In Translation: Astrid Roemer and Vigdis Hjorth on Mothers
Vigdis Hjorth and Astrid Roemer, icons of Norwegian and Dutch-language literature, join The Center for Fiction for a discussion of their groundbreaking novels.
In Hjorth’s If Only(opens in a new tab), translated by Charlotte Barslund, a thirty-year old married woman with two children writes in her diary on a frosty January day that she is waiting for the heartbreak that will turn her into her true self—and so opens a gripping story of yearning and inner turmoil. The novel asks: can passion be mistaken for love?
Roemer’s Off-White(opens in a new tab), translated by Lucy Scott and David McKay, chronicles the life of Grandma Bee, the proud matriarch of the Vanta family, which has an intricate mix of different heritages—Creole, Maroon, Indian, Indigenous, Jewish and more—reflecting the complex history of Suriname. Set in 1966, the novel follows Grandma Bee at the end of her life as she reflects on the family she has lost, including a granddaughter who was sent away to the Netherlands after an affair with her white teacher.
Writer and literary curator Anderson Tepper will moderate a rich discussion on language, family, and the aftermath of colonialism. After the conversation, Hjorth and Roemer will sign books.
In 1966, at the age of 19, Astrid Roemer emigrated from Suriname to the Netherlands. She identifies herself as a cosmopolitan writer. Exploring themes of race, gender, family, and identity, her poetic, unconventional prose stands in the tradition of authors such as Toni Morrison and Alice Walker. She was awarded the P.C. Hooft Award in 2016, and the three-yearly Dutch Literature Prize (Prijs der Nederlandse Letteren) in 2021. On a Woman’s Madness, her English-language debut in Lucy Scott’s translation, was shortlisted for the National Book Award for Translated Literature. Her novel DealersDochter (2023) was nominated for the Boon Literature Prize, a prestigious literary award given annually to the best book originally written in Dutch.
Anderson Tepper is curator of world literature at City of Asylum in Pittsburgh and a member of the international committee of the Brooklyn Book Festival. Formerly of Vanity Fair, he writes regularly on books and authors for a variety of publications, including The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, and World Literature Today.