Catching Fire: A Translation Diary

In Catching Fire, the translation of Diamela Eltit's Never Did the Fire unfolds in real time as a conversation between works of art, illuminating both in the process. The problems & pleasures of conveying literature into another language—what happens when you meet a pun? a double entendre?—are met by translator Daniel Hahn's humor, deftness, & deep appreciation for what sets Eltit's work apart, & his evolving understanding of what this particular novel is trying to do.

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Daniel Hahn, the award-winning writer, editor, translator, & translation advocate, received the 2023 Ottaway Award for the Promotion of International Literature. His recent book, Catching Fire (Charco Press, 2022), pulls back the curtain on his translation of Diamela Eltit’s Never Did the Fire, recording in real time the artistic conversation that occurs within a translation.