Description: From the celebrated translator of Cervantes and Garciá Márquez, a testament to the power of the translator's art
Review Quotes: "Groundbreaking."--New York Times
"Grossman and others like her continue to offer us enlightenment. . . . [The subject] is passionately explored and patiently explained."--Richard Howard, New York Times Book Review "In this slim but powerful volume, Edith Grossman argues that translation performs a function that is too often ignored or misunderstood."--Edward King, Sunday Times "A passionate defense of the translator's art."--Peter Terzian, Boston Globe "Grossman writes with passion and clarity, and with a wisdom acquired through decades of practice. . . . Why Translation Matters is well argued and stylishly written. Or, to put it another way, it is both able and seamless."--Daniel Hahn, Times Literary Supplement "A brief, forceful defense of [translation]."--Hillel Italie, Associated Press "Required reading for publishers the world over. . . . It should also be given to all reviewers, agents, writers and readers. . . . In clean language that is a pleasure to read, Grossman argues why and how a good translation is just that."--Julie Rose, The Australian "A passionate and provocative case for the continuing importance of literary translation."--London Review of Books "This trio of essays is a record of a professional's clear-sighted reflections on an often misunderstood craft. Composed with clarity and insight in what Orwell himself would have called 'windowpane prose, ' the book is a beautifully written and boldly argued piece of scholarship."--Thomas Patrick Wisniewski, In Other Words--Journal for Literary Translators "This is a valuable book and a valiant effort to explain the importance of translation."--Chad Post, Quarterly Conversation "[Grossman's] investigation of the broad-reaching societal benefits of translated texts--which allow for exchange of ideas and insight--is captivating and refreshing."--Choice "Grossman is one of the multilingual crowd's best, and she explains exactly why this skill of decoding and reconstruction of an author's words, rhythm and intent is so important."--San Francisco Chronicle "There is a fair bit here about the mechanics of translation, including an excellent account of how Grossman overcame her anxiety about approaching Don Quixotee. . . . But it is her unswerving confidence in the metier and her blunt yet sophisticated defence of it that matter most, in the end."--The Observer "Straight-talking and thought-provoking. . . . Translation matters. Having read this, you won't be in any doubt."--Nora Mahony, Irish Times "In this fascinating book, the author, a renowned translator herself, discusses her own methods of translation and argues the case that a bringing a literary work into a new language often gives it another identity while being intimately bound to the original. . . . This scholarly work . . . should become a classic of its kind."--Gazette & Herald "This scholarly work is surprisingly easy to read and should become a classic of its kind."--Bill Spence, Yorkshire Gazette & Herald Selected as a Choice Outstanding Academic Title for 2010 in the Language & Literature category "Edith Grossman, the Glenn Gould of translators, has written a superb book on the art of the literary translation. Even Walter Benjamin is surpassed by her insights into her task, which she rightly sees as imaginatively independent. This should become a classic text."--Harold Bloom