Fair: The Life-Art of Translation
Author(s): Jen Calleja
Fair: The Life-Art of Translation, is a satirical, refreshing and brilliantly playful book about learning the art of translation, being a bookworker in the publishing industry, growing up, family, and class. Loosely set in an imagined book fair/art fair/fun fair, in which every stall or ride imitates a real-world scenario or dilemma which must be observed and negotiated, the book moves between personal memories and larger questions about the role of the literary translator in publishing, about fairness and hard work, about the ways we define success, and what it means – and whether it is possible – to make a living as an artist. Fair is also interested in questions of upbringing, background, support, how different people function in the workplace, and the ways in which people are excluded or made invisible in different cultural and creative industries.It connects literary translation to its siblings in other creative arts to show how creative and subjective a practice it is while upholding the ethics and politics at play when we translate someone else’s work. Blurring the lines between memoir, autofiction, satire and polemic, Fair is a singularly inventive and illuminating book by one of the UK’s most original and admired writers and translators.
General Information
- :
- : Prototype Publishing
- : Prototype Publishing
- : 14 May 2025
- : books
Other Specifications
- : Jen Calleja
- : Paperback
- : English
More About The Product
‘With the singular brilliance, generosity and commitment to formal innovation that characterise her expansive body of work, Jen Calleja has gifted us a wholly indispensable fairground tour. Essential reading for anyone interested in translation, translations and the working conditions of those who write them.’ – Kate Briggs
‘Fair is both a unique exploration into the role of the translator and a profound meditation on language, nationality, and class. It’s also very funny. Reading it reminded me that a wealth of creativity lies within us all regardless of upbringing or (lack of) societal expectations. Truly inspiring work.’ – Susan Finlay
‘It is no mean feat to build a fair as inventive, as informative, as inclusive to everyone along the translation experience spectrum, and yes, I’ll say it, as goddamn FUN as this one, but Jen Calleja has gone and done it. Cue the cockroach confetti, cue the very-not-invisible fireworks, and roll up for the multilingual rollercoaster ride of the year!’ – Polly Barton
‘Jen Calleja has turned the odd life of a literary translator into a startlingly real work of art, as exquisitely and playfully constructed as a novel by Georges Perec. I feel like I’ve just been to an actual fair!’ – Anton Hur
‘There is no profession in the cultural sphere that is more underappreciated than that of the literary translator. [Calleja], more than anyone I know, is working to change that.’ – Gregor Hens
