The Mookse and the Gripes discussion

A new UK prize, the TA First Translation Prize was, quite wonderfully, set up by the translator and ex-MBI judge Daniel Hahn, with the money he won from the 2017 International Dublin Literary Award.

The shortlist has been announced and consists of three novels, one book of short stories, one graphic novel and non-fiction from a Nobel winner:

Eve out of Her Ruins by Ananda Devi
Translated from the French by Jeffrey Zuckerman, edited by Cécile Menon and Angeline Rothermundt (Les Fugitives)

Swallowing Mercury by Wioletta Greg
Translated from the Polish by Eliza Marciniak, edited by Max Porter and Ka Bradley (Portobello Books)

The Queue by Basma Abdel Aziz
Translated from the Arabic by Elisabeth Jaquette, edited by Sal Robinson, Taylor Sperry and Željka Marošević (Melville House)

The Sad Part Was by Prabda Yoon
Translated from the Thai by Mui Poopoksakul, edited by Deborah Smith (Tilted Axis Press)

Notes on a Thesis by Tiphaine Rivière
Translated from the French by Francesca Barrie, edited by Clare Bullock (Jonathan Cape)

Second-Hand Time by Svetlana Alexievich
Translated from the Russian by Bela Shayevich, edited by Jacques Testard (Fitzcarraldo Editions)

I have read two

Eve Out of Her Ruins my review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and
Swallowing Mercury https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

If anyone is interested, the prize ceremony - for this and the pre-existing Society of Authors translation prizes (http://www.societyofauthors.org/Prize...) will be at the British Library on 1 March. Tickets are a fiver and come with drinks and nibbles:

http://www.societyofauthors.org/Event...

The only one I have read so far is The Queue. My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1769483563

It is interesting to note that 5 of the 6 books are by women authors.

And the winning combination was Bela Shayevich (translator) and Jacques Testard (editor, Fitzcarraldo Editions) for their work on Second-Hand Time by Svetlana Alexievich.