Breon Mitchell (born ''Bert Breon Mitchell''; 1942) is a (retired) American professor of Germanic Studies and translator. He was a Professor of Germanic Studies, chair of the Comparative Literature Department, and Director of the

Lilly Library The Lilly Library, located on the campus of Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana, is an important rare book and manuscript library in the United States. At its dedication on October 3, 1960, the library contained a collection of 20,000 boo ...

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. Campuses Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI. *Indiana Universi ...

. He has translated a number of notable German works into English including ''

The Trial ''The Trial'' (german: Der Process, link=no, previously , and ) is a novel written by Franz Kafka in 1914 and 1915 and published posthumously on 26 April 1925. One of his best known works, it tells the story of Josef K., a man arrested and p ...

'' by

Franz Kafka Franz Kafka (3 July 1883 – 3 June 1924) was a German-speaking Bohemian novelist and short-story writer, widely regarded as one of the major figures of 20th-century literature. His work fuses elements of realism and the fantastic. It typ ...

, '' The God of Impertinence'' by

Sten Nadolny Sten Nadolny (; born 29 July 1942, in Zehdenick, Province of Brandenburg) is a German novelist. His parents, Burkhard and Isabella Nadolny, were also writers. Biography Nadolny grew up in the town of Traunstein, in Upper Bavaria. After receiv ...

, '' Shadowlife'' by Martin Grzimek, '' The Silent Angel'' by

Heinrich Böll Heinrich Theodor Böll (; 21 December 1917 – 16 July 1985) was a German writer. Considered one of Germany's foremost post-World War II writers, Böll is a recipient of the Georg Büchner Prize (1967) and the Nobel Prize for Literature (1972). ...

, '' Laura's Skin'' by J.F. Federspiel, '' The Color of the Snow'' by

Rüdiger Kremer Rüdiger (English ''Ruediger'', ''Rudiger'', Roger) is a German given name. The meaning comes from Old High German: ''hruod'' (fame) and ''ger'' (spear). The name became popular because of the character Rüdiger von Bechelaren from ''Nibelung''. P ...

, and ''

The Tin Drum ''The Tin Drum'' (german: Die Blechtrommel, ) is a 1959 novel by Günter Grass. The novel is the first book of Grass's ' ('' Danzig Trilogy''). It was adapted into a 1979 film, which won both the 1979 Palme d'Or and the Academy Award for Bes ...

'' by

Günter Grass Günter Wilhelm Grass (born Graß; ; 16 October 1927 – 13 April 2015) was a German novelist, poet, playwright, illustrator, graphic artist, sculptor, and recipient of the 1999 Nobel Prize in Literature. He was born in the Free City of D ...

(2009). Mitchell translated and then revised ''What Must Be Said'' by Grass in April 2012.

Personal life

Breon Mitchell was born on August 9, 1942 in

Salina, Kansas Salina is a city in, and the county seat of, Saline County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 46,889. In the early 1800s, the Kanza tribal land reached eastward from the middle of the Kansas Territory. In 1 ...

to John Charles II and Maxine Mitchell. He has a brother John Charles III and late brother Tim. He has three children with his wife Lynda: Catherine, Kieron, and Kerry. Breon lives in Ellettsville, Indiana. He retired from

in early 2013, and there received the President's Distinguished Service Medal award. He enjoys watching the Indianapolis Colts, guest lecturing around the world, talking to his granddaughters Maddie and Molly, and collecting rare books.

References

American translators Germanists Indiana University faculty Living people 1942 births Translators of Franz Kafka German–English translators 20th-century translators {{US-translator-stub