“Translation is about movement and possibility, and these books all invite us to explore what that movement has meant and might mean.” – Rosalind Harvey, chair of judges.
The Poetry Translation Centre announces the winner of the second Sarah Maguire Prize for Poetry in Translation with this free online event.
Find out more about each of the books shortlisted for 2022 and hear a reading from the winning poet.
The Poetry Translation Centre (PTC) launched the Sarah Maguire Prize to recognise the best book of poetry by a living poet from Africa, Asia, Latin America or the Middle East published in English translation and to champion the art of poetry in translation.
This second edition of the prize has been judged by the poets and translators Kit Fan, Kyoo Lee and chair of the judges Rosalind Harvey.
The shortlist features translated collections by poets from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Korea, Mauritius, Mexico, Palestine and Syria. The selection celebrates both the best of modern poetry from across the globe and showcases a range of different translation methodologies highlighting excellence in literary translation. In choosing their shortlist the judges looked for books which speak to UK audiences, but maintained the unique spark of their original texts. The shortlisted books are:
Come, Take a Gentle Stab by Salim Barakat
Translated from Arabic by Huda Fakhreddine and Jayson Iwen. (Published by Seagull Books, 2021)
Exhausted on the Cross by Najwn Darwish
Translated from Arabic by Kareem James Abu-Zeid. (Published by New York Review Books, 2021)
Migrations: Poem, 1976-2020 by Gloria Gervitz
Translated from Spanish by Mark Schafer. (Published by New York Review Books, 2020)
Unexpected Vanilla by Lee Hyemi
Translated from Korean by Soje. (Published by Tilted Axis Press, 2020)
The River in the Belly by Fiston Mwanza Mujila
Translated from French by J. Bret Maney. (Published by Deep Vellum, 2021)
Cargo Hold of Stars: Coolitude by Khal Torabully
Translated from French by Nancy Naomi Carlson. (Published by Seagull Books, 2021)
Rosalind Harvey, translator and chair of judges, said: “Translation is about movement and possibility, and these books all invite us to explore what that movement has meant and might mean. In a world full of endless stark opinions, where nuance often struggles to get a word in, of endless facts and ‘alternative facts’, these collections invite us to uphold poetry’s – and translation’s – innate open-endedness, its ability to allow for possibility, for multiple answers as well as questions.”
The winner announcement takes place on Zoom on Tuesday 1 November, 6.30pm GMT.
Tickets are free but please consider making a donation or buying a copy of the Sarah Maguire Prize Anthology 2022 to support the future of this important prize.
