Ruth Clarke appointed as New Writing North and Durham University Translator in Residence

The year-long residency, which runs from April 2022-March 2023, was founded by literary translators Ros Schwartz and Daniel Hahn, with support from Arts Council England. New Writing North and Durham University will work in partnership to support this exciting pilot project.

Ruth Clarke is a literary translator from Italian, French and Spanish. She has translated an eclectic range of work by authors from Benin to Venezuela, including her latest publication, Evelina Santangelo’s novel From Another World (Granta, 2020). Ruth teaches on the MA in Translation Studies at Durham University and has been a mentor for the British Council’s Translation Fellowship.

Ruth is keen to bring translation to the public stage and has spoken at events such as Crossing Border Festival, London Book Fair and International Translation Day. She promotes translation through New Spanish Books and 12 Swiss Books, and she is a founding member of The Starling Bureau, a collective of literary translators.

Over the course of the Durham residency, Ruth will develop activities such as workshops, talks, and public engagement and participation projects, some of which will form part of Durham Book Festival, with the aim of encouraging an interest in literary translation and translated literature, and the valuing of languages, among communities in and around Durham and the North of England.

Ruth Clarke said: “I’m excited to explore innovative ways to reach a new audience of readers and possible future translators. I hope that the residency can lay the foundations for a series of programmes that will continue beyond this year, establishing a visible presence for literary translation on the cultural scene in Durham and the North East.”

Ros Schwartz adds: “We are delighted at Ruth’s appointment. She will bring energy, creativity and enthusiasm to the role and help generate interest in translated literature across a broad range of local communities.”

Durham Book Festival is a Durham County Council event produced by New Writing North with support from Durham University and Arts Council England. It takes place each October, find out more about it at durhambookfestival.com