In the first edition of the open call for the translations of books, FLAD chose five literary works proposed by publishing companies to support their translation. Among them is the English translation of the book ‘A Doença, o Sofrimento e a Morte Entram num Bar – Uma espécie de manual de escrita humorística’, by Ricardo Araújo Pereira, and to Portuguese two books by Louise Glück, winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature of 2020.

FLAD held in December the first edition of its open call for the translation of books. This program aims to support Portuguese publishing companies, at a difficult time for this sector, to help enable works by American authors that wouldn’t otherwise reach Portuguese bookstores and to promote Portuguese authors in the United States.

In this first edition, FLAD chose five books to support its translation. One of the proposals supported will be the translation of a book by Ricardo Araújo Pereira into English, at the request of the San Diego State University Press. The remaining four are requested by Portuguese publishing companies, for the translation of books by North-American authors into Portuguese.

“With this open call, we want Portugal and the United States to be closer together through books. We want to help bring Portuguese books to the US and promote national culture and thinking. From fiction to an essay, through poetry and short stories, we had a good first edition that will continue with two editions a year. We’re excited to see what the next editions will bring us.” – Rita Faden, president of FLAD.

See down below the works whose translation FLAD decided to support in the first edition of this open call. The next edition takes place between the 1st and 31st of May.

Selected books

 

 

Book: A Doença, o Sofrimento e a Morte Entram num Bar – Uma espécie de manual de escrita humorística
Author: Ricardo Araújo Pereira
Publishing company: Tinta da China, 2016
Request: San Diego State University Press

Summary: What makes Ricardo Araújo Pereira the greatest Portuguese comedian? You don’t have to wait any longer to know (and learn) what RAP has to say about comedy writing. We could make a joke about the importance of this book, but it’s best to read it. What we call comedy, or a sense of humor, is actually a special way of looking at things and thinking about them. It is rare, not because it is a gift offered only to some elected members of society, but because that way of looking and reasoning is very different (sometimes the opposite) from the conventional. This book seeks to identify and discuss some characteristics of this way of perceiving and thinking.

 

 

Book: The Vanishing Half
Author: Brit Bennet
Publishing company: Riverhead Books, New York, 2020
Request: Penguin Random House

Summary: From the author of the bestseller The Mothers, this novel is about two twin sisters, inseparable when they were children, but who chose to live in two completely different worlds. This novel depicts an exciting family story of two sisters, who choose to live in completely different ways, one hiding their past and racial identity, the other ending up living precisely in the community from which they had chosen to flee ten years earlier. The Vanishing Half goes far beyond racial issues, exploring how the past influences a person’s decisions, desires, expectations and how people feel forced to live in realities contrary to their origins.

 

 

Book: Meadowlands
Author: Louise Glück
Publishing company: The Ecco Press, 1997
Request: Relógio D’Água Editores

Summary: In this collection, the poet winner of the 2020 Nobel Prize in Literature and a Pulitzer Prize, interweaves the dissolution of a contemporary marriage with the story of Homer’s Odyssey, in an exploration of timeless themes such as the endless negotiation of family life and the cruelty that intimacy allows, as well as the concept of “nostos”, the homecoming.

 

 

Book: Vita Nova
Author: Louise Glück
Publishing company: The Ecco Press, 1999
Request: Relógio D’Água Editores

Summary: In Vita Nova, Louise Glück winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature presents a collection on ends and beginnings, about the end of a relationship and the beginning of a new life. A book on resignation and hope, where Louise Glück explores an act of perspective that brings into resolution the smallest human hope and the vast forces that shape and thwart it.

(Book cover to be defined)

Book: Susan Glaspell: Um júri que fosse dela e outros contos
Author: Susan Glaspell
Publishing company: Several
Request: U. Porto Press

Summary: Novelist, storyteller and playwright Susan Glaspell is widely recognized in the United States, having received, among others, the prestigious Pulitzer Prize. A political activist and feminist, co-founder of the first modern American theater company, Provincetown Players, Glaspell would explore in her vast work the themes of discrimination based on class or gender. “A Jury of her Peers”, published in 1917 (adaptation of her play Trifles, from 1916, considered as one of the greatest American plays), it is one of her best-known tales, still taught today in English-speaking schools and universities. This translation will constitute in a collection of six short stories by the author: “His smile“; “The Anarchist: His Dog“; “At Twilight“; “From A to Z“; “One of Those Impossible Americans“ – and her famous “A Jury of Her Peers”.

Upcoming editions

This year, the open call will have two more editions. The first will take place from the 1st to 31st of May, and the second, from 1st to 31st of October. FLAD’s decision will be announced by the last day of the month following the closing of each edition of the open call.

If you have questions or need more information, please contact us at fladport@flad.pt.

See you soon!