As Women in Translation Month draws to an end, Katie King – the translator of Marta Sanz’s My Clavicle – reflects on the significance of this annual celebration:

‘Women in Translation Month celebrates women writers from around the world, which includes the translators whose writing ensures these stories can be read across borders. Translators are often passionate advocates for their authors and can have a significant impact on which authors and stories are selected for publication in other languages. At a time when more men are translated than women, it’s important to raise up women’s voices in all languages.’ 

Here are Katie’s recommendations of books written and translated by women from various languages and cultures: 

My Clavicle: And Other Massive Misalignments by Marta Sanz, translated by Katie King (Akoya Publishing)

Translated by Katie herself, My Clavicle: And Other Massive Misalignments is Spanish author Marta Sanz’s first book to be translated into English. Provocative and vulnerable, this semi-autobiographical novel delves into pain, health anxiety and menopause as Marta questions: Is her body failing her or is she failing her body? 

Papyrus: The Invention of Books in the Ancient World by Irene Vallejo, translated by Charlotte Whittle (Hodder & Stoughton)

Brilliantly translated by Charlotte Whittle, the Spanish scholar Irene Vallejo explores the physical evolution of books – from the oral tradition to scrolls to codices – over time while also offering a sweeping account of how books helped to shape the foundations of Western society. An international bestseller, Papyrus celebrates the enduring power of the written word.

In Other Words by Jhumpa Lahiri, translated by Ann Goldstein (Bloomsbury)

Written in Italian – a language she fell in love with and later mastered – In Other Words is Jhumpa Lahiri’s deeply personal exploration of language, identity and belonging. Translated into English by Ann Goldstein, In Other Words documents the challenging courtship between a writer and a language, and meditates on exile, both linguistic and otherwise.

 

Look at Him by Anna Starobinets, translated by Katherine E. Young (Slavica Publisher) 

In her devastating memoir Look at Him, Anna Starobinets delves into the loss of her unborn son. Translated from the Russian by Katherine E. Young, this National Bestseller Prize finalist discusses the taboo issues in Russia of women's agency over their own bodies and the effect of abortion and miscarriage on family life.