University Presses and Fiction in Translation

Earlier this morning, Three Percent listed the finalists for the best translated books of 2008 for fiction and poetry. In the past year or so, Three Percent has established itself as one of the premier sites for reviews, news, and opinion about international fiction, translation, as well as the business of publishing.

In addition to their shortlist, Three Percent also has a post on the Best Translated books published by university presses. The post mentions some of the excellent translations being published by Syracuse University Press, University of Nebraska Press, and Northwestern University Press but holds out special praise for Columbia’s list in Asian fiction:

At the top of the list has to be Columbia University Press. There’s no other university press in the country doing as many interesting Asian works in translation as Columbia. (Not to mention the fact that their books are handsomely designed, and paperback editions of several — such as I Love Dollars — have been picked up by very prestigious presses, like Penguin.)

The two big books that came out this year as part of the Weatherhead Books on Asia series (both of which could’ve easily made our longlist) are Wang Anyi’s The Song of Everlasting Sorrow and Ch’oe Yun’s There a Petal Silently Falls.