Honoring the best English translation of a work written originally in the Spanish language
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The Queen Sofía Spanish Institute (QSSI) announces the shortlist for the 2022 Queen Sofía Spanish Institute Translation Prize, a prize honoring the best English translation of a work written originally in the Spanish language. The six shortlist texts were selected by a distinguished Reading Committee comprised of experts in translation: Heather Cleary; Isabel Gómez, Chair; and Sophie Hughes, Winner of 2021 Translation Prize.
Among the finalists are works written by renowned authors from across the Spanish-speaking world: Argentina, Uruguay, El Salvador, and Spain. Notably, César Aira was a finalist in The Man Booker International Prize 2015; Spain’s Dolores Redondo won the Planeta Prize 2016, the most valuable literary award in the world for an author or book; and this year, Claudia Piñeiro’s novel Elena Knows was shortlisted for the International Booker Prize. Though these authors have found international acclaim, particularly in Spanish-speaking spheres, the QSSI is proud to highlight the literary fortitude of six exemplary English-language translations.
The 2022 QSSI Translation Prize Ceremony will take place on the evening of Tuesday, November 29th at Instituto Cervantes in New York City.
Shortlist:
- Byobu by Ida Vitale translated by Sean Manning
- Publisher: Charco Press
- The Divorce by César Aira translated by Chris Andrews
- Publisher: New Directions
- Elena Knows by Claudia Piñeiro translated by Frances Riddle
- Publisher: Charco Press
- Jaguars’ Tomb by Angélica Gorodischer translated by Amalia Gladhart
- Publisher: Vanderbilt University Press
- The North Face of the Heart by Dolores Redondo translated by Michael Meigs
- Publisher: Amazon Crossing
- Slash and Burn by Claudia Hernández translated by Julia Sanches
- Publisher: And Other Stories Publishing
About the Queen Sofía Spanish Institute Translation Prize:
With the aim of elevating awareness and engendering appreciation of Spanish-language literature in the United States, this $10,000 prize was created by the Cultural Committee and Board of Directors of the Queen Sofía Spanish Institute to honor the best English-language translation of a literary work written in Spanish. Formerly a triennial prize, it is now awarded yearly. The Reading Committee for the Queen Sofía Spanish Institute Translation Prize consists of a minimum of three scholars with expertise in Spanish and/or Latin American literature, translation, culture, and/or language. In 2010, the Reading Committee of the Inaugural Queen Sofía Spanish Institute Translation Prize unanimously recommended Edith Grossman to receive the award for her extraordinary translation of Antonio Muñoz Molina’s A Manuscript of Ashes.
