05/10/2022

BCLT Summer School participants have translated an excerpt from Artem Chekh’s book

The participants of the Ukrainian workshop within the International Literary Translation & Creative Writing Summer School by British Center for Literary Translation (BCLT) have shared the result of their final work – translation of an excerpt from Artem Chekh's book ‘Who Are You?’. The virtual workshop took place 18-22 July 2022 as part of the UK/Ukraine Season of Culture.

Every year, the BCLT Summer School brings together writers and translators from around the world for a one-week programme of hands-on literary translation and creative writing. As part of this year’s programme, the Ukrainian-English workshop, held for the first time, was led by seasoned literary translator Olena Jennings and Ukrainian author Artem Chekh, who is currently defending Ukraine in the army.

The translation by Ukrainian-English translators from Ukraine, the UK, the US and Germany was adapted into a video in which Artem reads an excerpt from his book ‘Who Are You?’.

The book covers the story of a young boy, Timofiy, and a grown man, Felix, who live in a small city in Central Ukraine in the Soviet era. Set in 1986, it compares Timofiy’s life, who is young, with Felix’s, who is nearing his end and is suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after serving in the military.

The BCLT Summer School was organised by the British Center for Literary Translation in partnership with the UK’s National Center for Writing and Arts Council England as part of the UK/Ukraine Season of Culture, jointly produced by the British Council and the Ukrainian Institute.

Programme Manager

Anna Goode

Workshop Leader

Olena Jennings

Participants:
Katya Yatsuk (Ukraine), Nina Murray (UK/USA), Hanna Leliv (Ukraine), Lyubov Palenyy (USA), Olena Ebel (Germany), Svitlana Pereplotchykova (Ukraine ), Yelyzaveta (Lisa) Bolotova (Ukraine), Anna Halas (Ukraine), Darya Levchenko (Ukraine), Tetiana Savchynska (Ukraine)