A Couple Reminders, a Few Teases
Deep Dives
Explore related topics with these Wikipedia articles, rewritten for enjoyable reading:
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William H. Gass
12 min read
The article discusses a podcast season covering Gass's novel 'The Tunnel' in depth. Understanding Gass's experimental literary techniques, philosophical influences, and place in American postmodernism would enrich the reader's appreciation of why this novel warrants such extensive discussion.
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Sergio Pitol
12 min read
The article mentions George Henson's seventh translation of Pitol's work and describes a podcast draft to convince readers to explore Pitol. Learning about this Mexican author's distinctive style, his influence on Latin American literature, and his Cervantes Prize-winning career provides essential context.
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Finnegans Wake
13 min read
Cited as an influence on the experimental dialect translation in 'The Calf,' Joyce's notoriously difficult final novel represents an extreme of linguistic experimentation. Understanding its techniques helps readers grasp why translating into Appalachian dialect is such a bold artistic choice.
Unlike 99.99% of the posts that I’ve written over the past two decades, this one has no weird rubrics, no goofy stats, no underlying listicles—honest! I’m saving all that fun stuff for later in the month . . .
Mainly, I just wanted to make a few quick announcements along with teasing what else is in the works for December.
The most important, and to some, unfortunate, bit of news is that, for reasons which will be more transparent in the last post of 2025, Open Letter won’t be having a holiday sale this year. Instead, we’ll be kicking off 2026 with a huge sale on all of our titles—which might be the best way to start a new year? So, save some of your holiday cash for a 2026 OL blowout, and in the meantime, I encourage you to order our titles via Bookshop.org, where you can peruse the entire Open Letter catalog far more easily than you can on our website, if I’m being honest.
Sticking with the most practical of stuff, a reminder: December 15th is the first deadline for applying to the MA in Literary Translation Studies program at the University of Rochester. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, with February 1 and March 15 being the next two deadlines, but there are a limited number of slots in the program, so it’s highly recommended that you apply sooner rather than later.
MALTS is a 30-credit program, typically completed over a full calendar year, in which students take classes on translation theory, international literature, and creative writing, intern with Open Letter, and complete a full-length, publishable translation. (Which Open Letter will carefully consider for publication.) There’s a lot of flexibility baked into the program, allowing students to really shape their experience and focus on what they want to get out of it, be that academic chops, time to “do the reps” and practice the art and craft of translation in a supportive environment, or focus on gaining practical experience through Open Letter.
Click here for more information, and/or check out this post from a few weeks back.
Now, if you’re not ready to commit to grad school, but would still like to work with Open Letter, well, you’re in luck! We are looking to fill four part-time internship positions in editorial, sales & marketing, social media, and publicity for the spring term.
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