Flemish authors and their translators in the UK
Early March, poet Charlotte Van den Broeck and translator David Colmer were artists in residence at the National Centre for Writing in Norwich, participating in several events. Later that month, author Angelo Tijssens and translator Michele Hutchison went on a UK book tour, promoting ‘The Edges’ in Bristol, London and Manchester.
Charlotte Van den Broeck and David Colmer in Norwich
From Monday 3 March to Friday 14 March, poet Charlotte Van den Broeck and translator David Colmer were artists in residence at the National Centre for Writing (NCW) in Norwich. NCW is a contemporary literature house in the heart of England’s first UNESCO City of Literature. Charlotte and David stayed in Dragon Hall Cottage, which dates from the late 19th century. The aim of the residency was to offer time to write, translate and collaborate. Charlotte and David have been working together for six years, but this was the first time they had spent any time together in person. Over the 12 days of the residency, Charlotte and David were working together on the translation of Charlotte’s poetry pamphlet ‘Plakboel’ (‘Sticky Mess’). Charlotte was also writing an essay on sensory reading and poetics in creative writing education, and David was working on various translation-related projects.
David and I had a very easy-going time in the cottage and working together. It was a great chance to get to know each other better and learn more about each other’s practice and way of working. I’m very happy we got to do the residency together!Charlotte Van den Broeck
The residency was timed to coincide with the publication by Bloodaxe Books of ‘The Inside of a Stone’, David’s translation into English of Charlotte’s poetry collection ‘aarduitwrijvingen’. NCW arranged three events in Norwich during the residency to celebrate the publication with different audiences.
- David and Charlotte where introduced to the local literary community at the Dragon Hall Social on Wednesday 5 March.
- On Thursday 6 March, Charlotte and David gave a poetry translation workshop for the British Centre of Literary Translation. During the workshop, participants produced their own translations of the poem ‘Sisklank’, based on the original in Flemish and an English gloss.
- On Wednesday 12 March, presented the translation of ‘The Inside of a Stone’ at the local independent bookshop the Book Hive, chaired by fellow Bloodaxe poet Tiffany Atkinson and attended by 40 people. Both of Charlotte’s collections in English were for sale, and there was a lively discussion with audience members both during and after the event.
It has been a great opportunity to deepen an existing collaboration and develop skills that will aid future collaborations with other writers.David Colmer
Book tour ‘The Edges’
Angelo Tijssens and translator Michele Hutchison went on a UK book tour in March to promote 'The Edges', the English translation of 'De randen', published by Daunt Books Publishing. Angelo and Michele stopped at Blackwell's Bookshop in Manchester, Bookhaus in Bristol and Bàrd Books in London.
The book tour took off on Monday 17 March with a buzzy event at Flanders House in London, were about 40 people had gathered. In Manchester, it was a more intimate setting, with a very engaged audience. In Bristol, Angelo and Michele had a conversation Tom Marshman, and in London with Barry Pierce.
Aneesa Abbas Higgins reviewed ‘The Edges’ for the European Literary Network.
In spite of the dark and harrowing subject matter, this novel is poetic and tinged with melancholy. In spare, well-chosen language, Tijssens and his translator, Michele Hutchison, evoke vividly imagined scenes that linger in the mind and leave the reader with an all-pervading sense of loss and longing.Aneesa Abbas Higgins
All these events are part of our Flip through Flanders project, promoting Dutch-language literature from Flanders across the UK and Ireland.