2016 PEN/Heim Translation Series
PEN America is thrilled to showcase the work of recipients of the 2016 PEN/Heim Translation Fund. Each week through the fall, we’ll feature excerpts from winning projects along with essays by the translators on what drew them to a particular piece and why their work matters now. The Fund, which awards grants of $2,000-$4,000 to promote the publication and reception of translated world literature in English, received a total of 171 applications, spanning a wide array of languages of origin, including Bosnian-Croatian-Serbian, Chinese, Czech, Hindi, Yiddish, and more.
Since 2009, the Fund’s annual contribution for grant awards has been augmented by support from Amazon.
Operation Hinterland: Tales from the Silver Scrapheap
This might sound odd, but there are times when a last chance can seem less of a boon and more of a burden, because the tension in a situation… More
Hadriana on the Lap of God
I died on the night of the most beautiful day of my life: I died on the night of my marriage in the church of Saint Philippe and Saint… More
Book of Minutes
I open the dresser drawer and find the definition of tenderness under the letter h: handkerchiefs with embroidered initials, lavender scent, well-pressed and folded in quarters, the way light… More
Captain Kidd
The art of the biographer consists specifically in choice. He is not meant to worry about speaking truth; he must create human characteristics amidst the chaos. More
The Payback
The chief secured their door with a padlock, put the key in his pocket, and signaled to the peasant driver to get moving. When they reached the bridge, silhouettes… More