Basque and Catalan are two languages that have suffered repression over the centuries in Southern Europe, most recently in almost forty years of a dictatorship that attempted to close down their public use. Their linguistic and cultural traditions are quite distinct and this panel will chart those differences and role of literary translation in helping restore confidence within the national Spanish context while re-establishing international visibility. This panel will explore experiences of rendering these literatures into English and getting the books into the hands of readers.

About the moderator:

Peter Bush is an award-winning translator who lives in Oxford. Among his recent translations are Josep Pla’s The Gray Notebook, which won the 2014 Ramon Llull Prize for Literary Translation, and Joan Sales's Uncertain Glory; Emili Teixidor’s Black Bread, and Prudenci Beltrana’s Josafat, among others.

About ALTA:

Each year, nearly 500 ALTA members, literary translators, writers, students, readers, teachers, publishers, and other professionals from all regions of the United States and abroad gather for a vibrant three days in continually changing venues across the country and, occasionally, in Canada and Mexico. For forty years, the ALTA conference has provided the only gathering dedicated exclusively to the work of literary translation.

41st Annual ALTA Conference Program

41st Annual ALTA Conference Agenda