Jen Calleja
@jencalleja
Wrote FAIR / GOBLINHOOD / VEHICLE / DUST SUCKER, translate German lit, publish Maltese lit at Praspar Press. Lecturer in Creative Writing, Goldsmiths & Tutor, Granta Writers’ Workshop. www.jencalleja.com
Signed off print proofs for 2 books yesterday ! The North American edition of my book FAIR: THE LIFE-ART OF TRANSLATION (3 Nov, Invisible Books) invisiblepublishing.com/product/fair/ My translation of Barbi Marković's story collection MINIHORROR (22 Oct, Faber) www.faber.co.uk/product/9780...
All last week I was teaching at the BCLT (British Centre for Literary Translation) Summer School for the fifth time (second time leading the German specialisation workshop, the previous years were with the UEA MA Literary Translation cohorts).
Next two dates of tour coming up! 🌞 Sat 11 July - West Cork Literary Festival with Caitríona Lally www.westcorkmusic.ie/literary-fes... Fri 17 July - Southbank Centre x Rough Trade Books with lots of amazing people (reading plus special surprise 👹) www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/an-...
I'm in an exhibition! With some friends! Opens this evening at Electro Studios in St Leonard's and is then on this weekend and Fri-Sun next weekend👃
Had a day off yesterday for the first time in months. Basque cheesecake was a dream, Hokum was a nightmare (I thought it was really bad). So nice to be away from my desk.
The lit bot grifters have progressed from flattery to negging. It's particularly hilarious if you write weird books - dude, you can't hurt me!
I'm in the latest @extrateethmag.bsky.social writing about the French translation of my book Goblinhood! I explore the miracle of small press & DIY publishing, literary translation, national cultures vs. subcultures, and footnotes...while using lots of footnotes 😈
My book Fair: The Life-Art of Translation is coming to North America! It will be out from Invisible Books this November.
Giving a talk and workshop this Thursday at UCL East around literary translation as a creative-critical practice. Sign up here: www.ucl.ac.uk/institute-of...:
I was honoured to be asked for a few words in support of two great and very different books about literary translation - Emily Wilson's essay collection Crossing the Wine-Dark Sea 🌊 and Polly Barton's novel What Am I, a Deer? 🦌 @profilebooks.bsky.social @fitzcarraldoeds.bsky.social
See you in... PARIS this Thursday BRUSSELS this Saturday ROTTERDAM this Sunday Launching the French translation of Goblinhood in Paris and Brussels, then a double launch of the original Goblinhood and Fair in conversation with Kate Briggs 🎪
In Paris/Brussels we'll be launching the French translation of Goblinhood, and in Rotterdam I'll be chatting with Kate Briggs about Goblinhood, Fair, and writing experimental memoirs.
World tour commences 🌍 After a few years of travelling up & down the UK, I'm going to be doing a lot of events abroad this year, starting this month... 23 April - PARIS, After 8 Books 25 April - BRUSSELS, rile* Books 26 April - ROTTERDAM, KIOSK Rotterdam with Kate Briggs
First sighting in the wild of Favorita at Waterstones Eastbourne! Plus loved this recent reader review !!
"I've been carrying this book around with me for about 6 months, basically since I finished my Master's degree in literary translation" Love this new reader review of Fair: The Life-Art of Translation 💙
New great review for Favorita in the Financial Times! www.ft.com/content/9758...
The news is out! I'm translating Swiss author Dorothee Elmiger's literally spectacular German Book Prize AND Swiss Book Prize-winning novel Die Holländerinnen. It will be out next year as The Dutch Women from Granta Books in the UK and FSG in the US. @grantabooks.bsky.social @fsgbooks.bsky.social
A Jen Calleja display at Tills Bookshop in Edinburgh 🤯 Books shown: Favorita by Michelle Steinbeck tr. me (Faber) The City and the World by Gregor Hens tr. me (Fitzcarraldo Editions) Fair: The Life-Art of Translation by me (Prototype) The Pine Islands by Marion Poschmann tr. me (Serpent's Tail)
FAVORITA by Michelle Steinbeck is out today in my translation from @faberbooks.bsky.social 💗 🚬 💅 🍰 "Part hallucinatory road trip, part feminist revenge fantasy." “an absolute joyride of a novel […] in a stunning and sure-to-be-prizewinning translation by Jen Calleja” - THE IRISH TIMES
"an absolute joyride of a novel […] in a stunning and sure-to-be-prizewinning translation by Jen Calleja." First review of dreams for FAVORITA by Michelle Steinbeck in The Irish Times! Out in 9 days! www.faber.co.uk/product/9780...
My novel Vehicle came out 3 years ago, and to mark this milestone, I'll be taking part in 2 events in London: 5 Feb - Soho Reading Series, launching Relegation Reader anthology (which contains an excerpt from Vehicle) 11 March - ICA, indie showcase www.ica.art/talks/new-ca...
Teaching my course Experimental Fiction again this Spring for @hastingswrites.bsky.social 🌞 www.hastingswritersworkshop.com/courses/p/ex...
My publishers watching over my desk: Jess, Robin, Nina (Prototype, Makina Books, Rough Trade Books) @prototypepubs.bsky.social @roughtradebooks.bsky.social
Thank you to bookshops/booksellers/presses for choosing FAIR as a Book of the Year 2025: Lala Books, Stoke Newington Bookshop, Veranda Books, Storysmith Books, Gloucester Road Books, Bookhaus Bookshop, Opt-Indie, Brick Lane Bookshop Press, In Other Words, Fitzcarraldo Editions, And Other Stories 💙