Margaret Elisabeth Jull Costa OBE, OIH (born 2 May 1949) is a British

translator Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. The English language draws a terminological distinction (which does not exist in every language) between ''transl ...

of Portuguese- and Spanish-language fiction and poetry, including the works of

Nobel Prize The Nobel Prizes ( ; sv, Nobelpriset ; no, Nobelprisen ) are five separate prizes that, according to Alfred Nobel's will of 1895, are awarded to "those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind." Alfr ...

winner

José Saramago José de Sousa Saramago, GColSE ComSE GColCa (; 16 November 1922 – 18 June 2010), was a Portuguese writer and recipient of the 1998 Nobel Prize in Literature for his "parables sustained by imagination, compassion and irony ith which hec ...

Eça de Queiroz José Maria de Eça de Queiroz (; 25 November 1845 – 16 August 1900) is generally considered to have been the greatest Portuguese writer in the realist style. Zola considered him to be far greater than Flaubert. In the London ''Observer'', ...

Fernando Pessoa Fernando António Nogueira Pessoa (; 13 June 1888 – 30 November 1935) was a Portuguese poet, writer, literary critic, translator, publisher, and philosopher, described as one of the most significant literary figures of the 20th century and ...

Paulo Coelho Paulo Coelho de Souza (, ; born 24 August 1947) is a Brazilian lyricist and novelist and a member of the Brazilian Academy of Letters since 2002. His novel ''The Alchemist'' became an international best-seller and he has published 28 more book ...

Bernardo Atxaga Bernardo Atxaga (born 27 July 1951), pseudonym of Joseba Irazu Garmendia, is a Spanish Basque writer and self-translator. Biography Atxaga was born in Asteasu, Gipuzkoa, Basque Country, Spain in 1951. He received a diploma in economics from t ...

, Carmen Martín Gaite,

Javier Marías Javier Marías Franco (20 September 1951 – 11 September 2022) was a Spanish author, translator, and columnist. Marías published fifteen novels, including '' A Heart So White'' (''Corazón tan blanco,'' 1992'')'' and '' Tomorrow in the Battle ...

, and

José Régio José Maria dos Reis Pereira, better known by the pen name José Régio (17 September 1901, Vila do Conde – 22 December 1969, Vila do Conde), was a Portuguese writer who spent most of his life in Portalegre (1929 to 1962). He was the brother ...

. She has won the

Oxford-Weidenfeld Translation Prize Oxford-Weidenfeld Translation Prize is an annual literary prize for any book-length translation into English from any other living European language. The first prize was awarded in 1999. The prize is funded by and named in honour of Lord Weidenfe ...

more times than any other translator.

Early life

Costa was born in

Richmond upon Thames The London Borough of Richmond upon Thames () in southwest London forms part of Outer London and is the only London borough on both sides of the River Thames. It was created in 1965 when three smaller council areas amalgamated under the London ...

in 1949.

Education

She earned an undergraduate degree in Spanish and Portuguese from the

University of Bristol , mottoeng = earningpromotes one's innate power (from Horace, ''Ode 4.4'') , established = 1595 – Merchant Venturers School1876 – University College, Bristol1909 – received royal charter , type ...

before receiving a Fulbright Scholarship to Stanford University, where she achieved a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Th ...

Writing career

In recent years she has been noted for her work in translating the novels of

for which she won a number of awards. Her translations include '' All the Names'', and ''Death at Intervals'', about a country where death ceases to exist, was published in 2008. As part of its 'Europe 1992–2004' programme, the UK publishers Dedalus embarked on a series of new translations by Jull Costa of some of the major classics of Portuguese literature. These include seven works by

: '' Cousin Bazilio'' (1878, translation published 2003, funded by the

Arts Council of England The arts are a very wide range of human practices of creative expression, storytelling and cultural participation. They encompass multiple diverse and plural modes of thinking, doing and being, in an extremely broad range of media. Both h ...

