Writers in Translation programme

How to apply to the programme

Writers in Translation is English PEN's newest programme. We award grants to support new books being published for the first time in English translation, and which have a clear link to the PEN charter.

There are two rounds of submissions per year. The deadline for the next call for submissions has now been set for Monday 1st March 2010. Books scheduled for publication in the second half of 2010 are eligible to apply in this round. Please fill in the application form (link below), and email it to us. Please post the supporting documents which cannot be emailed.



WiT Application Form



Conditions: Please read carefully

* Only titles which adhere to the PEN spirit of defending freedom of expression or promoting inter-cultural understanding will be considered. NB: Applicants will be asked to justify how the title adheres to PEN's aims, as set out in the PEN charter
* Titles should be published preferably within 18 months from receipt of application
* Samples sent to the programme MUST NOT exceed 6,000 words
* Responsibility for commissioning a sample translation for consideration by the programme lies with the publisher
* The translator of the sample MUST be the translator the publisher is going to use for the final published book
* The sample sent for consideration MUST be an edited version, even it is a work-in-progress
* The acknowledgement 'Recommended by English PEN' must be printed on the jacket of the work
* The acknowledgement 'This book has been selected to receive financial assistance from English PEN Writers in Translation programme supported by Bloomberg' must be printed on the introductory pages of every print run
* A short statement about the aims of English PEN must also be published on the prelims pages
* The name of the translator must be printed either on the front or back cover of the book
* Any press coverage/reviews of the book MUST mention the fact that the book is supported by English PEN's Writers in Translation programme
* 12 complimentary copies of the book must be sent to English PEN
* English PEN reserves the right to ask for additional information about the project.
* Please read carefully the submission criteria outlined in the application form.



Contact

For all queries, please contact philip@englishpen.org


Writers in Translation

Each year, Writers in Translation support between 6 and 8 books that are translated from a wide variety of foreign languages. Our aim is to celebrate books of outstanding literary value, dedication to free speech and intercultural understanding.


In November 2009, the Writers in Translation Committee chose to support 4 books which will be published in the first half of 2010:



Samuel Shimon (editor), Beirut 39: New Writing from the Arab World

A collection of the best new writing from the Arab world by 39 writers under 40, aiming, in conjunction with the Hay and Free the Word Festivals, to bring a new generation of writers to public attention



Atiq Rahimi, The Patience Stone

A young woman sits at her husband's bedside, twisting her worry beads, reciting prayers. Shot in the neck by a fellow soldier, he is in a coma. Alone and desperate for any sign of life from him, as her mind appears to unravel she also becomes intensely clear-sighted. Empowered by her husband's silence she steps out of the shadows of repression and begins an astonishing confessional.



Eli Amir, The Dove Flyer

A lyrical farewell to the city - and Jewish culture - that Eli Amir grew up in and loved, and which is now gone forever. A marvellous story, noble, dreamy and beautifully told, that brings alive the feel, the taste, the fears and the pleasures of the Jewish community of Baghdad.



Ngu~gi~ wa Thiong'o, Dreams in a Time of War

Through telling the story of his grandparents and parents and of his brothers' involvement on different sides of the violent Mau Mau uprising, Ngu~gi~ wa Thiong'o documents a momentous period in Kenyan history, etching a bygone era, capturing the landscape, the people and their culture, and the social and political vicissitudes of life under colonialism and war.