News

Veronika ter Harmsel Havlíková awarded the Dutch Foundation for Literature’s Translation Prize 2022

10 May 2022 - Translators, Awards and Press releases

The Dutch Foundation for Literature’s Translation Prize 2022 goes to Veronika ter Harmsel Havlíková. She will receive the sum of €15,000. The Foundation is giving her the prize in recognition of her outstanding translations of important Dutch titles into Czech, as well as her crucial role as adviser to new translators and as an intermediary on behalf of Dutch literature.

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Vondel Prize Longlist Announced

27 September 2021 - Translators, Awards and International

Dutch translations into English are currently experiencing a great boom, so much so that English translations from the Dutch are becoming as important as German translations, traditionally the main export market for Dutch literature. The jury of the Vondel Translation Prize, consisting of previous winner Michele Hutchison, poet Jane Draycott and translator Susan Massotty, were able to consider a wide range of translations published in 2019 and 2020, from works across many different genres.

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Shortlist European Literature Prize 2021

29 June 2021 - Press releases, Translators, Awards and Authors

Jury chair Manon Uphoff has announced the shortlist for the European Literature Prize 2021. Five titles have been selected, all of them contemporary European novels in Dutch translation. The prize is being presented this year for the eleventh time; it goes to both the author and the translator.

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David Colmer Wins James Brockway Prize 2021

3 June 2021 - Press releases, Translators and Awards

The James Brockway Prize – an oeuvre prize for translators of Dutch-language poetry – has been awarded to David Colmer. This distinction, established and organised by the Dutch Foundation for Literature, is valued at 5,000 euros and will be presented (online) at the upcoming edition of the Poetry International Festival in Rotterdam, on Saturday 12 June at 3.15 p.m. (BST).

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Helga van Beuningen awarded the Straelen Übersetzerpreis

German Literary Translation Award

29 March 2021 - Translators, Awards and International

Literary translator Helga van Beuningen has been awarded the Straelen Übersetzerpreis 2021. The prize crowns her translation of De avond in ongemak (The Discomfort of Evening) into German, as well as her life’s work as a translator in general.

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BCLT Literary Translation Summer School

Applications open

28 March 2021 - Translators and General

Literary translators from Dutch into English are invited to sign up for the BCLT Literary Translation Summer School. The Dutch Foundation for Literature provides six full bursaries for (starting) translators. The BCLT Summer School will be held online, from 19 to 24 July 2021, and will focus on poetry. Please register before Monday, April 12.

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Dublin Literary Prize

Three Dutch titles nominated

8 February 2021 - Translators, Awards, International and Authors

Two Dutch and one Flemish author and their translators have been longlisted for the Dublin Literary Prize 2021. The longlist is nominated by libraries around the world making it a great spotlight for international writing. The first Dutch winner of this prestigious award were in 2010 Gerbrand Bakker and translator David Colmer for The Twin, which has been translated into 25 languages.

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Ran HaCohen awarded the Dutch Foundation for Literature’s Translation Prize 2020

30 September 2020 - Press releases, Translators and Awards

The Dutch Foundation for Literature’s Translation Prize 2020 goes to Ran HaCohen. He will receive the sum of € 15,000. The Foundation is awarding him the prize in recognition of his excellent translations of both classic and contemporary fiction into Hebrew, and his important role as an intermediary on behalf of Dutch literature in Israel. One result of his efforts has been the publication of a Hebrew edition of Max Havelaar by Multatuli.

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International Booker Prize for The Discomfort of Evening

Rijneveld and Hutchison awarded

28 August 2020 - Awards, International, Authors and Translators

For the first time ever, a Dutch novel has been awared the International Booker Prize. The Discomfort of Evening (Faber & Faber) by author Marieke Lucas Rijneveld and translator Michele Hutchison has won this prestigious award. Rijneveld is not only the first Dutch author to be awarded this honour but also the first debut novelist and the youngest author ever to receive the International Booker Prize. The foreign rights to their novel have been sold to 21 countries, so far.

