Ruth Martin studied English literature before gaining a PhD in German
She has been translating fiction and non-fiction books since 2010, by authors ranging from Joseph Roth and Hannah Arendt to Volker Weidermann and Shida Bazyar.
She has taught translation at the University of Kent and the Bristol Translates summer school, and is a former co-chair of the Society of Authors Translators Association.
She translated Shida Bazyar’s The Nights Are Quiet in Tehran from German to English – the novel was shortlisted for the International Booker Prize 2026.
Author photo © Adrian Pope
The pages of The Nights Are Quiet in Tehran pulse with solidarities and betrayal, with heartache and humour. And for all exiles, migrants, once-and-future revolutionaries, Bazyar captures what it means to always live in hope
— The International Booker Prize 2026 judges on The Nights Are Quiet in Tehran
Translated by Charlotte Collins Ruth Martin
By Shida Bazyar
Translated by Ruth Martin