), ''

The Tragedy of the Street of Flowers ''The Tragedy of the Street of Flowers'' (Portuguese language, Portuguese: ''A Tragédia da Rua das Flores'') is a novel by José Maria de Eça de Queirós (1845 - 1900), also known as Eça de Queiroz. It was only first published in Portuguese in ...

'', '' The Mandarin (and Other Stories)'', ''

The Relic ''The Relic'' is a 1997 American monster- horror film directed by Peter Hyams and based on the best-selling 1995 novel '' Relic'' by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. The film stars Penelope Ann Miller, Tom Sizemore, Linda Hunt, and James W ...

'', '' The Crime of Father Amaro'', ''The Maias'' and '' The City and the Mountains'' (2008). In 2006, she published the translation of the first part of

's trilogy, '' Your Face Tomorrow 1: Fever and Spear''. The second part, ''2: Dance and Dream'', was published in 2006, while the concluding part, ''3: Poison, Shadow and Farewell'', appeared in November 2009. This last volume won her the 2010 Premio Valle-Inclan. Her English translation of ''The Accordionist's Son'' by the Basque author

was published by Harvill Secker (2007) while her previous translations of Atxaga's work include ''The Lone Man'' (1996) and ''The Lone Woman'' (1999). Her translation of '' The Maias'' by

was published by

Dedalus Books Dedalus Books is a British publishing company specialising in European literature. As stated on their website, Dedalus specialises in "its own distinctive genre, which we term distorted reality, where the bizarre, the unusual and the grotesque ...

in 2007, the original book was described by

as "the greatest book by Portugal's greatest novelist". In 2008, as first of a new Dedalus Euro Shorts series, Jull Costa made the first-ever English translation of ''Helena, or The Sea in Summer'', Julián Ayesta's enduring, pointillist novel, first published in Spain in 1952 as ''Hélena o el mar del verano'', and for which he is most remembered. Her biographical introduction to the book provides English-language readers with a brief but essential portrait of Ayesta (1919–1996), author, Spanish diplomat and outspoken critic of

Francoist Spain Francoist Spain ( es, España franquista), or the Francoist dictatorship (), was the period of Spanish history between 1939 and 1975, when Francisco Franco ruled Spain after the Spanish Civil War with the title . After his death in 1975, Spai ...

Selected translations

Alberto Barrera Tyszka Alberto José Barrera Tyszka (born 18 February 1960) is a Venezuelan writer. In 2006, he received the Herralde Prize for his novel ''La enfermedad'' ("The Sickness"). Life and career Barrera Tyszka was born in Caracas, and grew up in Venezuela. ...

– ''Crimes'' * Alberto Barrera Tyszka – ''The Sickness'' * Álvaro Pombo – ''The Hero of the Big House'' *Ana Luísa Amaral –
What's in a Name
' * Ángela Vallvey – ''Happy Creatures'' * Ángela Vallvey – ''Hunting the Last Wild Man'' * António Lobo Antunes – ''The Land at the End of the World'' *

Antonio Tabucchi Antonio Tabucchi (; 24 September 1943 – 25 March 2012) was an Italian writer and academic who taught Portuguese language and literature at the University of Siena, Italy. Deeply in love with Portugal, he was an expert, critic and translator of ...

– ''Requiem: A Hallucination'' *

Arturo Pérez-Reverte Arturo Pérez-Reverte Gutiérrez (born 25 November 1951 in Cartagena) is a Spanish novelist and journalist. He worked as a war correspondent for RTVE for 21 years (1973–1994). His first novel, ''El húsar'', set in the Napoleonic Wars, was ...

– ''The Flanders Panel'' * Arturo Pérez-Reverte – ''

The Club Dumas ''The Club Dumas'' (original Spanish title ''El Club Dumas'') is a 1993 novel by Arturo Pérez-Reverte. The book is set in a world of antiquarian booksellers, echoing his previous 1990 work, '' The Flanders Panel''. The story follows the adventu ...

