Have you heard of Miroslav Krleža, Joan-Daniel Bezsonoff or Ibn Hazm? They’re some of the authors of outstanding works which, according to the participants in this round table, deserve to be translated and known by readers the world over. Foremost writers Hoda Barakat, Jordi Puntí and Alida Bremmer talk about the books and authors in their ideal library and that should also be in yours.
Every year, the European Society of Authors publishes a list of works of literature that have been overlooked or under-translated because they fall outside the canon, belong to less-known literary traditions in Europe or have had a chequered life in publishing. This selection is known as Finnegan’s List, based on the recommendations of renowned writers. The idea is simple: each author chooses three titles (fiction or non-fiction, contemporary or classic, prose or poetry) whose great quality deserves to rise above linguistic barriers to reach readers all over the world. Since 2013, Finnegan’s List has been part of Schwob, a Europe-wide initiative to translate and promote overlooked modern classics. Both projects aim to enable quality literature to travel through time and languages.
