For Fall, 3 Novels Where Great Translations Make All The Difference
The author and translator Jennifer Croft recently wrote an op-ed setting out the reasons why translators should be named on book covers. I could not agree with Croft more; I agree so much, in fact, that reading the op-ed infuriated me, for the simple reason that Croft shouldn't have needed to write it at all.
From my vantage point as both a translator and a book critic who frequently reviews translated works, putting the translator's name on the cover is as vital — and as logical — as putting the writer's name there. I want to know whose words the book holds. Often, in fact, I choose to readstill . It showed me bits of the text I had missed in Spanish, while capturing the charmingly oddball Levrero spirit I love. Naturally, then, I rushed to read McDermott's newest Levrero translation. The moment I saw her name on the cover, I knew I was in good hands.
