Lit&Lunch: Translating a Latin American Literary Superstar

Join us for the first event of our 2009-10 season! Natasha Wimmer became a familiar name in the world of literature when she translated Roberto Bolaño’s two biggest novels, The Savage Detectives and 2666. Both books have enjoyed the kind of strong sales and widespread popularity that most translations can only dream of, with 2666 picking up the National Book Critics Circle Award for Best Novel of 2008 (the first translation in 7 years to do so).

Wimmer will read and discuss her translations of an author many are calling the biggest superstar to come out of Latin America since Gabriel García Márquez. She’ll also read never-before-published excerpts from Bolaño works she is currently translating for New Directions. She’ll discuss the challenges of bringing this unique author into English, and explain what makes Bolaño so great.