{{Short description|British literary translator}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} '''Imogen Taylor''' is a British literary translator. She translates works from German to English, and has previously won the Goethe-Institut Prize for her work. Her notable translations include Sasha Marianna Salzmann's novel, ''Beside Myself'', Melanie Raabe's ''The Trap'', as well as Florian Huber's ''Promise Me You’ll Shoot Yourself: The Downfall of Ordinary Germans, 1945;'' and Sascha Arango's novel'', The Truth and Other Lies.'' Her work has been shortlisted for the Schlegel-Tieck Prize and Helen and Kurt Wolff's Translator Prize.
== Biography == Taylor completed her undergraduate education at New College, Oxford where she studied French and German. She completed her doctorate at the Humboldt University, in Berlin, where she studied bilingual couples in 18th century French novels.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Imogen Taylor - Writes @ Berlin|url=https://www.literaturport.de/wab/Imogen.Taylor/en/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220211/https://www.literaturport.de/wab/Imogen.Taylor/en/ |archive-date=2022-02-11 |url-status=live|access-date=2022-02-11|website=www.literaturport.de}}{{cbignore}}</ref> She has lived in Berlin since 2001.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|title=Beside Myself – DUBLIN Literary Award|url=https://dublinliteraryaward.ie/books/beside-myself/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220211/https://dublinliteraryaward.ie/books/beside-myself/ |archive-date=2022-02-11 |url-status=live|access-date=2022-02-11|language=en-US}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
== Career == In 2015, Taylor published a translation of Sascha Arango's novel, ''The Truth and Other Lies'' (''Die Wahrheit und andere Lügen''). Her translation was listed as ''The New York Times''' 100 Notable Books of 2015.<ref>{{Cite news|date=2015-11-27|title=100 Notable Books of 2015|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/06/books/review/100-notable-books-of-2015.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220211/https://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/06/books/review/100-notable-books-of-2015.html |archive-date=2022-02-11 |url-status=live|access-date=2022-02-11|issn=0362-4331}}{{cbignore}}</ref> In 2016, Taylor won the Goethe-Institut award for an excerpt of her translation ''Momente der Klarheit'' by Jackie Thomae (Hanser Berlin).<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|title=Oxford Alumna wins top award for new translators {{!}} Faculty of Medieval and Modern Languages|url=https://www.mod-langs.ox.ac.uk/news/2016/03/09/oxford-alumna-wins-top-award-new-translators|access-date=2022-02-11|website=www.mod-langs.ox.ac.uk}}</ref> In the same year, the ''Seattle Times's'' critic Adam Woog listed her translation of Melanie Raabe's ''The Trap'' as one of the 10 best mysteries of the year.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2016-12-08|title=Adam Woog’s 10 best mysteries of 2016|url=https://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/books/adam-woogs-10-best-mysteries-of-2016/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161209150430/http://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/books/adam-woogs-10-best-mysteries-of-2016/ |archive-date=2016-12-09 |url-status=live|access-date=2022-02-11|website=The Seattle Times|language=en-US}}</ref>
In 2018, ''The Guardian'' praised her "sure-footed" translation of ''Fear'' by Dirk Kurbjuweit (Orion)<ref>{{Cite web|date=2018-01-21|title=Consent by Leo Benedictus and Fear by Dirk Kurbjuweit – review|url=http://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/jan/21/consent-by-leo-benedictus-fear-by-dirk-kurbjuweit-review |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220211/http://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/jan/21/consent-by-leo-benedictus-fear-by-dirk-kurbjuweit-review |archive-date=2022-02-11 |url-status=live|access-date=2022-02-11|website=the Guardian|language=en}}{{cbignore}}</ref> and listed it as one of the best books of 2018.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Guardian best books of 2018: across fiction, politics, food and more|language=en-GB|work=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/ng-interactive/2018/dec/01/guardian-review-best-books-of-2018 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220211/https://www.theguardian.com/books/ng-interactive/2018/dec/01/guardian-review-best-books-of-2018 |archive-date=2022-02-11 |url-status=live|access-date=2022-02-11|issn=0261-3077}}{{cbignore}}</ref> The translation also earned praise from the ''Irish Times''<ref>{{Cite web|title=Fear by Dirk Kurbjuweit review: a gripping tale of domestic terror|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/books/fear-by-dirk-kurbjuweit-review-a-gripping-tale-of-domestic-terror-1.3375123 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180203113916/https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/books/fear-by-dirk-kurbjuweit-review-a-gripping-tale-of-domestic-terror-1.3375123 |archive-date=2018-02-03 |url-status=live|access-date=2022-02-11|website=The Irish Times|language=en}}</ref> and ''Toronto Star''.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Batten|first=Jack|date=2017-12-29|title=Whodunit: mini reviews of mysteries|language=en-CA|work=The Toronto Star|url=https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/books/reviews/2017/12/29/whodunit-mini-reviews-of-mysteries.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220211/https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/books/reviews/2017/12/29/whodunit-mini-reviews-of-mysteries.html |archive-date=2022-02-11 |url-status=live|access-date=2022-02-11|issn=0319-0781}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