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Translators as ambassadors of Dutch literature

14 August 2020 - Translators and Grants awarded

To help translators find new assignments in these uncertain times, the Dutch Foundation for Literature has subsidized a number of 3,000-word translations of Dutch literary titles. A grand total of 176 proposals have been approved (84 fiction, 43 non-fiction, 28 children’s and youth, 20 poetry and 1 graphic novel) for translation into 32 languages. The translators will endeavour to find publishers for the books in question, in consultation with the foundation and the rights holders. The publication of new translations is thus stimulated, and the translators can continue their good work.

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Huizinga’s Autumntide of the Middle Ages

New English translation by Diane Webb

17 July 2020 - Translators

Leiden University Press is bringing out a new, unabridged, lavishly-illustrated edition of Huizinga’s study of life and thought in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries in France and the Low Countries. We asked Diane Webb about her experience of translating this famous work.

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4th of May speech by Arnon Grunberg translated into twelve languages

3 July 2020 - Translators

By Mireille Berman

Every year the National Committee for 4 and 5 May asks a writer to give a speech at its Remembrance Day gathering. This year it chose Arnon Grunberg, who read an impressive essay entitled ‘No’.

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Support measures

12 May 2020 - Translators, International, Authors and General

In this uncertain time in which authors, illustrators, translators and publishers face major challenges, the Dutch Foundation for Literature is aiming to give as much support as possible to our partners.

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Irina Leek-Trofimova on shortlist Мастер

24 April 2020 - Translators, Awards and International

Irina Leek-Trofimova has been shortlisted for the Мастер-award. She is nominated for her Russina two translations of two children’s books by Toon Tellegen, Is er dan niemand boos (The day no one was angry) and Brieven aan niemand anders (Letters to anyone and everyone).

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Lampie shortlisted for Carnegie Medal

19 March 2020 - Translators and Awards

Lampie by Annet Schaap and translator Laura Watkinson has been shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal. It is the first time ever that a translation has been shortlisted for this prestigious prize for children’s literature.

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Vondel Translation Prize to Michele Hutchison

12 February 2020 - Translators, Awards and International

After careful consideration, a specialist jury has awarded the Vondel Translation Prize 2019 to Michele Hutchison for Stage Four, her English translation of Sander Kollaard’s Stadium IV (Van Oorschot), published by the American publishing house Amazon Crossing. The prize will be presented in London on 12 February, 2020.

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Shortlist Vondel Translation Prize

1 December 2019 - Translators, Awards and General

Four translators have been nominated for the Vondel Translation Prize 2020. This biennial prize from the Dutch Foundation for Literature awards the best English-language translation of a Dutch-language literary or cultural-historical work with a prize of € 5,000. The award ceremony will take place on 12 February in London.

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Award for Eva Schweikart

Ch.M. Wieland Prize for Translation

20 July 2019 - Translators and Awards

The Christoph Martin Wieland Translation Prize, worth € 12,000, will be presented to Eva Schweikart this autumn for her German translation of Lampje, a novel by Annet Schaap that has been published in German by Thienemann Verlag under the title Emilia und der Junge aus dem Meer. It is the first time that the biennial prize, presented since 1979 for works in a wide range of genres, has gone to the translator of a children’s book.

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Shortlist European Literature Prize 2019

18 June 2019 - Translators, Awards and General

The shortlist for the European Literature Prize 2019 has been announced. Out of a longlist of twenty translated titles the jury has selected five from which the winner will be chosen. The prize will be presented 3 November 2019, during the Crossing Border festival in The Hague.

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The Foundation’s Translation Prizes 2018

Janny Middelbeek-Oortgiesen and Goedele de Sterck

27 September 2018 - Translators, Awards and General

The Dutch Foundation for Literature’s Translation Prizes 2018 go to Janny Middelbeek-Oortgiesen (Swedish to Dutch) and Goedele de Sterck (Dutch to Spanish), in recognition not just of their translation oeuvres but of their efforts as ambassadors between two language areas. Each winner will receive a sum of €10,000. Both prizes will be presented on Friday 14 December in Amsterdam.

