"Seven Houses in France", finalista en los premios de traducción del TLS

La semana pasada se hizo publico el listado de obras premiadas en los premios TLS, premios que organiza The Times Literary Supplement y que premian las mejores traducciones del año. El premio se otorga tanto al traductor como a la traducción en sí.

Una de la finalistas en la categoría de obras traducidas desde el español ha sido "Seven Houses in France", la novela de Atxaga traducida por Margaret Jull Costa, y que ha recibido elogios de parte del jurado:

The novel the judges commended is set in a garrison town on the River Congo, which represents a new theme for the acclaimed Basque writer Bernardo Atxaga. Its jungle setting is dramatic and its historical detail of the immorality of colonialism depressingly impressive. Margaret Jull Costa – who previously won the Premio Valle Inclán in 2009 with her translation of Atxaga's The Accordionist's Son – respects the text of Seven Houses in France, judiciously borrowing proper nouns and culture-specific items to render the historical setting, while at the same time achieving an idiomatic translation that stands on its own as a strong and creative work of literature. A wonderful translation.

El premio principal se lo ha llevado el trabajo de Peter Bush, traductor de la obra de Juan Goytisolo Exiled from Almost Everywhere.

Más comentarios positivos

Mientras tanto, la novela sigue recibiendo críticas inmejorables, tanto en blogs como en revistas especializadas. La última viene de www.newpages.com

Bernardo Atxaga has written the perfect book for deep winter reading. (...) This conglomeration of characters is as diverse and as exotic as in any Shakespeare play. Their interactions are the meat of this novel. (...) Atxaga paces his story in such a way that you can’t help but wonder what his characters will do next. There are cinematic moments that I could imagine being filmed by Herzog or Coppola. When the story was all said and done, I was sad to leave this word behind and return to my world of winter. As flawed as some of the characters were, I was drawn to them, perhaps because of their humanity. I suggest you visit Seven Houses in France if you are in need of a gratifying vacation.

Imagen: Margaret Jull Costa