38th Annual French-American Foundation Translation Prize

Finalists Just Announced

April 10, 2024

For Immediate Release

Media Contact: Jennifer Walden Weprin jwalden@frenchamerican.org

718-909-5271

New York, NY - The French-American Foundation U.S. announces the 38^th Annual Translation Prize Finalists. Since 1986, the French-American Foundation has awarded the Translation Prize for the best translation from French to English in both fiction and nonfiction, guiding these important works of French literature to the American market.

The 38^th Annual Translation Prize Finalists for works published in the 2024 calendar year are:

Fiction

• Ruth Diver for the translation of A History of the Big House, by Charif Majdalani (Other Press)
• Aqiil Gopee & Jeffrey Diteman for the translation of The Maroons, by Louis Timagène Houat (Restless Books)
• Lazer Lederhendler for the translation of The Hollow Beast, by Christophe Bernard (Biblioasis)
• Jordan Stump for the translation of About Uncle, by Rebecca Gisler (Two Lines Press)
• Jeffrey Zuckerman for the translation of Jellyfish Have No Ears, by Adèle Rosenfeld (Graywolf Press)

Non-Fiction

• Stéphanie Boulard & Timothy Lavenz for the translation of The Answer to Lord Chandos, by Pascal Quignard (Wakefield Press)
• Nicholas Elliott for the translation of A Life in Letters, by Simone Weil (The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press)
• John Lambert for the translation of V13: Chronicle of a Trial, by Emmanuel Carrère (Farrar, Straus & Giroux)
• Cory Stockwell for the translation of The City in the Distance, by Jean-Luc Nancy (Fordham University Press)
• Alison Strayer for the translation of The Use of Photography, by Annie Ernaux (Seven Stories Press)

A jury of distinguished translators and literary professionals evaluates the Translation Prize submissions each year for technical, stylistic and literary excellence. More than 75 literary works have been awarded the French-American Foundation’s Translation Prize since 1986. For nearly 40 years, this unique program supports literary translation by keeping it a relevant and valuable element of the intellectual and cultural exchange between France and the United States. Literary translations give voices to authors beyond their native languages, bridging cultures and expanding readership. The French-American Foundation’s Translation Prize is awarded to translators to recognize and celebrate their work.

“The French-American Foundation’s mission is to foster better communication and understanding between two great nations France and the U.S. The Translation Prize, generously supported by the Florence Gould Foundation, is a centerpiece in that mission,” said Ed Wallace, who chairs FAF U.S.

Photo credit: Fadi Kheir.

Winners of the 38^th Annual Translation Prize will be announced in May 2025 and celebrated at an Awards Ceremony in June in New York City. The Translation Prize, funded by the generous support of the Florence Gould Foundation, is one of the flagship programs of the French-American Foundation. 

Past Translation Prize Winners include:

• Angela Hunter and Rebecca Wilkin, for their co-translation of Work on Women by Louise Dupin (Oxford University Press)
• Christine Donougher, for her translation of Les Misérables by Victor Hugo (Penguin Random House)
• James Hogarth, for his translation of The Toilers of the Sea by Victor Hugo (Modern Library)
• Sandra Smith, for her translation of Suite Française by Irène Némirovsky (Alfred A. Knopf)
• Arthur Goldhammer, for his translations of The Ancien Régime and the French Revolution (Cambridge University Press) and Democracy in America by Alexandre de Tocqueville (The Library of America)
• Frederick Brown, for his translation of Letters from America by Alexandre de Tocqueville (Yale University Press)
• Lydia Davis, for her translation of Swann's Way by Marcel Proust (Viking Press) and Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert (Viking/Penguin Group)
• Linda Asher, for her translation of The Curtain by Milan Kundera (HarperCollins)

About the French-American Foundation U.S.

Established in 1976, the French-American Foundation (FAF) is the only organization dedicated solely to sustaining and strengthening the French-American relationship at the highest levels of leadership and connecting future leaders to this critical work. The French-American Foundation works in tandem with its sister organization in France. FAF produces nearly 400 hours of programming annually. Its flagship Young Leaders Program boasts nearly 700 alumni globally. In addition to the Translation Prize, FAF presents its annual Cyber Security Conference and Transatlantic Forum. FAF has begun its 50^th Anniversary Celebration which continues through 2026. This celebration will include new programs that also celebrate America’s 250^th anniversary. For more information about the French-American Foundation, visit frenchamerican.org.

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