"narrating eu:rope" Launch Event "Language on the Move"

As launch event of “narrating eu:rope”, a new project by the European Union,  this event offers a closer look on latest trends in European literature and new books yet to be discovered by Japanese audiences. At the core of the program are Japanese translators, who translate from European languages to Japanese.  At the pulse of recent tendencies in literature, they will introduce new masterworks from their target languages. Along with music, talks and an exhibition by Japanese publishers, this event dives into the present and future of European literature. In tandem with the launch event “Language on the Move”, the website of “narrating eu:rope”, eubungaku.jp will go live.

 

Speakers and Performers

© Lisbeth Salas

Mercedes Cebrián (Author)
Novelist, journalistic essayist and poet, born in Madrid, Spain. She also translates from English and French into Spanish. Her literary world explores how humans form emotional connections with objects. https://www.mercedescebrian.com/english/

　

Ai Kawazoe (Speaker, Themed discussion)
Ai Kawazoe is a linguist and writer focused on linguistics and information science. She is a linguistics major from Kyushu University and holds a Ph.D. in literature. She has served as a specially appointed associate professor at the Tsuda University Center for Women in Research and a specially appointed associate professor at the National Institute of Informatics’ Research Center for Social Shared Knowledge.

© 五十嵐美弥

Yukiko Konosu (Speaker,Themed discussion)
Translator and literary critic. Her major works include The Enigma of 'Gone with the Wind and Literature Prophesies, among many others. She has also translated numerous books into Japanese, including Bronte's Wuthering Heights,Woolf's To the Lighthouse, and Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale. She has taught translation at university for many years. She serves as a director of the Japan Writers Association, and as a committee member for female writers at the Japan PEN Club.

©️Takuya Matsumi

Marek Šindelka (Author)
Czech poet, novelist, and screenwriter, born in 1984. His books include “Strychnine” (Jiri Olten Prize winner, 2006), Zůstaňte s námi (Stay Tuned, Magnesia Litera Prize winner, 2012), and Chyba (Aberrant). He is also a screenwriter and won the Czech Film Critics Award for the film Okupace (Occupation) (2021). https://en.mareksindelka.com/

　

Kyoko Yoshida (Artistic Advisor and Moderator, Themed discussion)
Writer and translator, professor at Ritsumeikan University, and representative of the Kyoto Writers Residency Executive Committee. Her works include the short story collections Disorientalism and Spring Sleepers, translations of The Circle (written by Dave Eggers), So Sweet Fruit (written by Monique Thurn), and the co-authored Extra Large Popcorn of Contemporary American Literature! https://kyokoyoshida.net/

　

Tatsuhisa Yamamoto (Musician)
Drummer/musician. With a focus on creating innovative solo recordings, he has also been involved in recordings for singers, band support, and soundtracks for theater productions. In 2011, he was invited to give a solo performance at the Barbican Centre in London. With his activities spanning a wide range of genres, he has been continuously participating in international scale projects. https://www.tatsuhisayamamoto.com/

DJ YELLOWUHURU
Founder/Organiser of Party/Label FLATTOP. He mixes various elements of music with a focus on house and jazz, experimenting daily with the theme of “conflicting elements and a sense of commonality.” Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yellowuhuru/
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/yellowuhuru/

　

Sukezane Watanabe (Moderator)
Born in Tokyo in 1992, Sukezane Watanabe is a book reviewer, writer, book review YouTuber and game author. He also makes appearances on TV and radio, speaks at events and gives lectures at universities and companies. His books include “The Key to the Story” (Kasama Shoin). https://gendai.media/list/author/sukezanewatanabe

Translators appearing at the event (alphabetical order)
Kenichi Abe (Czech-Japanese)
Miriam Čuk Moishi (Slovenian-Japanese)
Reiko Hidani (Danish-Japanese)
Akirako Hishiki (Swedish-Japanese)
Ayano Inukai (German-Japanese/Austria)
Kazuko Iwamoto (French-Japanese/Belgium)
Jisung Kim (German-Japanese/Germany)
Aya Kimura (Lithuanian-Japanese)
Hideaki Kimura (Slovakian-Japanese)
Maho Kinoshita (Portuguese-Japanese)
Toshihide Kurihara (Italian-Japanese)
Ayumi Kurosawa (Latvian-Japanese)
Kousei Ogura (French-Japanese/France)
Yumi Ninomiya (Bulgarian-Japanese)
Yumi Nishimura (Dutch-Japanese)
Yasuko Shibata (Polish-Japanese)
Nobuaki Tochigi (English-Japanese/Ireland)
Mihoko Ueyama (Finnish-Japanese)
Kazumi Uno (Spanish-Japanese)                 And others