England vs. Italy [World Cup of Literature: First Round]
This match was judged by Trevor Berrett. For more info on the World Cup of Literature, read this, and download the bracket. When we arrived at the stadium, there was a good vibe in the air. England fans were tentatively confident. After all, they have a mighty tradition, and the stars of their current team—Smith, ...
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Brazil vs. Cameroon [World Cup of Literature: First Round]
This match was judged by Jeffrey Zuckerman. For more info on the World Cup of Literature, read this, and download the bracket. The last time I watched a soccer game was in the last World Cup, in July of 2010. I had just graduated and moved off campus with my roommate from college. Down the block, a bar was packed with ...
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The Gray Notebook
Throughout his work The Gray Notebook, Josep Pla mentions many different authors, some of whom have inspired him to pick up a pen. One of them is Marcel Proust. Even though Pla normally prefers nonfiction, he lauds the French novelist as “the greatest realist writer of all time.” Proust resolves the childish ...
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World Cup of Literature: The Books, The Judges, The Match Schedule
With the Real World Cup (RWC) kicking off Thursday afternoon, it’s time to announce the participants in this year’s World Cup of Literature (WCL). This post is pretty long, but is also packed with information: all 32 competing titles, the names of the 24 judges, a bit of info on the methodology, and the official ...
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Baltic Adventures [Some June 2014 Translations]
June started a few days ago, which means that my rambling monthly overview of forthcoming translations is overdue. It also means that World Cup 2014 is about to start, which means that for the next month my brain will be as filled with soccer tactics and outcomes as literary ideas . . . But sticking with the now: For the ...
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Austrian Cultural Forum Relaunches Translation Prize
Earlier today amid the 2014 BEA fray, Deputy Director Christian J. Ebner of the Austrian Culture Fund of New York took the East Side/Translation Stage with translator Damion Searls to announce the grand relaunch of its Translation Prize, as well as a call for applications to the 2015 prize. Searls, who was the recipient of ...
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I am the Beggar of the World: Landays from Contemporary Afghanistan
On that September 11th I had a conversation with a professor friend who was teaching a creative writing class that evening. He questioned, “What can I possibly teach when all of this has happened?” While the dismay and grief were his reference, the question touches on a matter much deeper: what is art’s purpose? Either ...
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