Fiction
A Translator Walks into a Bar with Jessica Cohen
This event has already taken place.
Translator Jessica Cohen will discuss the joys and challenges of rendering the work of some of the finest Israeli writers into English. She will focus especially on David Grossman’s Man Booker International Prize-winning A Horse Walks into a Bar, which employs humor (often of the dark variety) more to unsettle than to entertain. Translators are bridge-builders between different languages and cultures, and the bridge between Hebrew and English can be particularly difficult. Cohen will consider different ways of contextualizing Israeli cultural references for English-language readers, and the particular difficulties posed by jokes and humor.
Free admission with free garage parking on Pierce Street between Ellis and Eddy streets.
Co-presented with the Jewish Community Library and the Consulate General of Israel.
This event is supported in part by grants from the San Francisco Arts Commission and from San Francisco Grants for the Arts.
Translator
Jessica Cohen
Jessica Cohen was born in England, raised in Israel, and lives in Denver. She translates contemporary Israeli prose, poetry, and other creative work. She shared the 2017 Man Booker International Prize with David Grossman, for her translation of A Horse Walks into a Bar, and has translated major Israeli writers including Amos Oz, Etgar Keret, Ronit Matalon, and Nir Baram.