Writer/Translator: Agnieszka Szpila and Scotia Gilroy discuss Hexes of the Deadwood Forest

Writer/Translator: Agnieszka Szpila and Scotia Gilroy discuss Hexes of the Deadwood Forest

Hexes of the Deadwood Forest, the debut novel from Polish writer Agnieszka Szpila, was translated into English from Polish by Scotia Gilroy. The novel has been called “a torpedo of a book” by Olga Tokarczuk and follows a disgraced oil executive whose public scandal fractures her identity, sending her spiraling across time and consciousness until she is absorbed into a radical, centuries-old sisterhood of women whose ecstatic rebellion against patriarchy builds toward a violent and transformative reckoning.

In our latest interview series, “Writer/Translator,” we ask a writer and their translator to interview each other about their work. Below, Szpila and Gilroy discuss the origins and inspirations behind the novel, the role of sexuality and political/ecological themes, and the process of translation as a creative, transformative act.

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Writer/Translator: Simón López Trujillo and Robin Myers discuss Pedro the Vast

Writer/Translator: Simón López Trujillo and Robin Myers discuss Pedro the Vast

Pedro the Vast, the debut novel from Chilean writer Simón López Trujillo, was translated into English from Spanish by Robin Myers. The novel has been called “mind-blowing” by Gabriela Cabezón Cámara and follows a eucalyptus farm worker who survives a deadly fungal outbreak and becomes the focus of scientific obsession and religious fervor, while his abandoned children struggle to interpret his transformation as their separate reckonings collide in an unforgettable, catastrophic end.

In our latest interview series, “Writer/Translator,” we ask a writer and their translator to interview each other about their work. Below, Trujillo and Myers discuss rewriting, intertextuality, and the role of politics in translation.

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See the cover for Woodwind Harmony in the Nighttime by Reza Ghassemi

See the cover for Woodwind Harmony in the Nighttime by Reza Ghassemi

Reza Ghassemi’s debut novel, Woodwind Harmony in the Nighttime, was first published in 1996 and went on to win several literary awards in its original Persian. Now, Deep Vellum is publishing it in English for the first time. Michelle Quay, who co-edited Routledge Handbook of Persian Literary Translation, was tasked with translating the novel from Persian.

Coming out on March 17, 2026, the book is about an Iranian exile in 1990s Paris whose live unravels into a surreal mystery. The book is now available for pre-order.

Debutiful is honored to reveal the cover, designed by Elisha Zepeda, along with a Q&A with Michelle Quay about how the American cover of this Persian classic came to be.

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Meet 6 writers from The Common’s Festival of Debut Authors

Meet 6 writers from The Common’s Festival of Debut Authors

On Wednesday, March 27th, The Common will host a virtual celebration that highlights emerging talents during their 2024 Festival of Debut Authors. You can learn more about the festival and register for the event here.

Debutiful caught up with five of the writers appearing at the virtual event so readers could get to know them a little better. Enjoy this round table with the emerging poets, prose writers, and translators who are ready to make their mark on the literary world.

Participating in the roundtable is:

  • Felice Belle (author of the debut poetry collection Viscera)
  • Amika Elfendi (writer, artist, and translator)
  • Jordan Escobar (author of the chapbook Men With the Throats of Birds)
  • Irina Hrinoschi (writer, filmmaker, poet and translator working in English, German and Romanian)
  • Nina Perrotta (translator of Clara Alves’s London on My Mind)
  • Shanna Tan (translator of Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-reum)

You can learn more about each author by clicking their names, which will take you to their websites.

Register for the March 27th virtual event, which starts at 7pm ET, here!

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Kira Josefsson discusses translating Hanna Johansson’s Antiquity

Kira Josefsson discusses translating Hanna Johansson’s Antiquity

Kira Josefsson is a translator who works between English and Swedish. Originally from Sweden, she has lived in Finland, France, and Canada before settling down in New York City. In addition to her translation work. Josefsson also serves on the editorial board for Glänta, a Swedish magazine that covers arts and politics.

Her most recent translation is Antiquity, the debut novel by Hanna Johansson published in the U.S. by Catapult. We caught up with Josefsson to learn about how she tackles translating novels, what interests her about politics, and what titles she’s working on next.

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Kit Maude on translating Aurora Venturini’s Cousins

Kit Maude on translating Aurora Venturini’s Cousins

Aurora Venturini’s posthumous English-language debut Cousins has been called a masterpiece that is morbid and darkly funny by The New York Times Book Review. Part of the reason is the beautiful translation done by Kit Maude. Maude is a translator based in Buenos Aires who has has translated dozens of writers from Spain and Latin America.

We caught us up with the translator to learn more about his process and what it was like translating Cousins.

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