Being Translated – A Conversation with the Writer Alain Claude Sulzer

Description

How does an author experience the translation of their novels? What does it mean when their work takes on a new form in another language? We will discuss this in the 13th event of our series "On Translation: Basel Conversations". Alain Claude Sulzer's novels have been translated into many languages, mostly into French, but A Perfect Waiter can also be read in Finnish (Täydellinen tarjoilija) or Bulgarian (Перфектният келнер), At the Wrong Time in Hungarian (Rosszkor születni), or Out of Joint in Dutch (Uit de toon) – to name just a few of his titles that begin a different, new literary existence in other languages and cultural contexts. What does it mean for Alain Claude Sulzer when he releases his novels into an independent, foreign-language life? How is the collaboration with the translator, to whom he entrusts his novel? How does he experience the translation process and the new, independent form of his work, especially when it is translated into a language he does not master? How is his work received in France, Spain, or the Netherlands? How does he experience contact with the local readership? We will discuss these and other questions with Alain Claude Sulzer – and for the first time in our event series "On Translation," we will shift the focus from translating to being translated. Alain Claude Sulzer, born in 1953, lives in Basel, Berlin, and Alsace. He has published numerous novels, including A Perfect Waiter, At the Wrong Time, Out of Joint, Double Lives, and in 2024 the novel Almost Like a Brother. His new novel Scene Change will be published in autumn 2026. His books have been translated into many languages. For his work, he recently received the Solothurn Literature Prize 2025. He is a co-founder of LiedBasel and an artistic collaborator of the Haydn2032 project and the Erasmus Sounds festival. Moderation: Martin Zingg (writer, translator), Dorothea Trottenberg (literary translator)

Highlights

• Conversation with writer Alain Claude Sulzer
• Focus on the experience of being translated
• Part of the "On Translation: Basel Conversations" series

General Information

Join us for a discussion with Alain Claude Sulzer, exploring the nuances of how authors experience the translation of their works. This event will delve into the relationship between the author and translator, and how Sulzer's novels are received in various languages and cultures.

Location

Schönbeinstrasse 18/20, 4056 Basel, Switzerland

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