Peter R. Bush (born 1946) is an English

literary translator Translation is the communication of the Meaning (linguistic), meaning of a #Source and target languages, source-language text by means of an Dynamic and formal equivalence, equivalent #Source and target languages, target-language text. The ...

. He has translated works from

Catalan Catalan may refer to: Catalonia From, or related to Catalonia: * Catalan language, a Romance language * Catalans, an ethnic group formed by the people from, or with origins in, Northern or southern Catalonia Places * 13178 Catalan, asteroid #1 ...

, French, Spanish and

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

to English, including the work of

Josep Pla Josep Pla i Casadevall (; 8 March 1897 – 23 April 1981) was a Spanish journalist and a popular author. As a journalist he worked in France, Italy, England, Germany and Russia, from where he wrote political and cultural chronicles in Catalan a ...

, Joan Sales and Merce Rodoreda.

Life and career

Peter Bush was born in

Spalding, Lincolnshire Spalding () is a market town on the River Welland in the South Holland district of Lincolnshire, England. The town had a population of 31,588 at the 2011 census. The town is the administrative centre of the South Holland District. The town is ...

.Peter Bush – Words Without Borders
/ref> His father, from a large rural working-class family, was a print worker and trade unionist; his mother grew up in an urban working-class family in

Sheffield Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...

.Carol Maier
An Interview With Peter Bush
''Translation Review'' Vol. 53. He studied French and Spanish at

Cambridge University , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

before gaining a DPhil in Spanish history and fiction from

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

. Though Bush translated various Marxist economic and political analyses between 1967 and 1972, since then he has only translated literary texts. He has spoken of the crucial importance in his life of translating

Juan Goytisolo Juan Goytisolo Gay (6 January 1931 – 4 June 2017) was a Spanish poet, essayist, and novelist. He lived in Marrakesh from 1997 until his death in 2017. He was considered Spain's greatest living writer at the beginning of the 21st century, yet ...

: Bush has been active not only as a literary translator, but also in developing literary translation as an academic discipline – by working in the academic world; serving in key literary translation organisations; serving on the editorial boards of literary translation publications; and organising international events and projects. After teaching in London schools he joined

Middlesex University Middlesex University London (legally Middlesex University and abbreviated MDX) is a public research university in Hendon, northwest London, England. The name of the university is taken from its location within the historic county boundaries ...

where he was Associate Senior Lecturer in Spanish (1993–1995), Reader in Literary Translation (1995–1997) and Professor of Literary Translation (1997–1998). He then moved to the

University of East Anglia The University of East Anglia (UEA) is a public research university in Norwich, England. Established in 1963 on a campus west of the city centre, the university has four faculties and 26 schools of study. The annual income of the institution f ...

, where he was Director of the British Centre for Literary Translation (BCLT) (1998–2003), and Professor of Literary Translation at the School of English and American Studies.Peter Bush to Discuss Translation of Spanish Classic
/ref> He has been a Visiting Professor at University of São Paulo (1996), Boston University (1996, 1999) and Beijing University (2001). Bush has held key positions in important literary translation organisations: Literary Translation Committee (Chair); International Translators Federation (Vice-President, 1996–2003);

American Literary Translators Association The American Literary Translators Association (ALTA) is an organization in the United States dedicated to literary translation. ALTA promotes literary translation through its annual conference, which draws hundreds of translators and literary profes ...

(board of directors, 1999–2002); Committee for Literary Translation in Higher Education (Convenor, 1993–1999); ''In Other Words'' (Executive Committee, Founder and editor, 1995–2003); The European Network of Literary Translation Centres (RECIT) (2000–2003). Bush has also served on several editorial boards: ''Mediterraneans, a journal of literature, culture and politics'' (Paris), published by The Mediterranean Study Group (since 1993); Middlesex University Press (1996–2001); ''The Encyclopaedia of Literary Translation'', Fitzroy Dearbourne (1997–2000); ''Pretexts, Pen & Ink'', University of East Anglia (2002–2004); ''The Massachusetts Review'' (since 2014).

Awards and honours

* 2015 Awarded the La Creu de Sant Jordi, most distinguished award given by the Generalitat of Catalonia, for the translation and promotion of Catalan literature * 2015 His translation of ''The Gray Notebook'' by

was shortlisted for the 2015 PEN USA Translated Fiction Award * 2014 Awarded the Premi Ramon Llull for Literary Translation from Catalan, for his translation of ''The Gray Notebook'' by

* 2014 His translation of ''The Sound of One Hand Killing'' by Teresa Solana was shortlisted for the 2014 Goldboro Last Laugh Award * 2014 His translation of ''Run or Die'' by

Kilian Jornet Killian or Kilian, as a given name, is an Anglicized version of the Irish name Cillian. The name Cillian was borne by several early Irish saints including missionaries to Artois and Franconia and the author of the life of St Brigid. The name is s ...

was shortlisted for the 2014

William Hill Sports Book of the Year The William Hill Sports Book of the Year is an annual British sports literary award sponsored by bookmaker William Hill. The award is dedicated to rewarding excellence in sports writing. It was first awarded in 1989, and was devised by Graham ...

