Yves Raeber

Switzerland

Yves Raeber

Yves Raeber was born in 1965 in Zurich where he currently lives. He is an actor and director, and he translates theater plays and prose into German and French. Raeber studied acting with Jacques Lecoq in Paris then performed with the Théâtre Populaire Romand, the Théâtre de Vidy, the Stadttheater Bealse, the Staatstheater Stuttgard, and the Theater am Neumarkt Zurich. Early in his theater career, he began translating plays and a few years ago he began translating prose as well.

In 2019, he received a literary award from the city of Zurich for his translation of Philippe Rahmy’s novel Béton armé (Reinforced concrete). Raeber has stated in an interview that he considers translating literature to be especially challenging for an actor, since actors seek the limelight, whereas that is something translators should avoid. At the same time, he draws a close parallel between translating and developing a role: “You must take into account the whole context, emotional registers, and coloring. When you’re working on a role, there’s always an ‘Aha!’ moment. Then it comes alive, it’s embodied. […] I can’t do it any other way. When translating, I also want to get to the point at which I am as close to the text as I am to my characters when acting. The goal is to achieve this state; a vibration that lies between the two languages.


Sommernächte. Roman. Aus dem Französischen von Yves Raeber. Die Brotsuppe 2022

In Leukerbad, Yves Raeber will present his translation of Sommernächte (Summer Nights) with the novel’s author, Thomas Flahaut.
In collaboration with the CTL

Back...

28th Leukerbad International Literary Festival: 6.21.–23.2024