One Night in Frankfurt: Scenes From the Incomparable Heinrich Maria Ledig-Rowohlt Translation Prize Dinner
Forty years ago in October 1986 I attended my first Frankfurt Book Fair. On the first day of meetings my friend and colleague Gary Fisketjon and I were introduced to Heinrich Maria Ledig Rowohlt, an elegant, charismatic 78-year-old German publisher
Forty years ago, in October 1986, the reporter attended their first Frankfurt Book Fair. Aged 78, Heinrich Maria Ledig Rowohlt was an elegant, charismatic German publisher who introduced the reporter and his colleague, Gary Fisketjon, to the world of international publishers. Heinrich became a friend and mentor, and the reporter always looked forward to their annual meeting at the Hessicherhof Hotel during the book fair.
After Heinrich's death, his wife, Jane, established a foundation in 1996 to award prizes to translators for their important work. Each year, on the last Friday of the fair, there is a lovely dinner to recognize the winners. The reporter considers this night to be one of their favorites, as it provides a moment to reflect on the literary text and celebrate the dedication of translators.
Examples of such speeches include Jo Lendle's laudatory introduction to Stephan Kleiner and Kleiner's charming acceptance speech.
Written by urgent.news from Literary Hub's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