'' * Arturo Pérez-Reverte – ''The Fencing Master'' * Benito Pérez Galdós – ''Tristana'' *

– ''Obabakoak'' * Bernardo Atxaga – ''The Lone Man'' * Bernardo Atxaga – ''The Lone Woman'' * Bernardo Atxaga – ''The Adventures of Shola'' * Bernardo Atxaga – ''Shola and the Lions'' * Bernardo Atxaga – ''The Accordionist's Son'' * Carmen Martín Gaite – ''Variable Cloud'' * Carmen Martín Gaite – ''The Farewell Angel'' * Diogo Mainardi – ''The Fall: A Father's Memoir in 424 Steps'' *

– ''The Book of Disquiet'' * Helen Constantine (editor) – ''Madrid Tales'' *

Javier García Sánchez Javier García Sánchez is a Spanish writer. Born in Barcelona in 1955, he studied at the Complutense University in Madrid. He edited the magazine ''Quimera'' for two years, and wrote in the culture pages of '' La Voz de Euskadi''. He achieved li ...

– ''The Others'' *

– ''All Souls'' * Javier Marías – ''The Man of Feeling'' * Javier Marías – ''When I Was Mortal'' * Javier Marias – ''Tomorrow in the Battle Think on Me'' * Javier Marías – ''A Heart So White'' * Javier Marías – ''The Infatuations'' * Javier Marías – ''Thus Bad Begins'' * Javier Marías – ''Berta Isla'' * Javier Marías – ''Your Face Tomorrow: Fever and Spear'' * Javier Marías – ''Your Face Tomorrow: Dance and Dream'' * Javier Marías – ''Your Face Tomorrow: Poison, Shadow, and Farewell'' * Javier Marías – ''While the Women Are Sleeping'' * Javier Marías – ''Written Lives'' * Jesús Carrasco – ''Out in the Open'' *

Jorge de Sena Jorge Cândido Alves Rodrigues Telles Grilo Raposo de Abreu de Sena (2 November 1919 – 4 June 1978) was a Portuguese-born poet, critic, essayist, novelist, dramatist, translator and university professor who spent the latter portion of his life ...

– ''The Prodigious Physician'' *

José Maria de Eça de Queirós José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced differently in each language: Spanish ; Portuguese (or ). In French, the name ''José'', pronounced , is an old vernacul ...

– '' The Maias'' * José Maria de Eça de Queirós – '' The City and the Mountains'' * José Maria de Eça de Queirós – '' The Crime of Father Amaro'' * José Maria de Eça de Queirós – '' Alves & Co. and Other Stories'' * José Maria de Eça de Queirós – '' The Mandarin and other stories'' *

– '' Cousin Bazilio'' * Eça de Queirós – ''

'' * Eça de Queirós – '' The Mystery of the Sintra Road'' (with Nick Phillips) * Eça de Queirós – ''

'' * Eça de Queirós – '' The Illustrious House of Ramires'' *

– ''The Flame-Coloured Dress'' *

– ''Death with Interruptions'' * José Saramago – ''The Double'' * José Saramago – ''Skylight'' * José Saramago – ''

The Elephant's Journey ''The Elephant's Journey'' ( pt, A Viagem do Elefante) is a novel by Nobel Prize-winning author José Saramago. It was first published in 2008 with an English translation in 2010. Plot In 1551, King João III of Portugal gave Archduke Maxim ...

'' * José Saramago – ''Cain'' * José Saramago – ''All the Names'' * José Saramago – ''The Cave'' * José Saramago – ''Raised from the Ground'' * José Saramago – ''Small Memories'' * José Saramago – ''The Tale of the Unknown Island'' * José Saramago – ''Seeing'' * José Saramago – ''Blindness'' * Juan José Saer – ''The Witness'' * Julián Ayesta – ''Helena, or the Sea in Summer'' *

Júlio Dinis Júlio Dinis, pseudonym of Joaquim Guilherme Gomes Coelho (14 November 1839 – 12 September 1871) was a Portuguese doctor and poet, playwright and novelist. He was the first great novelist of modern Portuguese middle-class society. His novels, ...

