The Order of Things: Jennifer Croft on Translating Olga Tokarczuk

NPR recently did an interview with the author and translator: https://www.npr.org/2022/01/29/1076663955/nobel-prize-winner..., this was the first time I’ve heard of this book, it sounded very interesting.

My wife speaks near-native German (C2 level), and as an exercise from her teacher she was given to read Die Jakobsbuecher (and latter to write an essay on that). She says it's an interesting experience, even for her.

PS: I'm improving my German by reading Stanislaw Lem's 'Observation on the Spot' (untranslated to English I believe) - in German 'Der Lokaltermin'. The most useless book for everyday German :), but I love it. It starts with something like 'After crossing galactic magnetic fields I feel them now in my every bone' and continues in the same vein. Not something you could use in a shop or when renting an apartment :)

Wonderful piece, lightly erudite, seamlessly blending etymology, syntax, and so on, with philosophy and humanity.

The comparison with translations from Sinhala was a nice touch too.

Not familiar with The Book of Jacob, but Flights by Olga Tokarczuk (again translated by Jennifer Coft) was excellent.