Guardian Book Blog on Translated Fiction
A short but optimistic (ahh!) item by Stuart Evers on the Guardian book blog cites the extraordinary success of Haruki Murakami's books as evidence of a change of heart towards fiction in translation, at least on the part of British readers.
The gist being: a readership for translated fiction has always existed, but recently it seems to be growing and throwing off the moniker of niche market.
There's always been an audience for foreign fiction, a willing readership who want to discover the world through different voices. But the perception is that translated works are literary and difficult - fine if you like that sort of thing, a bit off-putting if not.....The Murakami effect has obviously benefited other Japanese writers such as Ryu Murakami (no relation), Hitomi Kanehara and Natsuo Kirino, but it's also helped people cast off negative preconceptions.
The formula for success with a work in translation suggested in the article is a no-brainer:
Excellent original novels, combined with publishers who believe in them and good translators, mean it's now as commercially viable to publish and promote novels in translation as it's ever been.
But it's always good to be reminded.
Read the complete article the Guardian Book Blog
The gist being: a readership for translated fiction has always existed, but recently it seems to be growing and throwing off the moniker of niche market.
There's always been an audience for foreign fiction, a willing readership who want to discover the world through different voices. But the perception is that translated works are literary and difficult - fine if you like that sort of thing, a bit off-putting if not.....The Murakami effect has obviously benefited other Japanese writers such as Ryu Murakami (no relation), Hitomi Kanehara and Natsuo Kirino, but it's also helped people cast off negative preconceptions.
The formula for success with a work in translation suggested in the article is a no-brainer:
Excellent original novels, combined with publishers who believe in them and good translators, mean it's now as commercially viable to publish and promote novels in translation as it's ever been.
But it's always good to be reminded.
Read the complete article the Guardian Book Blog