Jen Calleja

Jen Calleja
BornDecember 1986 (age 38)
NationalityBritish
Education
Occupations
  • Writer
  • literary translator

Jen Calleja (born December 1986) is a British writer and literary translator.

Education

Calleja studied Media and Modern Literature at Goldsmiths (2006–09) followed by an MA in German Studies at UCL (2010–12), where she wrote her Masters dissertation on the poet-translator Michael Hofmann and the artist Gerhard Richter.[1] Since 2012, she has been a freelance literary translator from German, and a published writer and poet.

Career

In 2012 she founded the Anglo-German arts journal Verfreundungseffekt,[2] and some years later became the acting editor of the journal New Books in German.

Her first collection as a poet, Serious Justice, published by Test Centre was shortlisted for the Melita Hume Poetry Prize 2015[3] and for the London Review of Books Bookshop Best Debut Selection 2016.[4]

In 2017 Calleja was chosen as the inaugural Translator in Residence at the British Library.[5] during which she aimed to explore "the range of theoretical, educational and practical facets of translation and their role in society and culture".[5]

"The Pine Islands", Calleja's translation of Die Kieferninseln by Marion Poschmann, was shortlisted for the 2019 International Booker Prize.[citation needed] She has translated fiction and non-fiction for Bloomsbury, Faber & Faber, Fitzcarraldo Editions and Peirene Press and has written a column on literary translation for The Quietus.[6] Her translations have been featured in The New Yorker and Literary Hub.

Her first collection of short stories, I'm Afraid that's All We've Got Time For, was published in 2020

Calleja, along with Kat Storace, founded Praspar Press in 2020. Praspar is a micro-press that publishes English translations of literature originally in Maltese. They have also published several anthologies featuring Maltese writers writing in English, writers of Maltese heritage, and further English translations of writing in Maltese.[7][8][9]

In an earlier life, Calleja played drums for Sauna Youth and Feature.[10]

Award nominations

Selected translations

Poetry

  • Serious Justice (Test Centre, 2015)

Short stories

  • I'm Afraid that's All We've Got Time For (Prototype Publishing, 2020)

References

  1. ^ "AHRC in talk with the first translator in residence at the British Library - Arts and Humanities Research Council". ahrc.ukri.org. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
  2. ^ "Translator in Residence - European studies blog". blogs.bl.uk. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
  3. ^ "THE MELITA HUME POETRY PRIZE SHORTLIST". Eyewear Publishing. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
  4. ^ "Christmas Poetry Picks 2016 | Blog". London Review Bookshop. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
  5. ^ a b "Jen Calleja". The British Library. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
  6. ^ "The Quietus | Features | Tome On The Range | Verfreundungseffekt: Hell Is 1788 Degrees — The Poetry Of Pertti Kurikka". The Quietus. Retrieved 31 August 2019.
  7. ^ "London micro-press accepting submissions by Maltese writers". Times of Malta. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
  8. ^ "Calling Maltese authors: London micropublisher looks to compile second anthology". Times of Malta. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
  9. ^ "London micropress issues call for its annual anthology". Times of Malta. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
  10. ^ "Sauna Youth: Not Giving Up The Day Job". Crack Magazine. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
  11. ^ "The Pine Islands interview | The Booker Prizes". thebookerprizes.com. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
  12. ^ "Translation Prizes | The Society of Authors". www.societyofauthors.org. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
  13. ^ "The Language of Addiction: an interview with translator Jen Calleja - Found in Translation". blog.goethe.de. Retrieved 30 August 2019.