On translating Qiu Miaojin
What makes Kerouac or Salinger timeless is not necessarily literary, but perhaps didactic: the fact that there is wisdom to be found at the fountain of youth, no matter… More
QA: An Example Page/General Content Item
sed ut perspiciatis unde omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque laudantium, totam rem aperiam, eaque ipsa quae ab illo inventore veritatis et quasi architecto beatae vitae dicta… More
Turkish Translator and Publisher on Trial: Take Action!
Last year, I reported on the trial of Turkish publisher İrfan Sancı and translator Süha Sertabiboğlu for their January 2011 publication of William S. Burrough’s 1961 novel The Soft… More
Interview: Arch Tait
PEN: What are some of the challenges of taking a best-selling, well-known work from its native language and translating it for a foreign audience?It’s less a challenge than a… More
Interview: Ludmila Ulitskaya
After giving it much thought, I ascribe the success of the book to the fact that it contains the answer to a question society has been struggling with but… More
A Thousand Pearls (for a Thousand Pennies)
Penny for them?I was thinking that several years went by between the moment when I realized that I would die and the moment when I realized that I would… More
Elias Khoury: White Masks
PrologueThis is no tale. And it may not be of particular interest to readers, as people these days have more important things to do than read stories or listen… More
On Elegance While Sleeping
December 4, 18 …At birth, I felt the desire to correct the human tendency to feel fragile and imperfect. I’ve therefore sanctified my life to this sole endeavor. Logic… More
The Acrobat
Palm Springs, California, 18 January 1954Sharpen the blade on the strop fixed to the wall, moisten the soap in the bowl with hot water, remove any loose bristles from… More