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European Literature Prize to ‘Max, Mischa & het Tet-offensief’

13 September 2018 - Translators, Awards and General

The jury of the European Literature Prize 2018 has announced that the award goes to Norwegian author Johan Harstad and his translators Edith Koenders and Paula Stevens, for the novel Max, Mischa & het Tet-offensief (Podium). The prize will be presented to the author and his translators on the evening of Wednesday 31 October at the Crossing Border Festival in The Hague.

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Daniel Cunin wins Brockway Prize

22 May 2018 - Press releases, Translators, Awards and International

The Brockway Prize, a biennial prize for poetry translations from the Dutch, has been awarded to Daniel Cunin. The prize was established by the Dutch Foundation for Literature and is worth 5,000 euros. It will be presented on 1 June during the Poetry International Festival in Rotterdam.

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Roel Schuyt wins the Dutch Foundation for Literature’s Translation Prize 2017

9 December 2017 - Translators, Awards and General

Roel Schuyt (b. 1948) has been awarded the Dutch Foundation for Literature’s Translation Prize 2017. Since the 1990s he has translated work by a wide variety of writers from Central Europe, including Danilo Kiš, Dubravka Ugrešić and Borislav Čičovački, as well as young authors such as Goce Smilevski and Olja Savičević. He also wrote translation history by being one of the first to translate the work of Nobel Prize candidate Ismail Kadare directly from the Albanian. The prize, which includes the sum of €10,000, was presented in Amsterdam on Friday 8 December, during the Literaire Vertaaldagen.

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Vondel Translation Prize to David McKay

14 November 2017 - Press releases, Translators, Awards and International

The Vondel Translation Prize goes to David McKay for War and Turpentine, his English translation of Oorlog en terpentijn by Stefan Hertmans. The prize, worth € 5,000, will be presented in London on 1 March 2018.

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European Literature Prize 2017

Grief Is the Thing with Feathers

11 September 2017 - Press releases, Translators and Awards

The jury of the 2017 European Literature Prize has chosen to honour British author Max Porter and his Dutch translator Saskia van der Lingen for Verdriet is het ding met veren (De Bezige Bij), the Dutch translation of the novel Grief Is the Thing with Feathers. The author will receive a sum of €10,000 and the translator €5,000. Chair of the jury, poet and novelist Anna Enquist, will present the prize to Porter and Van der Lingen on Thursday, 2 November, at the opening night of the Crossing Border Festival in The Hague.

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Nomination Magnesia Litera Prijs

Dutch success in Czech Republic

9 March 2017 - Translators, Awards and International

Great success for Madla de Bruin-Hüblová and her Czech translation Pole je tento svět of the Dutch novel The field by Dola de Jong. The novel is nominated for the Magnesia Litera Prize, together with work by Irish author Sara Baume, Tunesian writer Hédi Kaddou, and their translators. The classic The Field was rediscovered in 2015 by Amsterdam based publishing house Cossee, and will or has been translated into nine languages, including English, German, French and Swedish.

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Launch PETRA-E European Network

Expansion learning track for literary translators

18 January 2017 - Translators

On January 1, 2017 nine European organisations officially launched the PETRA-E Network for the Education and Training of Literary Translators. The partners will expand, implement and further develop the PETRA-E Framework, the result of the successful Erasmus+ funded PETRA-E project (2014-2016), and will provide a collaborative space for the discussion of related topics.

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German Children’s Literature Award for Van de Vendel

23 October 2016 - Translators and Authors

Dutch author Edward van de Vendel, Flemish illustrator Anton Van Hertbruggen and German translator Rolf Erdorf have won a German Children’s Literature Award in the picture book category for the German translation (Bohem Press) of The Dog that Nino Didn’t Have (De Eenhoorn, 2013).

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Dutch Foundation for Literature’s Translation Prizes 2016

Alicja Oczko, Harm Damsma and Niek Miedema awarded

30 September 2016 - Press releases, Translators and Awards

On the name day of St. Jerome, patron saint of all translators, we are pleased to announce the winners of the Dutch Foundation for Literature’s Translation Prizes 2016. This year the prizes go to Alicja Oczko (Dutch – Polish) and the duo Harm Damsma and Niek Miedema (English – Dutch). The prizes will be presented on Friday 9 December in Amsterdam. A sum of 10,000 euro is awarded to the winner of each prize.

