EMPIRE OF ANTS shortlisted for the Helen & Kurt Wolff Translator's Prize

I was completely chuffed to learn that my translation of EMPIRE OF ANTS by Susanne Foitzik and Olaf Fritsche is one of five titles shortlisted for the Helen & Kurt Wolff Translator’s Prize, which is awarded annually for a translation from German published in the US.

The Jury Chair, Shelley Frisch, had this to say:

"The state of our world, rocked as it is by a new and shocking war, political strife at home and abroad, and an ongoing pandemic, appears to have increased our reliance on literature to offer solace, entertainment, and enrichment. The thirty-two German-to-English book-length translations submitted for this year’s Helen and Kurt Wolff Translator’s Prize are most impressive in their scope, their storytelling, and their masterful language, and from this remarkable group of texts, the five that constitute this year’s shortlist stand out for their exquisite and compelling wordsmithery. Whether we readers are contemplating the nature of ants in their societies, or of okapis that appear in dream visions, whether we are climbing the Strudlhof Steps in Vienna or wending our way up a bicycle path in the Canary Islands on a New Year’s Day—or recapturing the spirit of an era of theory—we are transported through the power of the words that make these books come alive in their new linguistic garb. Each shines a light on what the finest translations can accomplish, and we jurors congratulate, honor, and thank the five shortlisted translators for the pleasure and insights that their works afford us."

Congratulations to everyone on the shortlist!