* 2014 His translation of '' Uncertain Glory'' by Joan Sales was named one of the Ten Best Works of Fiction for 2014 by

The Economist ''The Economist'' is a British weekly newspaper printed in demitab format and published digitally. It focuses on current affairs, international business, politics, technology, and culture. Based in London, the newspaper is owned by The Econo ...

magazine. * 2012 Awarded the 2012

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. ...

for his translation of ''Exiled from Almost Everywhere'' by

* 2012 His translation of ''Still Life No.41'' by Teresa Solana was short-listed for an

Edgar Allan Poe Award The Edgar Allan Poe Awards, popularly called the Edgars, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America, based in New York City. Named after American writer Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849), a pioneer in the genre, the awards honor the bes ...

by the American Association of Crime Writers * 2011 Received the Cruz de Oficial,

Orden del Mérito Civil The Order of Civil Merit ( es, Orden del Mérito Civil) was established by King Alfonso XIII of Spain in 1926. The order recognizes "the civic virtue of officers in the service of the Nation, as well as extraordinary service by Spanish and fore ...

, awarded by

King Juan Carlos King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

of Spain, for contribution to the creation of cultural dialogue between UK and Spain * 2009 Awarded the Calouste Gulbenkian Portuguese Translation Prize for his translation of ''Equator'' by

Miguel Sousa Tavares Miguel Andresen de Sousa Tavares (born Porto, 25 June 1952) is a Portuguese lawyer, journalist and writer. The son of poet Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen and lawyer and politician Francisco Sousa Tavares, Miguel received his education in Law ...

. * 1997 Awarded the

for his translation of ''The Marx Family Saga'' by

* 1994 Received the Outstanding Translation Award from the

for his translation of ''The Old Man Who Read Love Stories'' by

Luis Sepúlveda Luis Sepúlveda Calfucura (October 4, 1949 – April 16, 2020) was a Chilean writer and journalist. A communist militant and fervent opponent of Augusto Pinochet's regime, he was imprisoned and tortured by the military dictatorship during the ...

Works

Translations

;From Catalan * Joan Cases: ''Naked – Black Beach Catalan Drama'' (Parthian Press, 2009). *

Najat El Hachmi Najat El Hachmi (born in Morocco on July 2, 1979) is a Moroccan-Spanish writer. She holds a degree in Arabic Studies from the University of Barcelona. She is the author of a personal essay on her bicultural identity, and three previous novels, th ...

: ''The Last Patriarch'' (Serpent's Tail, 2010). *

: ''The Body Hunter'' (Serpent's Tail, 2013) *

: ''Run or Die'' (Velo Books, 2013) *

Empar Moliner Empar Moliner Ballesteros (; Santa Eulàlia de Ronçana, Barcelona, 1966) is a Spanish writer and journalist. She works for the newspapers El País, Avui, and appears in several TV and radio programs as ''Minoria Absoluta'' (RAC 1), ''El matí d ...

: ''I Love You When I'm Drunk'' (Comma Productions, 2008). *

Quim Monzó Joaquim Monzó i Gómez (born 15 March 1952), also known as Quim Monzó (), is a contemporary Spanish writer of novels, short stories and discursive prose, mostly in Catalan. In the early 1970s, Monzó reported from Vietnam, Cambodia, Northern Ir ...

: ''The Enormity of the Tragedy'' (Peter Owen Ltd, 2008). *

: ''Guadalajara'' (Open Letter, 2011). *

: ''A Thousand Morons'' (Open Letter, 2012). *

: ''Life Embitters'' (Archipelago, 2014) *

: ''The Gray Notebook'' (NYRB, 2014) * Joan Sales: '' Uncertain glory'' (MacLehose Press, London, 2014). * Joan Sales: ''

Winds of the Night Winds of the Night (Catalan: ''El vent de la nit'') is a novel by the Catalan author and publisher, Joan Sales. It is set in a devastated and impoverished Catalonia under the heel of the Franco dictatorship after the Spanish Civil War. Its narrato ...