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Pieter Steinz’s ‘Der Sinn des Lesens’

Reading with ALS

15 June 2016 - Translators, International and Authors

Today former managing director of the Dutch Foundation for Literature, Pieter Steinz received the very first copies of Der Sinn Des Lesens, the German translation of his book Lezen met ALS (Reading with ALS). It will be available in German bookstores mid July. Sooner than expected, as the title was announced for August. Thanks to translator Gerd Busse and to Reclam Verlag the production process was shortened.

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US tour Ilja Leonard Pfeijffer

Presenting La Superba

10 March 2016 - Translators, Events, International and Authors

Dutch author Ilja Leonard Pfeijffer will be on book tour in March visiting Washington DC, New York, Houston and Dallas to present the English translation of his novel La Superba. The book was translated by Michele Hutchinson and published by Deep Vellum.

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Vondel Translation Prize 2015

Shortlist

19 August 2015 - Awards and Translators

Six translators have been nominated for the Vondel Translation Prize 2015. The Vondel Translation Prize is awarded every two years by the Dutch Foundation for Literature and the Flemish Literature Fund for the best English translation of a Dutch literary novel or cultural-historical book. The winner receives the sum of €5.000.

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Brockway Prize to Ard Posthuma

10 June 2015 - Press releases, Translators and Awards

The Brockway Prize, a biennial prize for poetry translations from the Dutch, has been awarded to Ard Posthuma. The prize was established by the Dutch Foundation for Literature and is worth 5,000 euro. It will be presented on 12 June during the Poetry International Festival in Rotterdam.

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Edgar de Bruin wins the Dutch Foundation for Literature’s Translation Prize 2015

13 December 2015 - Translators, Awards and General

On Friday 12 December 2015 Edgar de Bruin was awarded the Dutch Foundation for Literature’s Translation Prize for the translator as cultural ambassador. His oeuvre demonstrates his sharp eye for modern Czech literature; he has introduced writers including Petra Hůlová, Jáchym Topol, Patrik Ouředník and Markéta Pilatová to a Dutch readership.

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Marie Hooghe wins Prix Scam

22 December 2014 - Translators and Awards

The Belgian translation prize ‘Prix Scam de la Traduction littéraire’ has been awarded to Marie Hooghe for her translations from Dutch to French.

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Else Otten Übersetzerpreis für Bettina Bach und Rainer Kersten

für ihre Übersetzungen von Arjan Visser und Dimitri Verhulst

17 December 2014 - Press releases, Translators, Awards and International

Die Jury des Else Otten Übersetzerpreises hat beschlossen, den Preis 2014 zwei Übersetzern zu verleihen: Bettina Bach für ihre Übersetzung von Hotel Linda von Arjan Visser, im Februar 2014 unter dem Titel Der blaue Vogel kehrt zurück erschienen bei Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag in München, und Rainer Kersten für seine Übersetzung von De laatkomer von Dimitri Verhulst, im April 2014 erschienen als Der Bibliothekar, der lieber dement war als zu Hause bei seiner Frau bei Luchterhand Verlag in München.

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Nijhoff Translation Prize

Christiane Kuby and Hans Boland awarded

19 November 2014 - Translators and Awards

Next year, The Prince Bernhard Culture Fund will celebrate its 75-year existence. Reason enough to award the Martinus Nijhoff Translation Prize 2015 twice: Christiane Kuby is awarded for her Dutch-to-German translations and Hans Boland receives the price for his translations from Russian to Dutch.

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Winners of the Dutch Foundation for Literature’s Translation Prizes 2014

Jelica Novaković and Paul Beers

9 October 2014 - Press releases, Translators and Awards

This year’s Dutch Foundation for Literature’s Translation Prizes go to Paul Beers and Jelica Novaković. Novaković represents Dutch literature in Serbia in many different ways; Paul Beers has translated major oeuvres including those of Witold Gombrowicz, Ingeborg Bachmann and Robert Menasse. The prizes, each of which includes the sum of €10,000, were presented in Amsterdam on Friday 12 December.

