NORLA's Translator's Prize 2022 to Leonardo Pinto Silva

At NORLAs Translator’s Conference in Kløfta in June, we presented the winners of our Translator’s Prizes for 2022 and 2023. NORLA’s Translator’s Prize for 2022 (non-fiction) was given to Leonardo Pinto Silva, who has translated from Norwegian to Brazilian Portuguese over several decades.

Leonardo has translated a range of non-fiction titles in different fields, from Thor Heyerdal’s I Adams fotspor, Erika Fatland’s sales successes Sovjetistan, Grensen og Høyt, via Morten Strøksnes’ Havboka to Anne Sverdrup-Thygeson’s Insektenes planet. Maybe is was the work with Mikael Hem’s Kanskje jeg kan bli diktator that made him interested in two other books that he managed to place at publishing houses in his home country: Torkjell Leira’s Kampen om regnskogen and Kunsten å drepe et demokrati, two books that were important to publish in Brazilian Portuguese.

High quality and well-oriented

- Leonardo receives this prize for his longstanding and tireless effort for Norwegian literature in general and non-fiction in particular, for not to mention the high quality of his translations, says Margit Walsø, Director of NORLA.

She points out that Leonardo is especially well-oriented in Norwegian non-ficion and has a ‘good nose’ for which books that might be of interest to his home market.

- The number of Norwegian books he has managed to place and have translated is impressive, especially when you think of how exotic and peripheral Norway and Norwegian literature must appear seen from Brasil, she says.

Leonardo acquired his thorough knowledge of Norwegian language and culture already at a young age when he was an exchange student in Karmøy from 1988 to 1989. Since then he has studied Norwegian as a foreign language at University of Oslo and translation in Brazil, in addition to having obtained an MBA in Business Administration.

Congratulations to Leonardo Pinto Silva!