Honoring the best English translation of a work written originally in the Spanish language
2023 Queen Sofía Spanish Institute Translation Prize Ceremony
Tuesday, November 14th | 7:00 pm
NYU KJCC, 53 Washington Square S, New York, NY
The Queen Sofía Spanish Institute (QSSI) announces the shortlist for the 2023 Queen Sofía Spanish Institute Translation Prize, a $10,000 prize honoring the best English translation of a work written originally in the Spanish language.
The four shortlist texts were selected by a distinguished Reading Committee comprised of experts in translation: committee chair and translator Sophie Hughes; professor at Sarah Lawrence College and translator Heather Cleary; and Amalia Gladhart, Professor at the University of Oregon Winner of 2022 Translation Prize. This jury is guided by author Carmen Posadas member of the Institute’s Cultural Advisory Committee in the field of literature.
The winner will be announced on Tuesday, November 14th at the 2023 Queen Sofía Spanish Institute Translation Prize Award Ceremony, scheduled for 7:00 pm at the King Juan Carlos I Center at New York University. This event will feature distinguished guest speakers, including the renowned writer Juan Gabriel Vásquez, as part of the QSSI partnership with Penguin Random House Grupo Editorial, and Samantha Schnee, Founding Editor and Board Chair of Words Without Borders.
Among the finalists are English translations of works penned by renowned authors from across the Spain and Latin America, whose impact on literature is internationally celebrated: Diamlea Eltit, Lara Moreno, Marvel Moreno, and Irene Vallejo.
2023 Translation Prize Shortlist
- December Breeze by Marvel Moreno, Translated by Isabel Adey & Charlotte Coombe, Published by Europa Editions
- Never Did the Fire by Diamela Eltit, Translated by Daniel Hahn, Published by Charco Press
- Papyrus: The Invention of Books in the Ancient World by Irene Vallejo, Translated by Charlotte Whittle, Published by Knopf
- Wolfskin by Lara Moreno, Translated by Katie Whittemore, Published by Open Letter Books
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.