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Shortlist European Literature Prize 2014 announced

3 June 2014 - Press releases, Translators, Awards and General

The shortlist for the European Literature Prize 2014 has just been announced at a festive gathering in Amsterdam. The jury selected five titles from a longlist of twenty translated novels. The European Literature Prize is unusual in recognizing both the author and the translator of the winning book. The prize will be presented on Sunday 7 September, during Manuscripta, in Utrecht.

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Award for Andrea Kluitmann, German translator of Dutch literature

VvL-pennig 2014 geht an die Übersetzerin Andrea Kluitmann

22 April 2014 - Translators and Awards

Der VvL-penning 2014 geht an die Übersetzerin Andrea Kluitmann und würdigt ihr großes Engagement für das Übersetzerfach. Andrea Kluitmann setzt sich schon seit vielen Jahren für die Literatur und ihre Übersetzung in den Niederlanden ein. Als Mitglied im Beratungsgremium des Nederlands Letterenfonds in Amsterdam sowie des Expertisecentrum Literair Vertalen in Utrecht, als Mitbegründerin der Website Vertaalverhaal.nl, und nicht zuletzt als Mitorganisatorin der ‘Übersetzerglücktournee’ (Vertalersgeluktournee).

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Vondel Translation Prize

awarded to David Colmer

17 February 2014 - Translators, Awards and International

The Vondel Translation Prize 2013 has been awarded to David Colmer for The Misfortunates (Portobello Books), his translation of De helaasheid der dingen by Dimitri Verhulst. The award ceremony took place at Europe House in London on Wednesday 12 February 2014.

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European Literature Prize 2014 longlist announced

28 January 2014 - Press releases, Translators and Awards

The longlist for the European Literature Prize 2014 has been announced: twenty novels translated into Dutch from no fewer than twelve different languages. A jury of Dutch and Flemish quality bookshops was asked to choose the best European novels in Dutch translation published in the past year. The prize is worth €10,000 to the author of the winning book and €5,000 to the translator.

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Translation Prize for Martin de Haan

19 November 2013 - Press releases and Translators

This year’s Translation Prize of the Dutch Foundation for Literature will be awarded to Martin de Haan, literary translator from French to Dutch. The Prize, in recognition of his entire body of work as a translator will be awarded on Friday 13 December in Amsterdam.

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Vondel Translation Prize to David Colmer

2 October 2013 - Press releases, Translators and Awards

The Vondel Translation Prize 2013 has been awarded to David Colmer for The Misfortunates, his translation into English of De helaasheid der dingen by Dimitri Verhulst. The jury was made up of British critic Paul Binding (Times Literary Supplement) and translators Sam Garrett and Paul Vincent.

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German enthusiasm for Het Bureau

A good reception for Voskuil

14 September 2012 - Translators

Following years of effort by translator Gerd Busse, the first volume of Het Bureau has recently been published in German by C.H. Beck. This event has not gone unnoticed. The first discussions of the book have already appeared in Germany, and it seems to have been well received not only by the media, but also by readers.

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Death of Francisco Carrasquer Launed

16 August 2012 - Translators

Poet, writer and translator Francisco Carrasquer Launed, winner of last year’s Brockway Prize for poetry translators, passed away on 7 August in the Spanish town of Tárrega.

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Translation Prizes 2010

Awards for Hans Driessen, Diego Puls and Mariolein Sabarte Belacortu

27 December 2010 - Translators, Awards and General

The Dutch Foundation for Literature’s Translation Prizes for the translator as cultural ambassador have been awarded to Hans Driessen (German into Dutch), Diego Puls (Dutch into Spanish) and Mariolein Sabarte Belacortu (Spanish into Dutch). The prizes were presented on Friday 10 December during the annual Literaire Vertaaldagen in Utrecht.

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