'' (MacLehose Press) *

Francesc Serés Francesc Serés Guillén (born Zaidín, Spain, December 22, 1972) is a Catalan-language writer. He obtained a Fine Arts degree (1996) and another in Anthropology (1998) from the University of Barcelona and, in 2001, the title of Research Aptitude ...

: ''Russian Stories'' (MacLehose PRess) * Teresa Solana: ''A Shortcut to Paradise'' * Teresa Solana: ''A not so perfect crime'' (Bitter Lemon Press, London, 2008) * Teresa Solana: ''The Sound of One Hand Killing'' (Bitter Lemon, 2013) * Emili Teixidor: ''Black Bread'' (Biblioasis) ;From French *

Alain Badiou Alain Badiou (; ; born 17 January 1937) is a French philosopher, formerly chair of Philosophy at the École normale supérieure (ENS) and founder of the faculty of Philosophy of the Université de Paris VIII with Gilles Deleuze, Michel Foucau ...

: ''In Praise of Love'' (Serpent's Tail, 2012; The New Press, USA) * Monica Waitzfelder: ''L'Oreal Took My Home, The secrets of a theft'' (Arcadia, 2006). ;From Spanish *

Pedro Almodóvar Pedro Almodóvar Caballero (; (often known simply as Almodóvar) born 25 September 1949) is a Spanish filmmaker. His films are marked by melodrama, irreverent humour, bold colour, glossy décor, quotations from popular culture, and complex narr ...

: ''The flower of my secret'' (Faber and Faber, London and Boston, 1996). * Núria Amat:''Queen Cocaine'' (City Lights Books, San Francisco, 2005). * Jorge Carrión: ''Bookshops'' (The MacLehose Press, 2016). *

Daniel Chavarria Daniel is a masculine given name and a surname of Hebrew origin. It means "God is my judge"Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 68. (cf. Gabriel—"God is my strength" ...

: ''Tango for a Torturer'' (Serpent's Tail, 2006). *

Pedro Antonio de Alarcón Pedro Antonio de Alarcón y Ariza (10 March 183319 July 1891) was a nineteenth-century Spanish novelist, known best for his novel ''El sombrero de tres picos'' (1874), an adaptation of popular traditions which provides a description of village l ...

: ''The Three-Cornered Hat'' (Hesperus Press, 2004). *

Fernando de Rojas Fernando de Rojas (c. 1465/73, in La Puebla de Montalbán, Toledo, Spain – April 1541, in Talavera de la Reina, Toledo, Spain) was a Spanish author and dramatist, known for his only surviving work, '' La Celestina'' (originally titled ''Trag ...

: ''

Celestina Celestina may refer to: In arts and entertainment: *''La Celestina'', a 15th-century Spanish novel * ''Celestina'' (novel), an 18th-century English work by poet Charlotte Turner Smith *''La Celestina'', Spanish title of ''The Wanton of Spain'', a 1 ...

'' (Dedalus Books, 2009). * Orlando Gonzalez Esteva: ''Enigma, Old Friend / The Drawings of Juan Soriano'' (Ave del Paraiso, Madrid, 2000), tr with Anne McLean. *

: ''Quarantine'' (1994). *

: ''The Marx family saga'' (City Lights Books, San Francisco, 1999). *

: ''The garden of secrets'' (Serpent's Tail, London, 2000). *

: ''Realms of Strife'' (Quartet/North Point Press; 2nd ed. Verso, 2000). *

: ''Landscapes of war: from Sarajevo to Chechnya'' (City Lights Books, San Francisco, 2000). *

: ''Forbidden territory (Quartet/North Point Press; 2nd ed. Verso, 2000). *

: ''The Blind Rider'' (Serpent's Tail, 2005). *

: ''Cinema Eden Essays on the Muslim Mediterranean'' (Sickle Moon Press, 2005). *

: ''A cock-eyed comedy: starring friar Bugeo Montesino and other fairies of motley feather and fortune'' (City Lights Books, San Francisco, 2005). *

: ''

Juan the Landless ''Juan the Landless'' ( es, Juan sin tierra) is a 1975 novel by the Spanish writer Juan Goytisolo. Published by Seix Barral, it marked Goytisolo's return to a Spanish publisher following the death of Francisco Franco. It is the last installment in ...

'' (Dalkey Archive Press, Champaign, IL, 2009). *

: ''Níjar Country'' (Lumen Books, Santa Fe, NM, 2010). *

: '' Exiled from Almost Everywhere'' (Dalkey Archive Press, 2011).Review
by

Alberto Manguel Alberto Manguel (born March 13, 1948, in Buenos Aires) is an Argentine-Canadian anthologist, translator, essayist, novelist, editor, and a former Director of the National Library of Argentina. He is the author of numerous non-fiction books such ...

