July 15, 2010
Trilogy of Translations Nearly Ready for Printer
Language Lanterns Publications Inc. is almost ready to announce the publication of three more volumes of Ukrainian literature translated into English. The proofs are sitting on my desk, and as soon as I complete entering some corrections into the InDesign files, the three 416-page books will be ready to print!
This trilogy will bring the total of Language Lanterns books published to 20. That's quite the accomplishment for a tiny company that really ought to be a non-profit! It's been a labour of love for Roma Franko, the translator, and the late Sonia Morris, the editor. I've been copy editor, proofreader, and since the passing of my mother Sonia in 2007, the associate editor. It's been quite the experience!
Mom and Roma both took early retirement from careers as professors at the University of Saskatchewan, and poured their energies (and their pensions!) into Language Lanterns. They've donated thousands of books to libraries in Canada and Ukraine, with the aim of spreading the accessibility of 19th- and 20th-century Ukrainian literature.
Last year, they were awarded the inaugural George S. N. Luckyj Ukrainian Literature Translation Prize by the Canadian Foundation of Ukrainian Studies. The citation cites Franko and Morris
for their dedication to and tremendous efforts and achievements in translating Ukrainian literature into English and making it accessible to a wide reading audience. . . After taking early retirement from their respective academic careers at the University of Saskatchewan in 1996, the sisters embarked on new careers, Roma Franko as translator and Sonia Morris as editor. Together they founded Language Lanterns Publications dedicated to publishing works of Ukrainian literature in English translation. . . To date, 17 volumes have appeared translated by Roma Franko and edited by Sonia Morris. . . The names of the recipients will be inscribed on a plaque that will be permanently displayed in the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures at the University of Toronto.
While I have to wait to tell you more about the trilogy that will appear soon, I can say that there are many powerful and moving short stories in it. Stories that brought me to tears, even upon a third or fourth reading while editing and proofreading.
And you see that photo up above? That desk is my Mom's desk that I got after she died following many years of fighting cancer. I'm proud to have been able to assist in fulfilling her and Roma's goal of translating, editing, and publishing 20 volumes - - on her desk.
P.S. I want to thank Don at Hignell Book Printing for his unwavering support, DTP advice, and assistance over many years. Don has been a rock, and his calm dealing with any and all "crises," and his (perhaps I shouldn't share this) tolerance for, um, extended deadlines, has been a lifesaver. Thanks too to Cori at Hignell for her great work on tweaking the covers of the forthcoming trilogy.
Posted by Paul at July 15, 2010 08:23 PM