Karolína Stehlíková - Translator of the Month
Our translator of the month for February is Karolína Stehlíková. She studied Theatre Science and the Norwegian Language and Literature at Masaryk University, Brno, where she later took her PhD focussing on the drama and language of Jon Fosse. Most of her work is in one way or another connected to Scandinavian theatre, literature or film, whether she is teaching, writing or translating. Along with three friends she also runs a small publishing house called Elg, which focuses on aspects of Nordic culture that have been previously overlooked in the Czech Republic.
Do you choose the books you want to work on yourself? And if so: how do you do it?
Yes, I mostly choose them myself. A publisher or theatre might approach me with a specific title or I will come across something myself and try to persuade someone to publish it or stage it. First and foremost, I have to be excited about the text and have faith in it.
That could also be why I founded the publishing house Elg with my friends. It allows us to work on projects we love and mean something to us. Since 2006, we have published a short series of books (a collection of articles related to Henrik Ibsen, an anthology of Scandinavian drama, and seven fairy tales by Hans Christian Andersen) and a few years ago, along with several partners, we created a larger exhibition project about the Czech-Norwegian translator and academic Milada Blekastad.
Right now we have two projects underway – the first is an anthology of modern Norwegian poetry and the second is a translation of Johan Harstad’s novel Max, Mischa and the Tet Offensive, Mischa and the Tet Offensive. I am so happy that something which began as a side project right after we finished university continues to bear fruit in the form of enriching books and projects.
What question should we have asked you?
Ask me about NORLA! I admire everything NORLA does, not just for translators but in general to promote Norwegian literature abroad. As a translator, I feel basically spoiled. All the scholarships, residencies and conferences! NORLA is also a great help when a Norwegian speaker or author is being invited here. If you happen to be in Oslo, it’s also a pleasure to drop by at lunchtime and meet all the great people working there. For us translators and cultural workers, it is all hugely motivating and makes us feel like members of a big family. I am not exaggerating!
Read more
Learn more about Karolína on Books from Norway.
Those of you who understand Norwegian can read her interview in full here.
In July 2023, the large-scale travelling literature festival Authors’ Reading Month (ARM/MAČ) took place in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, with 31 authors from Norway participating.
To read more and see videos, please click here.
Other translators interviewed in the Translator of the Month series.
