Strindberg is one of Sweden’s most widely-read and translated writers. Just in the last two years, some ten translations of works by Strindberg have been published in other countries with financial support from the Arts Council. One example is the first ever selection of Strindberg’s letters translated into French. Translator Elena Balzamo also received a Gattégno grant for her work. The Arts Council is also already funding translations of works by Strindberg into Bulgarian, English, Spanish, Portuguese, Rumanian and Serbian.
Because 2012 will be a Strindberg anniversary year, the Arts Council has decided to pay special attention on translations of Strindberg, giving priority to works being translated into a certain language for the first time and to new translations. We will also be able to fund republication of out of print translations, on the condition that the volume has a new foreword. All translations must be made directly from Swedish.
The Swedish Arts Council welcomes ideas for projects elsewhere than in Sweden, involving translators from Swedish, Swedish authors, critics and researchers, and reaching out to the general public, with the aim of encouraging people to read the work of August Strindberg.