No, not the excellent game for the Sega Mega Drive, but the most excellent World Fantasy Con 2013, which was held this year in Brighton. I’ve been going to British Fantasy Con for years, but World Fantasy Con is its very big sister, with over a thousand writers, agents, publishers and, of course, translators from all over the world, including big names such as Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett, Susan Cooper, Joanne Harris and Joe Hill. It’s been such a whirl and great fun to see old friends and meet people from Twitter and Facebook in person. My highlights include Patrick Rothfuss’s booming reading of his story “How Old Holly Came to Be” and Rob Shearman’s awe-inspiring happy dance. The low point was perhaps a translation panel called “Lost in Translation” (sheesh, tired cliché) consisting of six white males, which was quite an achievement, considering the number of female translators in every branch of the translation industry. Griping aside, however, it was a fantastic fantasy convention and I was grateful for the opportunity to present my translation of Tonke Dragt’s The Letter for the King (to be published on 14 November!) as part of the Reading Café’s programme. Thanks, everyone. See you next year in York!
In other news, The Letter for the King will be having parallel launch parties in Amsterdam and London on 23 November: one at the American Book Center in Amsterdam, and the other at London’s Inner Temple. I’ll be in Amsterdam and there’s going to be a fun programme in London too. If you can make it along to the ABC, it’d be great to see you!
Great to hear about the con! Congratulations on the new translation book release! Yayy!
Thanks, Kirsten! 🙂
Hoera! Another translation by the amazing wordsmith Laura Watkinson! Tonke Dragt is one of my favorite writers. Will you be translation ‘De torens van februari’, too? That’s my personal Tonke Dragt top pick.
November 23 is in my calendar. See you at the ABC!
Thanks so much, Mina. I’m really hoping that this will be the beginning of a long list of English translations for Tonke Dragt. Her books deserve it! See you soon.