– ''An English Family'' *

Julio Llamazares Julio Llamazares (born March 28, 1955) is a Spanish author born in Vegamián, León Province. Biography Julio Llamazares is a poet, novelist and a prolific essayist and journalist. He focuses on themes such as the history and memory of Spanish ...

– ''The Yellow Rain'' *

Lídia Jorge Lídia Jorge (born 18 June 1946) is a prominent Portuguese novelist and author whose work is representative of a recent style of Portuguese writing, the so-called "Post Revolution Generation". Life Lídia Jorge was born in the village of Boliq ...

– ''The Painter of Birds'' *

Luís Cardoso Luís Cardoso (born 8 December 1958) is a contemporary East Timorese writer. His work focuses on the history of his homeland. It is written in Portuguese and has been translated into other languages including French and English. In 2021, he wo ...

– ''The Crossing: A Story of East Timor'' * Luis Fernando Verissimo – ''Borges and the Eternal Orangutans'' * Luis Fernando Verissimo – ''The Spies'' * Luis Fernando Verissimo – ''The Club of Angels'' * Luisa Valenzuela – ''Bedside Manners'' * Luisa Valenzuela – ''Symmetries'' *

Machado de Assis Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis (), often known by his surnames as Machado de Assis, ''Machado,'' or ''Bruxo do Cosme Velho''Vainfas, p. 505. (21 June 1839 – 29 September 1908), was a pioneer Brazilian novelist, poet, playwright and short sto ...

– ''The Collected Stories of Machado de Assis'' *Machado de Assis – '' Posthumous Memoirs of Brás Cubas'' * Manuel Rivas – ''Butterfly's Tongue'' * Marcos Giralt Torrente – ''Paris'' *

Mário de Sá-Carneiro Mário de Sá-Carneiro (; May 19, 1890 – April 26, 1916) was a Portuguese poet and writer. He is one of the best known authors of the " Geração D'Orpheu", and is usually considered their greatest poet, after Fernando Pessoa. Life Már ...

– ''Lucio's Confession'' * Mário de Sá-Carneiro – ''The Great Shadow And Other Stories'' * Michel Laub – ''Diary of the Fall'' *

– ''Eleven Minutes'' * Paulo Coelho – '' Like the Flowing River'' * Paulo Coelho – '' The Zahir'' * Paulo Coelho – '' Manuscript Found in Accra'' * Paulo Coelho – '' Aleph'' * Paulo Coelho – ''

Adultery Adultery (from Latin ''adulterium'') is extramarital sex that is considered objectionable on social, religious, moral, or legal grounds. Although the sexual activities that constitute adultery vary, as well as the social, religious, and legal ...

'' * Paulo Coelho – ''

Brida Brida is a town and commune in Laghouat Province, Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordina ...

'' * Paulo Coelho – '' Veronika Decides to Die'' * Paulo Coelho – '' The Witch of Portobello'' * Rafael Chirbes – ''On the Edge'' * Rafael Sánchez Ferlosio – ''The Adventures of the Ingenious Alfanhi'' * Rafael Sánchez Ferlosio – ''The River: El Jarama'' *

Ramón Valle-Inclán Ramón or Ramon may refer to: People Given name * Ramon (footballer, born 1998), Brazilian footballer * Ramón (footballer, born 1990), Brazilian footballer *Ramón (singer), Spanish singer who represented Spain in the 2004 Eurovision Song Contest ...

– ''Spring and Summer Sonatas: The Memoirs of the Marquis of Bradomin'' * Ramón del Valle-Inclán – ''Autumn & Winter Sonatas: The Memoirs of Marquis of Bradomin'' *

Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen (6 November 1919 – 2 July 2004) was a Portuguese poet and writer. Her remains have been entombed in the National Pantheon since 2014. Life and career Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen was born on 6 November ...

