Overview

This collection examines how translated books come into being and circulate across languages, cultures, and book markets. Using Dutch as a case study of a source language at the margins of the world literary system, the volume sets out an innovative conceptual framework for understanding the making of translated literature, covering discovery, selection, acquisition, translation, production, marketing, and reception. It brings together fifteen accounts of recent literary works translated from Dutch, spanning five genres and fourteen different target languages. This comparative approach, keeping the focus on the same source language at the periphery of the world literary system across examples, allows for a deeper look into the numerous agents involved in the lifecycle of a translated book, including translators, editors, agents, rights managers, marketing staff, and government representatives. Chapters explore the connections between production-side decisions and how translated books were ultimately received in the market, from success stories and breakthroughs to works that faced delays, setbacks, or limited uptake, thereby illustrating a variety of trajectories within the global translation system. Taken together, the collection provides a comprehensive picture of the circulation of Dutch literature in translation and contributes to broader discussions on the translation of less widely studied languages. This book will appeal to scholars in translation studies and world literature, particularly those interested in literary translation, the sociology of translation, and translation publishing. The Open Access version of this book, available at http://www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license.

Full Product Details

9781032638737

Table of Contents

Reviews

“These meticulous studies of a variety of book translations from one language (Dutch) into many others provide an outstanding occasion for deciphering and conceptualising the complexities of the translation process as it actually plays out in reality.” — Johan Heilbron, emeritus director of research at the CNRS and member of the Centre Européen de Sociologie et de Science Politique (CESSP-CNRS-EHESS) “This book offers an excellent set of case studies showing how a small literature finds resonance through translation. It also introduces a new, broadly applicable framework for exploring the lifecycle of translated books—from selection and production to marketing and reception. A timely and much-needed contribution to the study of literary circulation and the people and dynamics that shape it.” — Elke Brems, professor of Dutch literature and translation studies, KU Leuven

Author Information

Jack McMartin is an associate professor of translation studies at KU Leuven, Belgium, and director of the Centre for Translation Studies (CETRA). Paola Gentile is an associate professor of Dutch translation and interpreting at the University of Trieste, Italy. Elisa Nelissen is an FWO postdoctoral fellow in translation studies at KU Leuven, Belgium.

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