As part of an effort to promote the translation of German books into English (or in this case, as the Germans would say, into "American"), the German Book Office in New York and Bertelsmann have combined to give the first German Book Office Grant to Ralf Boent, whose first novel, Icks, will appear in Germany next spring.
Under the terms of the grant, Boent will spend four weeks in the U.S., mainly in New York City, and meet, among others, publishers, editors and translators. Speaking at a press conference at the fair today, Boent said he hopes that the prize will lead to an English translation of his book. Andrea Heyde, head of the German Book Office, said that she would also like to see some of Boent's shorter works placed in literary magazines; good networking is, of course, another prized goal.
Already Boent has a good in: stipendium underwriter Bertelsmann, which, as owner of Random House, is the largest U.S. publisher, should be able to open a few doors in Manhattan....