, ''The Guardian'', 14 May 2011
Review
by Annabella Massey, ''Cadaverine Magazine'' *

Federico García Lorca Federico del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús García Lorca (5 June 1898 – 19 August 1936), known as Federico García Lorca ( ), was a Spanish poet, playwright, and theatre director. García Lorca achieved international recognition as an emblemat ...

: ''Sketches of Spain: Impressions and Landscapes'' (Serif, 2013). *

Antonio Muñoz Molina Antonio Muñoz Molina (born 10 January 1956) is a Spanish writer and, since 8 June 1995, a full member of the Royal Spanish Academy. He received the 1991 Premio Planeta, the 2013 Jerusalem Prize, and the 2013 Prince of Asturias Award for lit ...

: ''The Prince of Darkness'' (Quartet, 1993). *

Juan Carlos Onetti Juan Carlos Onetti Borges (July 1, 1909 – May 30, 1994) was a Uruguayan novelist and author of short stories. Early life Onetti was born in Montevideo, Uruguay. He was the son of Carlos Onetti, a customs official, and Honoria Borges, who b ...

: ''The Pit and Tonight'' (1991). *

: ''Farewells and a Grave with No Name'' (1992). *

: ''No Man's Land'' (1994). *

: ''Past Caring?'' (London, 1995). * Adolfo Garcia Ortega: ''Desolation Island'' (Secker Harvill, 2011). * Adolfo Garcia Ortega: ''The Birthday Buyer'' (Hispabooks, 2013). *

Ignacio Padilla Ignacio Padilla (November 7, 1968 – August 20, 2016) was a Mexican writer whose works were translated into several languages. Padilla helped found the Crack Movement, along with fellow writers Eloy Urroz, Jorge Volpi, and Pedro Angel Pa ...

: ''Shadow without a name'', tr. with Anne McLean (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, New York, 2003). *

Leonardo Padura Leonardo de la Caridad Padura Fuentes (born October 10, 1955) is a Cuban novelist and journalist. , he is one of Cuba's best-known writers internationally. In his native Spanish, as well as in English and some other languages, he is often refe ...

: ''Havanna Black'' (Bitter Lemon, 2006). *

: ''Havana Blue'' (Bitter Lemon Press, London, 2007). *

: ''Havana Gold'' (Bitter Lemon, 2008). *

: ''Havana Fever'' (Bitter Lemon, 2009). * Senel Paz: ''Strawberry & chocolate'' (Bloomsbury, London, 1995). * Fernando Royuela: ''A Bad End'' (Hispabooks). *

: ''The old man who read love stories'' (Harcourt Brace, New York, 1994). *

Narcís Serra Narcís Serra i Serra (born 30 May 1943) is a Spanish economist and politician, serving as Deputy Prime Minister of Spain from 1991 to 1995. Born in Barcelona in 1943, he was one of the leading figures of Catalan socialism during the Spanish tr ...

: ''The Military Transition'' (Cambridge University Press, 2010). * Ramon Valle-Inclan: ''Tyrant Banderas'' (NYRB, 2012). * (ed.) ''The voice of the turtle : an anthology of Cuban stories'' (Quartet Books, London, 1997). * (ed. with Lisa Dillman) ''Spain'' (Whereabouts Press, Berkeley, CA, 2003). Anthology of translated Spanish literature in the Travelers' literary companion series. ;From Portuguese * Chico Barque: ''Turbulence'' (Bloomsbury/Pantheon, 1992). *

: ''Equator'' (Bloomsbury, 2008).

Writings about Translation

* ''Rimbaud's Rainbow: literary translation in higher education'', ed. with Kirsten Malkkjaer (J. Benjamins, Amsterdam and Philadelphia, 1998). * ''The Translator as Writer'', ed. with

Susan Bassnett Susan Edna Bassnett, (born 21 October 1945) is a translation theorist and scholar of comparative literature. She served as pro-vice-chancellor at the University of Warwick for ten years and taught in its Centre for Translation and Comparative C ...