– ''The Perfect Hour'' (co-translator: Colin Rorrison) * Teolinda Gersão – ''The Word Tree'' * ''The Dedalus Book of Portuguese Fantasy'' * ''The Dedalus Book of Spanish Fantasy''

Awards and honours

*1992 Portuguese Translation Prize winner for translation of ''The Book of Disquiet'' by

*1996 Portuguese Translation Prize runner-up for translation of ''The Relic'' by Eça de Queiroz *1997

International Dublin Literary Award The International Dublin Literary Award ( ga, Duais Liteartha Idirnáisiúnta Bhaile Átha Chliath), established as the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award in 1996, is presented each year for a novel written or translated into English. ...

winner for translation of '' A Heart So White'' by

*2000

winner for translation of '' All the Names'' by

*2002 Portuguese Translation Prize runner-up for translation of ''The Migrant Painter of Birds'' by

*2006

shortlist for translation of '' Your Face Tomorrow 1: Fever and Spear'' by

*2006 Arts Council, Spanish Embassy and

Instituto Cervantes Instituto Cervantes (the Cervantes Institute) is a worldwide nonprofit organization created by the Spanish government in 1991. It is named after Miguel de Cervantes (1547–1616), the author of ''Don Quixote'' and perhaps the most important figur ...

translation prize winner for '' Your Face Tomorrow 1: Fever and Spear'' by

*2008

PEN/Book-of-the-Month Club Translation Prize The PEN Translation Prize (formerly known as the PEN/Book-of-the-Month Club Translation Prize through 2008) is an annual award given by PEN America (formerly PEN American Center) to outstanding translations into the English language. It has been pr ...

winner for translation of '' The Maias'' by

*2008

winner for translation of '' The Maias'' by

*2010

Times Literary Supplement ''The Times Literary Supplement'' (''TLS'') is a weekly literary review published in London by News UK, a subsidiary of News Corp. History The ''TLS'' first appeared in 1902 as a supplement to '' The Times'' but became a separate publication ...

Translation Prize winner for translation of ''The Accordionist's Son'' by

*2011

winner for translation of ''

'' by

*2012 Calouste Gulbenkian Prize winner for translation of ''The Word Tree'' by Teolinda Gersão *2012 Calouste Gulbenkian Prize runner-up for translation of ''The Land at the End of the World'' by António Lobo Antunes *2013 Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature *2014 Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the

2014 Birthday Honours The 2014 Birthday Honours were appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours are awarded as part of ...

*2015

Jewish Quarterly-Wingate Prize The Jewish Quarterly-Wingate Literary Prize is an annual British literary prize inaugurated in 1977. It is named after the host ''Jewish Quarterly'' and the prize's founder Harold Hyam Wingate. The award recognises Jewish and non-Jewish writers r ...

winner for translation of ''Diary of the Fall'' *2015 Awarded the degree of Doctor of Letters honoris causa by the University of Leeds *2017 The

Premio Valle-Inclán The Premio Valle-Inclán is a literary translation prize. It is awarded by the Society of Authors (London) for the best English translation of a work of Spanish literature. It is named after Ramón del Valle-Inclán. The prize money is GBP £2,000. ...

by the

Society of Authors The Society of Authors (SoA) is a United Kingdom trade union for professional writers, illustrators and literary translators, founded in 1884 to protect the rights and further the interests of authors. , it represents over 12,000 members and ass ...

for her translation of ''On the Edge'' by Rafael Chirbes *2017 Officer of the Order of Prince Henry

References

External links

Dedalus Books, Sawtry, Cambridgeshire, UK PublishersAn Interview with Margaret Jull Costa; 2 November 2009
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Costa, Margaret Jull 1949 births Living people Portuguese–English translators Spanish–English translators Translators of Fernando Pessoa Fellows of the Royal Society of Literature Officers of the Order of the British Empire Officers of the Order of Prince Henry 20th-century British translators British women writers Winners of the Marsh Award for Children's Literature in Translation