Encounters grants

Encounters grants for translations – results now available!

The grants competition for translations that supplements other activities of the Encounters program for a dialogue between Arabic and the languages of Eastern Europe, is now completed. We have recieved applications for co-funding the translation of 30 books and 3 journals’ publications from a total of 8 countries. East European publishers were visibly much more active and willing to translate from Arabic. Due to the surprisingly low interest on behalf of the Arab publishers towards the grants opportunity Next Page will reopen the call for Arab publishers only in July this year.

The program advisory committee took into account the literary quality of the texts but also the past track of the publishers and their capability to access reading audiences, the context of the recipient country and not least, the financial aspect of the applications. The surveys on “Translations from Arabic in Five East European Countries” undertaken earlier by Next Page were also very instrumental in the selection process.

Here is the final list of supported projects:

1. Naguib Mahfouz, Arabian Nights and Days to be translated into Albanian by Zenit Publishers

2. Elias Khoury, Little Mountain to be translated into Albanian by Zenit Publishers

3. Mohamed Choukri, For Bread Alone to be translated into Bulgarian by Panorama Publishers

4. Alaa Al Aswany, The Yacobian Building to be translated into Bulgarian by Prozoretz Publishers

5. Gamal al-Ghitani: Pyranmid Texts to be translated into Slovak by Baum Publishers

6. Naguib Mahfuiz: Dreams to be translated into Slovak by Drewo a srd Publishers

7. Translation and publication of 18 texts in the Arabic special issue of Apokalipsa Magazine - Slovenia

8. Abd ar-Rahman Munif, The Wilderness to be translated into Polish by Smak Słowa Publishers

9. Translation and publication of 17 texts in the Arabic special issue of Revue Svetovej Literatúry (World Literture Review) - Slovakia

Average grant size for this competition is 3000 US, with the largest grants being provided in Poland and Slovenia. Applications by Arab publishers will be considered in the next call for proposals that will be open for translations into Arabic only.