The Prince Claus Fund supported travel and accomodation costs for participation of the Chadian writer and musician Koulsy Lamko in the Editor’s Week in Buenos Aires, held from 28 May to 3 June 2006.
The fourth Editor’s Week took place this autumn, with eleven participants visiting us from Brazil, Chad, Ireland, Great Britain, France, Norway, Germany, Greece and Italy. Most participants were editors, but there was also a translator, a critic and a journalist from the prestigious Times Literary Supplement. As in prior years, we chose the participants to provide a balance both between big and small publishers, and between more experienced and younger professionals.
The Hotel Lafayette in downtown Buenos Aires served as the headquarters. Activities started on Monday, May 29, with a stroll through the traditional neighbourhood of La Boca, guided by writer Alvaro Abós. That afternoon a presentation about “Current Literature in Argentina” was presented at the Fundación Proa. This first overview, given by the writers and critics Florencia Abatte, Martín Kohan and Damián Tabarovsky, resulted in a broad list of names to be taken into account — encompassing such diverse Argentine writers as Oliverio Coelho, Juan José Saer, Sergio Bizzio, Matilde Sánchez, Osvaldo Lamborghini or Antonio di Benedetto. Further, the overview introduced some concepts that would carry throughout the week: Argentine literature as a frontierland between Europe and Latin America, the multiple consequences of military dictatorship, the “wild capitalism” of the 1990’s, the economic and social crisis of 2001, the everlasting importance of translated literature, and the unavoidable presence of Jorge Luis Borges.
On the second day, participants began to meet with local editors. An appointment at the Goethe Institute brought together the heads of the publishing houses Adriana Hidalgo, De la Flor and Interzona. An informal lunch was held with all the members of Letras Argentinas, an association of publishers looking to foster the translation of their authors into other languages. The afternoon meeting was with small publishing houses, such as La Marca, Paradiso and Tantalia, which take part in Opción Libros, a special program organized by the Subsecretaría de Industrias Culturales of Buenos Aires City. Besides talking about their books and authors, the publishers discussed ways of supporting small companies, offering comparisons with programmes in other countries.
The participants then moved to the Centre for Cultural Extension of the Universidad de Buenos Aires, to a talk open to the public: “Translating Worldwide Today.” The discussion was opened by Dominique Bourgois (France), Heloisa Jahn (Brazil) and Sinéad McAodha (Ireland). Like the previous year, the open talk attracted a full and actively participatory audience, reaffirming the need for this kind of professional encounter. A particularly interesting discussion was a comparison of public and private policies on publishing and translation in countries as different as France, Ireland, Brazil and Argentina. On the third day, visits were made to the larger publishing houses (Random House, Norma and Planeta).
The novelty of this year’s programme was a visit to Rosario, a city on the shore of the mythic Paraná River, at the invitation of the Centro Cultural Parque España. It provided an opportunity for the travelers to leave Buenos Aires and see the contrasts between the city and the countryside. In Rosario, Martín Prieto, a professor of the Universidad de Rosario and author of a brief history of Argentinean literature, provided a wonderful talk. They also met with local editors, including Beatriz Viterbo Editora, publishers of César Aira.
The final professional activity back in Buenos Aires was a meeting with publishers of non-fiction: Edhasa, Manantial, Siglo XXI and Del Zorzal. This exchange — which included academic books as well as more popular writing —allowed for a general view of local literary production. It also generated an interesting debate among the editors in learning how similar things are done in different countries.
The farewell dinner was held once again in a very typical “club de barrio” and followed by a visit to the Salón Canning, were real tango is danced by regular people. Again, the workshop helped a new group of individuals make a personal connection to Argentina, its authors and its books. The network created by the Editor’s Week now includes around 40 international members, who continue the conversations begun in Buenos Aires.
With the aim of encouraging worldwide cultural debate, the Prince Claus Fund organises and supports events around the world to facilitate intercultural exchange. These events include conferences, lectures, meetings and exhibitions.
The results of these exchange events are presented to a wider, international audience in the form of articles, books and websites.
These exchange events provide a creative environment in which new approaches can be presented and new contributors can become engaged in the debate. The events also serve as a guide to the Prince Claus Fund in its endeavours in the field of culture and development.
