28^th Leukerbad International Literary Festival

Authors

Miriam Mandelkow

Germany

Born in Amsterdam in 1963, Miriam Mandelkow worked as an editor for several years after finishing her studies in English and American Literatures and Jewish Studies before turning to literary translation. Today she is considered one of the most versatile translators from English. Her translations span a broad spectrum of genres, from novels and short stories to essays. Her recent translations include works by authors such as David Vann, NoViolet Bulawayo, Pat Barker, and Anne Landsman.
Particularly excellent are her re-translations of James Baldwin’s works. For her translation of Go Tell it on the Mountain, she was awarded the Helmut-M.-Braem Translation Award. Her work is not only marked by her linguistic precision, but also by her profound understanding of the cultural and historical contexts of the works she has translated. She calls Baldwin a kind of schoolgirl’s crush who is responsible for her decision to study American Literature. She is a master at bringing the musicality of the original text into German.

Translations
James Baldwin. Von dieser Welt. dtv 2023
David Vann. Der barmherzige Samariter. Suhrkamp 2022
NoViolet Bulawayo. Wir brauchen neue Namen. C.H. Beck 2021

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