The author and translator told us about the inspiration behind Simpatía, what the nomination means for Venezuelan and Latin American literature, and the secrets behind the co-translation of the novel
Daniel Hahn
- Born
- Prizes judged
Daniel Hahn is an award-winning writer, editor and translator
With over 40 books to his name, his translations from Portuguese, Spanish and French include fiction from Europe, Africa and the Americas, and non-fiction by writers ranging from Portuguese Nobel laureate José Saramago to Brazilian footballer Pelé.
He is a former chair of the Translators Association and the Society of Authors, and on the board of many organisations that work with literature and free speech.
Books include the new Oxford Companion to Children’s Literature and the translation of José Eduardo Agualusa’s A General Theory of Oblivion, which was shortlisted for the International Booker Prize in 2016.
His most recent book is If This Be Magic: the unlikely art of Shakespeare in translation, and he is currently co-editing The Penguin Book of Brazilian Short Stories (with Padma Viswanathan) and translating an Angolan novel.
Born in London in 1973, Hahn was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2020 Birthday Honours for services to literature.
All nominated books
A suspenseful novel with unexpected twists and turns about the agony of Venezuela and the collapse of Chavismo
Translated by Noel Hernández González, Daniel Hahn
Paulo Scott delivers a smart and stylish account of the bigotry lurking in hearts and institutions alike
By Paulo Scott
Translated by Daniel Hahn
Playful and full of warm humour, José Eduardo Agualusa’s dazzling human drama explores the thrills, hopes and dangers of radical change
Translated by Daniel Hahn
