Polly Barton (author)
Polly Barton | |
|---|---|
| Born | London, England |
| Education | University of Cambridge; SOAS University of London |
| Occupations | Translator and writer |
| Awards | English PEN Translates award, 2020 |
Polly Barton is a British writer and translator of Japanese to English. She is the author of two non-fiction books, Fifty Sounds and Porn: An Oral History. What Am I, A Deer? is her debut novel.[1] She has translated numerous titles of Japanese literature and non-fiction.[2] Her translations have been featured in Granta, Catapult, and The White Review, and in 2019 she won the Fitzcarraldo Editions Essay Prize for her non-fiction debut, Fifty Sounds.[3][4]
Life and career
Born and raised in west London, England, Barton studied philosophy at the University of Cambridge.[5] She travelled to Japan to teach English as part of the JET Program.[6] She also holds an MA degree in the Theory and Practice of Translation from SOAS University of London.[5]
In 2025, Barton founded the festival Translated By, Bristol, which celebrates translation and translated literature.[7]
Bibliography
- Fifty Sounds (2021)
- Porn: An Oral History (2023)
- What Am I, A Deer? (2026)
As translator:
- Spring Garden, Tomoka Shibasaki
- There's No Such Thing as an Easy Job, Kikuko Tsumura
- So We Look to the Sky, Misumi Kubo
- Where the Wild Ladies Are, Aoko Matsuda
- Friendship for Grown-Ups, Naocola Yamazaki
- Mikumari, Misumi Kubo
- Butter, Asako Yuzuki
- Mild Vertigo, Mieko Kanai
- Hunchback, Saou Ichikawa
- The Woman Dies, Aoko Matsuda
- Hooked, Asako Yuzuki
Awards and honours
- Winner of English PEN Translates award 2020, for translating There’s No Such Thing as an Easy Job.[8]
- Longlisted for the 2022 Ondaatje Prize for Fifty Sounds.[9]
- Shortlisted for the 2022 Edward Stanford Travel Writing Award for Fifty Sounds.[10]
- Longlisted for the 2025 International Booker Prize for translating Hunchback[11]
References
- ↑ "Polly Barton". Fitzcarraldo Editions. Retrieved 8 June 2026.
- ↑ "Polly Barton". www.torch.ox.ac.uk. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
- ↑ "Falling Straight Into Sound: An Interview with Polly Barton". CJLC. 4 April 2022. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
- ↑ "Polly Barton". Fitzcarraldo Editions. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
- 1 2 "Literary translation and creativity". chase.ac.uk. Consortium for the Humanities & the Arts South-East England. 12 May 2022. Retrieved 29 May 2025.
- ↑ "Polly Barton author information". BookBrowse.com. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
- ↑ "Programme". translatedbybristol.com. Translated By, Bristol. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
- ↑ "Nineteen PEN Translates awards go to titles from fifteen countries and thirteen languages". English PEN. 10 June 2020. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
- ↑ Mill, Chris (6 April 2022). "RSL Ondaatje Prize 2022 Longlist Announced". Royal Society of Literature. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
- ↑ "Edward Stanford Travel Writing Awards 2022". Travel Writing World. 1 February 2022. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
- ↑ Marshall, Alex (25 February 2025). "To the Point: Short Novels Dominate International Booker Prize Nominees". The New York Times. Retrieved 28 February 2025.