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Mandana Chaffa | Translation Today: Criticism, Awards, and the Contemporary Literary Landscape

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Lecture Humanities

Tue, Oct 27, 2026

12 PM – 1:20 PM EDT (GMT-4)

Louis A. Simpson International Building, Room 144

Princeton, NJ 08544, United States

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Stacks of books in a doorway. Flyer for Mandana Chaffa vertical bar Translation Today: Criticism, Awards, and the Contemporary Literary Landscape
During this conversation, we’ll discuss the critical landscape for books in translation, as well as the overall awards environment. How can we compare different genres? What goes into judging both a text and the translation as a unit? How important are awards for the success of a book in translation? We will also address the ways in which the translator and author can maximize the reception of their work, and extend interest beyond the initial publishing date. And finally, we'll talk about the importance of translators developing a critical practice: in order to expand the readership of transnational literature, support other translators and writers, and ultimately, ensure that works in translation are acknowledged as a vital part of the contemporary literary conversation.

Photo Credit: Celine Ylmz on Unsplash

Where

Louis A. Simpson International Building, Room 144

Princeton, NJ 08544, United States

Speakers

Mandana Chaffa's profile photo

Mandana Chaffa

Chair

Barrios Book inTranslation Prize, National Book Critics Circle

Mandana Chaffa is a writer, editor and critic whose work has appeared in a variety of publications and venues. She is an editor-at-large at Chicago Review of Books and founder and editor of Nowruz Journal, a periodical of Persian arts and letters which was a finalist for best magazine debut from the Community of Literary Magazines and Presses. She serves on the boards of Brooklyn Poets, where she is Treasurer; the National Book Critics Circle where she is chair of the Barrios Book in Translation Prize and co-vice president of Membership; and is also the president of the board of The Flow Chart Foundation, celebrating the work and legacy of John Ashbery. Born in Tehran, Iran, she lives in New York.

Hosted By

Program in Translation and Intercultural Communications | View More Events
Co-hosted with: Princeton Institute for International & Regional Studies