Talking Translation: When Europe Meets South America

Some political realities seem harder than others to communicate to those who have no direct experience of them. Juan Gabriel Vásquez and Samanta Schweblin explore with Daniel Hahn the role of translation in communicating such different realities to the reader.

Juan Gabriel Vásquez is a writer from Colombia, considered one of the most important novelists of his generation in Latin America. Until date he has published seven novels, two collections of short stories and two essay books. His most widely known novel is The Sound of Things Falling, awarded among others with the Alfaguara Prize for Novel and International Dublin Literary Award. His novels have been translated to more than 20 languages.

Samanta Schweblin was chosen as one of the 22 best writers in Spanish under the age of 35 by Granta. She is the author of three story collections: El núcleo del disturbio, Pájaros en la boca y Siete casas vacías all deserving numerous awards, including the prestigious Juan Rulfo Story Prize, and her Works have been translated into 20 languages. Fever Dream is her first novel and is longlisted for the Man Booker International Prize. Originally from Buenos Aires, she lives in Berlin.

Daniel Hahn’s work always revolves around books. He is a writer, translator, editor and literary critic.