Kannada in Indian Literature - Translation and Its Possibilities
Banu Mushtaq, Pratibha Nandakumar in conversation with Deepa Bhasthi
Deepa Bhasthi is a writer and translator living and working in Kodagu, South India. Her translation of Jnanpitha Awardee Dr Kota Shivarama Karanth’s novel The Same Village, The Same Tree was published in August 2022. A translation of short stories by Kodagina Gouramma, among the earliest women writers in Kannada in the early twentieth century, is forthcoming from Yoda Press. Deepa writes on visual art, literature and politics of culture for publications including ArtReview, MOMUS, Literary Hub, Himal Southasian and Hyperallergic. Her research interests are in the areas of sociolinguistics, land versus landscape and food politics. She occasionally works in visual art projects.
The first issue of PEN Presents is a partnership between English PEN and the British Council, as part of India/UK Together, a Season of Culture. Six winners were chosen from a shortlist of 12 translators, who were awarded grants to create samples of their proposed works. The samples have received editorial support from English PEN, and are available to read on the PEN Presents platform, which will be developed as an online catalogue of the most outstanding, original, and bibliodiverse literature not yet published in English translation.
Deepa Bhasthi, for a translation from Kannada of Banu Mushtaq’s Haseena and Other Stories.
Gopika Jadeja, for a translation from Gujarati of Umesh Solanki’s Transformations.
Kartikeya Jain, for a translation from Hindi of Chandan Pandey’s Songs of Glory.
Shabnam Nadiya, for a translation from Bengali of Wasi Ahmed’s The Ice Machine.
Nikhil Pandhi, for a translation from Hindi of Anita Bharti’s Chronicle of the Quota Woman and Other Stories.
V. Ramaswamy, for a translation from Bengali of Adhir Biswas’ Last Boy: An Untouchable Boy’s Classroom.