Greetings from sunny London!
This week is shaping up to be very exciting for Asymptote, as yesterday evening we were honoured with the 2015 London Book Fair’s International Literary Translation Initiative Award. This is undoubtedly a very momentous occasion for us, both personally and professionally, as this prestigious prize recognizes excellence in the field of literary translation, awarded to an organisation that has “succeeded in raising the profile of literature in translation, promoting literary translators, and encouraging new translators and translated works.” Not only is this the first time a Singaporean organization has been honored at the London Book Fair, but also the first time Singapore has been represented altogether.
The selection committee informed us that their decision was “unanimous,” describing Asymptote as “the place where translators want to publish their own and their authors’ work,” which is very high praise indeed.
Our Editor-in-Chief, Lee Yew Leong, was in London for the prize-giving ceremony, joined by Criticism Editor Ellen Jones and Taiwan Editor-at-Large Vivian Chih. Of our success, Lee Yew Leong commented:
“This award truly belongs to all editors, contributors, and guest artists past and present, who have made Asymptote what it is today: a site to discover the best in world literature.”
As a non-profit organisation striving to remain free and accessible to everyone while maintaining our extremely high standard of publishing, being honoured in such a way is immensely gratifying. We hope that such recognition will assist us in our quest for funding, so that Asymptote can continue and expand for many years to come. However, we have you, our readers, to thank for your support in getting us this far.
The Book Fair is also an opportunity for Asymptote staff to meet–in some cases for the first time–and share ideas and plans in person. While our global presence is of huge benefit in many ways, we relish the chance to socialise when we can! Be on the look out for us over the next few days at the Fair at London Olympia, which hosts many of our contributors and affiliates as speakers, including Julia Sherwood (Slovakia E-a-L), Sophie Hughes, Scott Esposito, Daniel Hahn, Deborah Smith, and George Szirtes.
Group image from left to right: Mui Poopoksakul, Aamer Hussein, Rosie Clarke, Lee Yew Leong, Ellen Jones, Vivian Chih.