(Continuum, 2006). * 'Memory, War and Translation: Mercè Rodoreda's ''In Diamond Square'', in Brian Nelson and Brigid Maher (eds) ''Perspectives on Literature and Translation Creation, Circulation, Reception'' (Routledge, 2013) Chapter 2, pp. 31–46. * ‘Toil, trouble and jouissance : a case study – editing Juan the Landless’, in Rita Wilson and Leah Gerber (eds) ''Creative Constraints Translation and Authorship'' (Monash University Publishing, Melbourne) Chapter 8, pp. 119–131. * 'The Centrality of a Translator’s Culture: Fernando de Rojas’s Celestina and the Creation of Style in Translation', ''The AALITRA Review: A Journal of Literary Translation'', No.2, 2009 (Melbourne: Monash University), pp. 21–36. * ‘Writing Translations’, in Susan Bassnett and Peter Bush (eds), ''The Translator as Writer'', Continuum, 2005. * ‘Intertextuality and the Translator as Story Teller’, Traduire l’intertextualité, ''Palimpsestes'' 18, 2005, pp. 213–229. * ‘The Political Interventions of a Literary Translator: the case of Strawberry and Chocolate’, ''Traduire'' (SFT), 2005. * ‘The Act of Translation’, Translations Studies Working Papers (UMIST), 2002. * ‘Reviewing Translations: Barcelona, London and Paris’, Entretext, University of Brunel, 2000. * ‘Latin American fiction in translation’, in Peter France (ed), ''Encyclopedia of Literature in English Translation'', OUP, 2000. * ‘On Translating Lawrence Norfolk, Or Dialecting the Dialectics of Name’, ''The Barcelona Review'', 20, September 2000. * ‘Translating Onetti for Anglo-Saxon Others’, in Gustavo San Román (ed), ''Juan Carlos Onetti and others'', SUNY, 1999. * ‘The Translator as Arbiter’, in Pilar Orerro and Juan Sager (eds) ''The Translator’s Dialogue: Giovanni Pontiero'', John Benjamin (Amsterdam and Philadelphia, 1996) * ‘The Translator as Reader and Writer’, ''Donaire'', 8, 1996, pp. 20–26. * ‘It doesn’t sound like English’, ''Times Literary Supplement'', no. 4875, 1996, p. 11.

Projects, conferences, seminars developing the field of literary translation

* 2010 FIT Symposium ‘Jean Genet, Translation and Censorship’, Salle Roger Blin, Théâtre de l’Odéon, Paris. * 2009 Salzburg Global Seminar ‘Traduttore Traditore? Recognizing and Promoting the Critical Role of Translation in Global Culture.’ * 2006 FIT Symposium ‘Translating Harry Potter: The Art and the Economics’, UNESCO, Paris. * 2002 ‘Territories of Life and Writing: autobiography and fiction in the work of Juan Goytisolo’, University of East Anglia. * 2002 BCLT Third International Literary Translation Summer School, Cambridge. * 2001 FIT International Seminar on Literary Translation and research, University of East Anglia (UEA). * 2001 BCLT Second International Literary Translation Summer School, Cambridge. * 2000 ‘Translation, Knowledges and Cultures’ symposium, jointly with the British Academy, London. * 2000 BCLT First International Literary Translation Summer School, UEA. * 2000 Young Writers and Translators seminar, Tarazona, Spain. * 1999 Hispanic & English Literatures in Professional Partnership: Strategies for Translation – two seminars organised with the Spanish Translator’s Centre for the British Council, UEA and Valencia UIMP. * 1999 BCLT Symposium on Literary Translation and Gender, UEA. * 1999 ITI Symposium on the EC Culture 2000 Framework, UEA. * 1999 New translation of Don Quijote, organised with TRIO, Oxford University * 1998 Co-organiser, ITI International Colloquium, ‘Translating and Community’, Sheffield University. * 1998 Project Leader European Community Second ARIANE network ‘The Translator as Reader and Writer’ with the following seminars: ‘Translation in Eastern Europe’, Prague; ‘Translating Poetry’, Amsterdam; ‘Theatre in Translation’, Brussels; ‘Libraries and Literary translation’, Finedon * 1997 Project leader European Community First ARIANE with the following seminars: ‘Translation and Power’, Frankfurt Book Fair; ‘Literary translation in the Bilingual Context’, Barcelona; ‘Research, Publishing and Literary Translation’, Middlesex University. * 1997 ‘The Politics of Translation’ (India, Africa and the USA), International Centre, Frankfurt Bookfair. * 1996 Co-organiser of three-day ITI International Colloquium, The Practices of Literary Translation, University of East Anglia. * 1996 Co-organiser with the Director of the Cervantes Institute, International Conference, Literary Translation: To and From the Languages of Spain, Middlesex University. * 1995 Co-organiser, Conference on the Translation of Philosophy, Middlesex University. * 1995 Co-organiser of the three-day ITI International Colloquium, Warwick University on Literary Translation in Higher Education.

References

External links

Peter Bush's official website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bush, Peter 1946 births Living people English translators Literary translators Catalan–English translators French–English translators Portuguese–English translators Spanish–English translators Academics of the University of East Anglia English male non-fiction writers