In 2019, she published an English translation of German author and historian Florian Huber's best-selling account of mass suicides in Germany towards the end of World War II, titled ''Promise Me You’ll Shoot Yourself: The Downfall of Ordinary Germans, 1945.''<ref>{{Cite web|title='Promise me You'll Shoot Yourself': Nazi Germany's Suicide Wave|url=https://thewire.in/books/promise-me-youll-shoot-yourself-nazi-germanys-suicide-wave |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220211/https://thewire.in/books/promise-me-youll-shoot-yourself-nazi-germanys-suicide-wave |archive-date=2022-02-11 |url-status=live|access-date=2022-02-11|website=The Wire}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|title=Why a Wave of Suicides Washed Over Germany After the Nazi Defeat|language=en|work=Haaretz|url=https://www.haaretz.com/world-news/2019-11-25/ty-article/.premium/germanys-mass-suicides-that-accompanied-the-nazis-defeat/0000017f-f6aa-d318-afff-f7ebd6e80000 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220211/https://www.haaretz.com/world-news/.premium-germany-s-mass-suicides-that-accompanied-the-nazis-defeat-1.8165793 |archive-date=2022-02-11 |url-status=live|access-date=2022-02-11}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Taylor earned praise from the ''Financial Times'', with reviewer Ruta Sepetys praising her "vivid translation",<ref>{{Cite news|last=Sepetys|first=Ruta|date=2019-08-16|title=Promise Me You’ll Shoot Yourself — a German requiem|work=Financial Times|url=https://www.ft.com/content/edd29dc2-aed6-11e9-b3e2-4fdf846f48f5 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220211/https://www.ft.com/content/edd29dc2-aed6-11e9-b3e2-4fdf846f48f5 |archive-date=2022-02-11 |url-status=live|access-date=2022-02-11}}{{cbignore}}</ref> as well as from the ''Telegraph'', which reviewed her "fine translation.".<ref>{{Cite news|last=Rees|first=Laurence|date=2019-06-29|title=‘The thought of living on is unbearable’: the story behind the German mass suicides of 1945|language=en-GB|work=The Telegraph|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/books/what-to-read/thought-living-unbearable-story-behind-german-mass-suicides/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220211/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/books/what-to-read/thought-living-unbearable-story-behind-german-mass-suicides/ |archive-date=2022-02-11 |url-status=live|access-date=2022-02-11|issn=0307-1235}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
In 2021, Taylor translated Sasha Marianna Salzmann's novel, ''Beside Myself'', from German to English. The translation was received well, and was shortlisted for two major German-English translation awards: the Schlegel-Tieck Prize and the Helen and Kurt Wolff's Translator Prize.<ref name=":0" />
== Awards ==
* 2016: Winner, Goethe-Institut Award for a translation of an extract from ''Momente der Klarheit'' by Jackie Thomae (Hanser Berlin)<ref name=":2" /> * 2020: Shortlisted, Schlegel-Tieck Prize for a translation of Sasha Marianna Salzmann's ''Beside Myself''<ref name=":0" /> * 2021: Shortlisted, Helen and Kurt Wolff's Translator Prize for a translation of Sasha Marianna Salzmann's ''Beside Myself''<ref name=":0" /> * 2021: Longlisted, Dublin Literary Award 2020, for a translation of Sasha Marianna Salzmann's ''Beside Myself''<ref name=":1" />
== Bibliography == Translations from German to English:
* (2015) Sascha Arango, ''The truth and other lies (''Melbourne : Text Publishing Company; Scoresby : Penguin Group Australia) {{ISBN|9-781-92218-2777}} * (2016) Anja Reich-Osang, ''The Scholl case : the deadly end of a marriage'' (Melbourne, Vic. : Text Publishing) {{ISBN|9-781-92524-0931}} * (2017) Dirk Kurbjuweit, ''Fear'' (Harper, New York) {{ISBN|9-780-06267-8348}} * (2017) Melanie Raabe, ''The Trap'' (Melbourne, Victoria : Text Publishing Company) {{ISBN|9-781-92549-8042}} * (2019) Melanie Raabe, ''The Shadow'' (Melbourne, Vic. : Text Publishing) {{ISBN|9-781-92226-8617}} * (2019) Sasha Marianna Salzmann, ''Beside Myself'' (New York : Other Press) {{ISBN|9-781-89274-6443}} * (2020) Florian Huber, ''Promise Me You’ll Shoot Yourself: The Downfall of Ordinary Germans, 1945'' (Little, Brown Spark, New York) {{ISBN|9-780-31653-4307}} * (2021) Dirk Kurbjuweit, ''The missing'' (Melbourne, Victoria : The Text Publishing Company) {{ISBN|9-781-92233-0444}}
== References == {{Reflist}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Taylor, Imogen}} Category:21st-century British translators Category:21st-century British women writers Category:Living people Category:Year of birth missing (living people)