Winnaar Peirene Stevns Prize bekend

De prijs is drieledig. Anne Thompson Melo mag aan de slag met de Engelse vertaling van de roman Zee Nu van Eva Meijer. Tijdens het vertalen zal ze worden gementoreerd door Michele Hutchison. Naast de vertaling en het mentoraat krijgt Anne Thompson Melo de kans om op vertalersresidentie te gaan in de Franse Pyreneeën.

De tekst gaat verder in het Engels. Bron: Peirene Stevns Prize 2024 - Peirene Press

The judges

The judges of the Peirene Stevns Prize 2024 were Michele Hutchison, Haico Kaashoek (literary agent and translator), Paul Vincent (translator and academic) and editor in chief at Two Lines Press, CJ Evans.

Michele Hutchison

Peirene Stevns mentor and International Booker Prize-winning translator

Michele Hutchison was born in the UK and has lived in Amsterdam since 2004. She was educated at UEA, Cambridge, and Lyon universities. She translates literary fiction and nonfiction, poetry, graphic novels, and children’s books. Recent translations include works by Ilja Leonard Pfeijffer, Raoul Deleo, Octavie Wolters, Gerda Blees, and Marieke Lucas Rijneveld, with whom she shared the 2020 International Booker Prize for The Discomfort of Evening. She is also co-author of the successful parenting book The Happiest Kids in the World.

Haico Kaashoek

Literary translator and agent for Sebes & Bisseling UK

Haico Kaashoek is a literary translator from Dutch and a literary agent for Sebes & Bisseling’s new English-language branch in the UK. He also regularly works with the Dutch Foundation for Literature to promote Dutch nonfiction abroad. Previously, he worked in foreign rights for the Dutch publishing house De Bezige Bij. Born in the Netherlands and raised in California, he studied English, Philosophy and Comparative Literature in Los Angeles and Amsterdam. He now lives in London.

Paul Vincent

Literary translator and academic

Paul Vincent studied at Cambridge and Amsterdam, and after teaching Dutch at the University of London for over twenty years became a full time translator in 1989. Since then he has published a wide variety of translated poetry, non-fiction and fiction, including work by Achterberg, Claus, Couperus, Elsschot, Jellema, Mulisch, De Moor and Van den Brink. He is a member of the society of Dutch Literature in Leiden, and has won the Reid Prize for poetry translation, the Vondel Prize for Dutch-English translation and (jointly) the Oxford-Weidenfeld Prize.

CJ Evans

Editor in chief, Two Lines Press

CJ Evans is the editor in chief of Two Lines Press, a leading U.S. publisher of international literature in translation. For Two Lines, he has edited books such as Christina MacSweeney’s translation of Jazmina Barrera’s Linea Nigra, which was a finalist for National Book Critics Circle Awards in both Translation and Nonfiction, Denise Newman’s translation of Naja Marie Aidt’s Baboon, which won the PEN Translation Prize, and, recently, National Book Award finalist On a Woman’s Madness, by the Dutch-Surinamese author Astrid Roemer, translated by Lucy Scott. Prior to editing at Two Lines, CJ worked at Tin House Magazine and for the Academy of American Poets. He is also the author of three poetry collections, including Lives, which was selected by Victoria Chang for the Kathryn A. Morton Prize and published by Sarabande Books.

The prize

The Mentorship

This year’s winner will work with Michele Hutchison, acclaimed translator from Dutch and co-winner of the 2020 International Booker Prize. Michele will offer the winning translator feedback and advice throughout the translation process, and support them as they embark on their first full length literary translation. 

The Retreat

An 18th century mill house in the foothills of the French Pyrenees. The house comfortably sleeps 5/6 and comes fully equipped, including a large garden with a natural swimming pond. The closest village is a 10 minute walk from the retreat. Stay at the retreat is free and covered by the Peirene Stevns Translation Prize; expenses and travel during the retreat are not covered. 

The Book

The winning translator will receive a £5,200 commission to translate Zee Nu by Eva Meijer (Uitgeverij Cossee, 2022), to be published by Peirene Press (UK) and Two Lines Press (US) in 2025 . The Netherlands is flooding: the Prime Minister holds a daily press conference, the Ministry of Defence sends soldiers to the dykes, scientists flock from far and wide, conspiracy theorists shout for Action! on Twitter, while the discount retailer ACTION advertises a ‘One-off Opportunity’ for four life jackets for the price of three. Meanwhile, the sea is gaining a kilometre of land every day and there is nothing left to do but evacuate. Zee Nu follows climate activist Arie, school student Willow, and oceanographer Paula van der Steen on a voyage across the new sea, as the water fundamentally changes their view of the world. Eva Meijer is a prizewinning Dutch writer, artist, singer, songwriter and philosopher. She is the author of fifteen books, and her work has been translated into over twenty languages.

The Funders

Generously Endowed by Martha Stevns

Martha Stevns grew up in the Swiss-German speaking part of Switzerland and studied German Literature and Linguistics. Her love of literature has always stayed with her, and reading in German, French and English has been and still is one of her great pleasures. Peirene’s aim of bringing literature from different cultures and languages to the English speaking world through translations of high quality writing fits right into Martha’s philosophy of appreciating and sharing the richness of different cultures.

Involvement and support of the arts has long been a part of Martha’s life: Martha worked as an editor at the Swiss art magazine, DU, as well as running her own contemporary art gallery in the UK. In addition, Martha’s late husband founded the Australian Vogels Literary Award together with the Australian newspaper and the publisher Unwin Australia for an unpublished manuscript by young Australian writers. With the Peirene Stevns Translation Prize Martha, together with Peirene, wants to support young translators and hopes it will help the breaking down of linguistic (and other) barriers. Martha moved to the UK in 1985 and now lives in Cambridge.

With support from The Dutch Foundation for Literature and the Centre of Expertise for Literary Translation (ELV)