And now for something not entirely different: “Fantasmagoriana Deluxe”

One proud debut literary translator here!

I got back from a conference to find my contributor copies of "Fantasmagoriana Deluxe: A combined edition of Fantasmagoriana and Tales of the Dead" edited by Eric Guignard and Leslie Klinger, published by Dark Moon Books.

I've done tons of academic translation (and an unfortunate amount of silly marketing-drivel). This was my first foray into literary translation. I had the best time working on it. It was a big responsibility, translating the worlds and atmospheres of the stories.

My favorite part, hands down, was translating dialogue. The stories I worked on have humorous moments that blossomed in bantering exchanges between the characters.

My other favorite challenge was finding ways to translate wordplay.

My third favorite thing was making difficult decisions about, let's call it, historic register. How archaic should these early-19th century stories sound today?

Well, you can find out how archaic I made them sound by getting the book or suggesting it for purchase for your library. The volume makes a contribution to the study of the history of horror, particularly influences on Mary Shelley and her circle, by offering the first actually complete English edition of the German ghost stories that inspired Frankenstein.

(Also, it's a really pretty book.)