This lecture looks at some of the ways in which texts and authors move across cultural and linguistic boundaries. The role played by literary prizes such as the Nobel Prize for Literature is considered, but so also is the unpredicted success of some writing which appears to defy norms and conventions at certain times. Key to all this is the role of the reader, particularly what has been described as the non-professional reader who buys books or borrows from libraries. I will draw on what I have learned from judging several major literary prizes, most recently the Women Writers in Translation prize.

Professor Susan Bassnett is a Scholar of comparative literature and translation studies. She is Professor of Comparative Literature at the University of Glasgow, and Professor Emerita of Comparative Literature at the University of Warwick. She was educated in several European countries, began her academic career in Italy, and continues to lecture in universities around the world. She sits on the board of several international funding bodies, including the Leverhulme Trust.

Author of over 20 books, her Translation Studies (4th edition, 2013), which first appeared in 1980, has remained in print ever since and has become an important international textbook in this field. Her Comparative Literature (1993) has also become internationally renowned and has been translated into several languages. Other books include works on Latin American literature , women’s theatre history, and poetry. Recent books are Translation in Global News (2008) written with Esperanca Bielsa, Reflections on Translation (2011) and Translation (2014) in the Routledge New Critical Idiom series. Her latest book is an edited collection of essays, World Literature and Translation (2018). In addition to her scholarly works, Bassnett is a well-known journalist and translator and also writes poetry. She has served as a judge of many international literary prizes, including the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize, the Spender Poetry in Translation Prize, the IMPAC Dublin Prize and, most recently, the Women Writers in Translation Prize. She is an elected Fellow of the Academia Europea, the Institute of Linguists and the Royal Society of Literature. Since 2016 she has been President of the British Comparative Literature Association.

Everyone is welcome and the event is free but places are limited so booking is essential. To reserve a place, please follow this link: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-garnet-rees-memorial-lecture-2019-tickets-58581691416