Page 10 - SKR-annual-report-2022-EN

10 THE CULTURAL FOUNDATION’S YEAR

TRANSLATIONS OF LITERARY

LANDMARKS

The Finnish Cultural Foundation has created new forms of funding to
support the translation of world literature and drama into Finnish.

L ess and less high-quality contemporary The translations facilitated by the funding
literature from around the world is include a retranslation of the Belarusian author
published in Finnish. Relatively many Svetlana Alexievich’s novel Cinkovye malchiki
translations are made of English- (Zinky Boys). Nobel laureate Alexievich is one of
language works but very few translations of the leading lights of the opposition movement in
works in other languages. The same applies to Belarus, who is currently exiled in Berlin.
the world of drama. Hardly any recent dramatic
works from continental Europe or elsewhere in Also receiving the funding is the Finnish
the world are performed in Finnish theatres. translation of La Malnata by the Italian author
Beatrice Salvioni, which is scheduled to appear
During 2022, the Foundation awarded its in the spring of 2023 at the same time as the
first grants to publishers for translating high- Italian original. Lovers of French literature will
quality world literature and kicked off the World be able to enjoy Emmanuel Carrère’s novel
on Stage grants, which aim at having thirty Yoga and Prix Goncourt winner Hervé Le
interesting plays of our time translated and Tellier’s L’Anomalie in Finnish by spring 2023.
performed in Finland. The total to be awarded
in grants for these purposes in the next couple “The objective of the Translating World
of years will exceed EUR 2 million. Literature grants is to allow the Finnish culture-
loving public more opportunities to access high-
The first Translating World Literature quality world literature in their mother tongue,”
grants were awarded in May 2022. The grants explains Juhana Lassila, Director of Grants
provide funding amounting to EUR 102,000 for and Cultural Affairs at the Foundation.
a total of 14 works of literature.
“In future application rounds, we would
The aim of this grant is to allow publishers to be interested in receiving more applications
commission and publish Finnish translations of related to contemporary African and Asian
contemporary masterpieces of world literature. works, among others. Many fine works by Nobel
The works to be translated may consist of prose, laureates and other older writings by classic
poetry or essays directed at adult readers.

Nearly fifty applications were received from
more than 20 publishing houses.

“We were pleasantly surprised by the
number of applications and by the fact that,
geographically, the works reached across the
world from South America to Japan,” says
author Karo Hämäläinen, a member of the
Cultural Foundation’s Board of Trustees.