I just received an invitation to the award ceremony for the French-American Foundation & Florence Gould Foundation Annual Translation Prizes, and since I think I missed the announcement of the finalists, I thought I’d take this chance to congratulate all ten translators being honored.

Fiction:

John Cullen for Brodeck by Philippe Claudel (Nan A. Talese/Doubleday)

C. Dickson for Desert by J.M.G. Le Clezio (David R. Godine Publishing)

Richard Howard for Alien Hearts by Guy de Maupassant (New York Review Books)

Charlotte Mandell for The Kindly Ones by Jonathan Littell (HarperCollins)

Richard Sieburth for The Salt Smugglers by Gerard de Nerval (Archipelago Books)

Nonfiction:

Beverley Bie Brahic for This Incredible Need to Believe by Julia Kristeva (Columbia University Press)

M.B. DeBevoise for Manichaeism by Michel Tardieu (University of Illinois Press)

Jody Gladding for On the Death and Life of Languages by Claude Hagege (Yale University Press/Odile Jacob)

George Holoch for Orphans of the Republic by Olivier Wieviorka (Harvard University Press)

Loic Wacquant for Prisons of Poverty by Loic Wacquant (University of Minnesota Press)

Great list of translators/books/publishers . . .

The prizes will be given out on Thursday, September 16th at a special event at the Gallery at the Century Association. For more information about the awards (and how to attend the ceremony/reception—which is always quite stunning) contact Sierra Schaller at sschaller [at] frenchamerican [dot] org.

We’ve had some server issues this week, which explains the relative lack of posts over the past few days (that and the fact that I’ve been moving). We have a couple special things planned for next week, but I won’t be back in full until November—all next week I’ll be in Paris on a study trip (which will generate a ton of posts, I’m sure). Here’s the official press release from the French-American Foundation:

Exploring the future of publishing:
French-American Foundation exchange to focus on new approaches in the industry

New York, October 22, 2009 – The powerful economic and technological forces transforming modern publishing, and the comparative perspectives in France and the U.S., will be the focus of an investigative exchange between the two countries organized by the French-American Foundation in collaboration with the French Ministry of Culture. Professionals from each country’s publishing industry will spend one week meeting with leading figures from the other country’s literary and editorial communities.

This year’s publishing and literature exchange is part of the Courants program, formed in 1998 by the French-American Foundation, the French Ministry of Culture and the Florence Gould Foundation to foster international exchange and promote deeper trans-Atlantic understanding in a specific area of arts and the humanities.
“A particular focus area for this year’s program is the impact of new information technologies on traditional publishing models and the opportunities it presents for increasing exposure and creating new avenues for international literature,” said Emma Archer, Director of Cultural programs at the French-American Foundation. “We believe that the exchange of perspectives and insights gained as a result of this program will help contribute to increased cooperation and mutual understanding regarding the future of publishing in both countries.”

Among the issues identified as priority focus areas to be examined during the program:

• The effects of technology on the economics of publishing in all media
• The latest trends in foreign literature and translation
• How emerging online innovations and new marketing approaches are redefining publisher-audience relationships
• Strategies for marshaling resources to advance translation of foreign literature
• How new business models offer opportunities to increase access to foreign literature and other economically “risky” works in the face of industry concentration and profitability pressures?

The selected American participants in the French program, to be held from October 24-31, include some of the leading innovators among American editors and publishers.

Participants:

Molly Barton – Director of Business Development, Associate Publisher of eSpecials, Penguin Group USA

Julia Cheiffetz – Senior Editor, HarperStudio, HarperCollins

Eli Horowitz – Publisher and Managing Editor, Mc Sweeney’s Books

Paul W. Morris – General Manager, Digital Media & Marketing – BOMB Magazine

Chad W. Post – Director, Open Letter, University of Rochester

Maja Carolin Thomas – Senior Vice President, Hachette Digital, Hachette Book Group & Hachette Livre

Todd Zuniga – Founder of Opium Magazine, Creator of the Literary Death Match Series

The trip will introduce the participants to trends in American and French publishing and provide them with networking opportunities, industry overviews, and an introduction to the latest American and French fiction and nonfiction. During their stay, they will visit publishing houses, bookstores, participate in panel discussions during which they will gain insight into different cultures, establish new contacts and build relationships with their counterparts.

A reciprocal study tour to the U.S. for a group of French editors will take place next January.

The French-American Foundation

Founded in 1976, the French-American Foundation is committed to advancing the dialogue between France and the United States. The French-American Foundation brings together key policymakers, academics, business leaders and other prominent individuals from both countries so that they may exchange their ideas and create productive bonds likely to have a lasting effect on policies in France and in the United States. To reach these objectives, the French-American Foundation creates multi-year thematic programs, holds conferences, organizes exchanges and produces publications meant to foster and share best practices between the two countries. http://www.frenchamerican.org/

Press contact: William Mengebier
Tel: +33 (0)6 29 62 03 04
E-mail: press [at] french-american [dot] org