Translators were invited to a special Day One conference at Frankfurter Buchmesse on 16 October. ‘From Italy to the World’ focused on issues and opportunities in translating Italian literature. Image: Publishing Perspectives, Eric Dupuy
By Eric Dupuy | @duperico
Praise for Italy’s Expanded Translation Support Program
At Frankfurter Buchmesse, Wednesday’s (October 16) Italian translators conference was held in person for the first time, buoyed by Italy’s stance as Frankfurt’s 2024 guest of honor market.
Organized by the Salone Internazionale del Libro di Torino, the event brought together Italian translators from several parts of the world in a special fellowship for this edition of Frankfurt, providing a networking opportunity.
Among the discussions at this Mediterranean-tinged morning session was a conversation about how to (better) export Italian books. Publishers of general literature from the United States (Michael Reynold, Europa Editions); Spain (Ana Rodado, Anagrama); Germany (Linus Guggenberger, Verlag Klaus Wagenbach); and France (Audrey Scarbel, Grasset) participated in the round table.
What may have been missing from the topic’s relevance was a diversity of literary genres represented. All the participating publishers agreed that a balance must be found between well-established Italian classics, like Umberto Eco, consistently performing well over the years, and newer works, which face more difficulty breaking into the various markets represented at the conference.
Michael Reynolds presented stark figures that underscore this challenge: “Of the 120 Italian titles by 42 different authors that we’ve translated in the United States,” he said, “only five have sold more than 100,000 copies, and three of those were by Elena Ferrante—while 55 of them have sold fewer than 1,000 copies.”
Nevertheless, one exception to this rule stands out: Come d’Aria, the debut and final novel by Ada d’Adamo, was published by the small press Elliott and posthumously awarded the 2023 Strega Prize. The book is set to be released in France next March.
“We don’t acquire titles because they’re successful,” said Audrey Scarbel. “We acquire them because we love them and they fit with our catalogue.”
“There’s certainly some magic in Italian literature,” said Linus Guggenberger, “but there’s also a great deal of work behind publishing in Germany, and that’s the most rewarding part of working in translation: talking with translators, who are almost like literary co-agents.”
As for Italy’s role as the guest of honor at this edition of the Frankfurt Book Fair, the attending publishers all noted that more than the spotlight on the country’s literature, it’s the translation subsidies that have accompanied this honor over the past year that will truly help develop Italian titles globally.
This represents a new and welcome initiative from Italy, which had not previously adopted an aggressive policy on translation support, it was said at the program.
At the October 16 ‘From Italy to the World’ translators’ conference at Frankfurter Buchmesse. Image: Publishing Perspectives, Eric Dupuy
Our 2024 Frankfurt Book Fair Magazine, currently being read at Frankfurter Buchmesse by trade visitors, now is available in a digital edition here. This interview is a part of the magazine’s focal section on this year’s Italian guest of honor program.
Download your copy here.
Guest of Honor Italy is showcasing its publishers and authors on multiple stands at honor year in 2025 with programming and a large delegation of authors and publishers, and Frankfurt’s 2025 guest of honor, the Philippines, has begun its programming.
You’ll also read our focused coverage of issues and events in the Guest of Honor Italy program; PEN International president emerita Jennifer Clement on censorship ahead of the IPA’s International Publishers Congress; an exit interview with the outgoing IPA president Karine Pansa of Brazil; an interview with Scholastic chief Peter Warwick; perspectives on audio in Italy from Mondadori’s Miriam Spinnato; and more.
More from Publishing Perspectives on Italy and its book publishing industry is here, and more on the Italian Publishers Association (AIE) is here. More on Frankfurter Buchmesse is here, more on translation is here, and more on the rights trade is here.
About the Author
