In this episode, Clayton McKee speaks with Jane Sautière about her novel, Corps Flottants. They discuss Sautière’s childhood in Iran and Cambodia, and they focus on how memory functions in our lives and storytelling. Sautière explains her choice of “floaters” as a metaphor as well as a prime example as to how memory functions in relation to traumatic experiences. Please like, comment, and share this podcast to help us find a larger audience. If you're financially able, you can contribute to our Patreon, our GoFundMe, or make a one-time donation by emailing trafikaeurope@gmail.com. Thanks for l ..read more

In this episode, Clayton McKee speaks with translator of French Emilie Moorhouse and City Lights editor Garrett Caples about a newly released bilingual collection of Joyce Mansour’s poetry. They discuss publishing decisions and the research that went into this publication. They also reveal the sensitivity that they took in making decisions related to word choice and politics between Mansour’s life and today. Please like, comment, and share this podcast to help us find a larger audience. If you're financially able, you can contribute to our Patreon, our GoFundMe, or make a one-time donation by ..read more

Host Kate Williams speaks with author Beata Umubyeyi Mairesse about her novel, All Your Children, Scattered, translated by Alison Anderson, just out from Europa Editions. Beata tells Kate about the inspiration behind the book and discusses some main themes, such as family, belonging, and female relationships. Beata Umubyeyi Mairesse was born in Butare, Rwanda in 1979. Surviving the genocide against the Tutsis, she moved to France in 1994 to study political science and work for humanitarian causes. This book has won the Prix Éthiophile, the Prix des Racines et des Mots, and the Prix d ..read more

Host Kate Williams speaks with French author Estelle-Sarah Bulle and her translator Julia Grawemeyer, about the debut novel, Where Dogs Bark With their Tails, out now from Farrar, Straus and Giroux. They discuss the inspiration behind the book and some of its core themes, as well as the translation process itself. (Author photo credit: Patrice Normand/Leextra) “Where Dogs Bark with Their Tails is a gorgeously written, enchanting meditation on the history, beauty, and resilience of an unforgettable family from Guadeloupe. Estelle-Sarah Bulle forcefully demonstrates that storytelling can lo ..read more

French author Victor Jestin and translator Sam Taylor discuss with host Kate Williams the novel Heatwave, published by Simon and Schuster. They talk about the inspiration behind the novel and its themes, as well as the translation process itself. "[Heatwave] is a searingly vivid novel that depicts the torments of adolescence in a sensual, carnal way. But it is also a profound meditation on the mystery of evil, our deadly urges, and the savagery that lies deep within each of us. I loved the writing, which is spare but highly evocative, and I admired the way that the author used the enclosed wor ..read more

Host Clay McKee talks with French author Sandrine Collette about her novel, The Forests, winner of the Grand Prix RTL-Lire (out now from Europa Editions, in English translation by Alison Anderson). They discuss the importance of nature in her writing and how it relates to wider ecological issues in the world. This interview was conducted in French, translated by the host, and dubbed in English by Sabrina Kennelly.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information ..read more

Host Clay McKee speaks with French author Pierre Senges and translators Jacob Siefring and Tegan Raleigh about their work on Ahab (Sequels), a 612-page text (out now in English from Contra Mundum Press) exploring Captain Ahab’s life on land. In addition to hearing a bit about Ahab’s struggles trying to sell his story about Moby Dick, the guests share their experiences with this Ahabian feat. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information ..read more

Host Maddie Rogers speaks with French author Angélique Villeneuve and translator Adriana Hunter, about the novel, Winter Flowers (out from Peirene Press). “An astonishing, compelling, slow-burn of a novel – full of understated power and devastating insight” (William Boyd), this intimate exploration takes place as World War 1 is drawing to a close. This conversation first aired by Peirene Press as a part of Gŵyl Haf’s International Translation Day Festival, October 2021. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information ..read more

Renowned translator from Polish and French, Bill Johnston, discusses with host Clayton McKee his translation of Jean Giono's Ennemonde. He describes his translation process, nuances of translating Polish and French, and how he became such a fan of Giono's work. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information ..read more

Host Asmaâ Bouzid interviews poet, novelist, and literary translator Souad Labbize. Souad was born in Algeria and lived in Tunisia and Germany before settling in France. Asmaâ asks her about her original and translated literary work, focusing on her latest poetry collection, Je franchis les barbelés (Éditions Bruno Doucey, 2019). Souad explains her literary inspirations and reads poems from the text. This interview was broadcast originally in French language on CKCU-FM 93.1 Literary News. We are here presenting it fully bilingually, translated by Clayton McKee, voiced by Sabrina ..read more