2016:1

Anyone attending a book fair or book festival in the last twelve months will have noticed the growing interest in and public discussion of literary translation. There has been a clear focus on issues of language and identity, on reading translated texts and on considering re-translation of classics. In a wide variety of settings translators, writers and readers have gathered to explore some of the creative and linguistic challenges involved in translation, and in many public situations translators themselves have become more prominent.

Such visibility has not always been the case – translators have not generally been found centre stage. They have mostly been a name on a title page, sometimes indeed not even that (though the Twitter #namethetranslator campaign launched in 2013 by Helen Wang and others has done much to raise awareness). In this issue we turn the spotlight on one translator who truly stands out for his skill and mastery and has become one of the best-known translators of the last four decades. Laurie Thompson, editor of SBR for twenty years, who died in June 2015, will be remembered for his leading role in the promotion of Swedish literature in the English-speaking world, not forgetting, of course, the significant part he played in introducing British readers to Scandicrime and the ensuing publishing boom. Here some of his friends and colleagues share their personal memories of the very modest man whose outstanding achievements we celebrate.

The translations we feature are extracts from exciting examples of new fiction. Ninni Holmqvist became an international success with a novel set in the future. In her latest novel she takes us back to the life – and sounds – of the 1960s. Gabriella Håkansson, who has been acclaimed as one of the most original voices in contemporary Swedish fiction, explores the world of 19th-century London in the second volume of her epic trilogy of historical adventure.

Our regular Bookshelf gives a vivid taste of the impressive range of material currently being published in Sweden, and once again we highlight some earlier books that really should not be missed.