Chapter 6 - The British Centre for Literary Translation

Summary

The most lasting testament to W. G. Sebald’s profound interest in literary translation is the British Centre for Literary Translation, which he founded at the University of East Anglia in 1989 on the model of translator houses in Germany and France. His aims with BCLT were to provide material support for literary translators and to raise the profile of literary translation as a profession in the UK. Sebald established a small team around him and quickly secured stable, recurrent funding for BCLT from the Arts Council of Great Britain and other sources. He established the pattern of BCLT activity that largely still persists: the Centre became a base for dozens of visiting translators, hosted events (conferences, workshops and seminars, the St Jerome Lecture) and pursued other projects, in particular compiling a Directory of Literary Translators. Sebald served as Director for the first five years of BCLT’s existence: he stepped down in 1994 as his literary career began to blossom, but retained an attachment till his death. Now into its fourth decade, BCLT continues its vigorous promotion of literary translation at the interface between academia and the profession.