The four-strong shortlist for the £10,000 Arts Foundation Award for Literary Translation is an all-woman lineup:
Kemp is a multi-lingual translator, but she was noted by judges for her focus on contemporary Arabic literature, particularly her “translation of the controversial Bride of Amman by Fadi Zaghmout (Signal 8 Press, 2015),” which was praised for its “faithfulness to the Levantine dialect[.]” Kemp, however, said that she prefers to emphasize that “it’s a groundbreaking feminist and civil rights narrative representing LGBT and women’s sexual freedoms and body rights…in a positive light.”
The judges — Paul Blezard, Amanda Hopkinson, and Meike Ziergovel — noted in a prepared statement that each finalist had “strategically selected their language of translation and was to some extent self-taught.”
According to the release:
The £10,000 award is not a commission but to be used to pay for living and working expenses, allowing the artist, who has to show a track record in the art form, breathing space in order to further their practice. Over the past 23 years the Foundation has given over £1.6m to support artists from all areas of the arts.
The recipient of the award will be announced January 28 in London, alongside other grants.