The Translation Table
“It is easy not to think about translation” writes Kate Briggs in her This Little Art.
The Translation Table is a reading group where all the attention is pointed at translation, with the translator and their work under the spotlight. It is a space where we think together about what it means for a book to be translated, to move from one language to another, from the hands of its author, to a reader far away by means of a translator. We do so by bringing together our favourite translated literature and literature about translation, pairing them to highlight the process, the effect, the consequences and the wonders of “this little art” called translation.
Chronicles of a Heartache - four seminars on Elena Ferrante’s standalone novels
Chronicles of a Heartache was our 2024 seminar series exploring four of Elena Ferrante’s standalone novels. These works reveal her unflinching portrayal of women’s lives, where friendship, motherhood, desire, and disappointment take on deeply political dimensions. While many discover Ferrante through the Neapolitan Quartet, this series invited reflection on her lesser-known novels and the evolution of her voice.
The Translation Table at the Feminist Library, Florence, 2025
Exploring how violence is written, translated, and encountered, this series pairs literature with Kate Briggs’s This Little Art to uncover overlooked histories. Through our discussions, we reflect on language, archives, and the emancipatory power of translation.