer and translator will be announced on 26 May. They get 5000 pounds each and lots of little stickers on their book. And a magnum of champagne - not sure if they have to share that or there's one each.
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