The Power of Translated Fiction

The Power of Translated Fiction

Deepa Bhasthi, Clare Richards & Kristen Via Alfaro

Talking to the International Booker Winner

Translated fiction allows us to share stories that transcend geographical borders, expand our perspectives and challenge dominant literary narratives.

The 2025 International Booker Winner Deepa Bhasthi (translator of Heart Lamp), joins us from India (via Zoom) to discuss the transformative power and complex art of literary translation alongside award-winning literary translator working from Korean, Clare Richards and Kristen Vida Alfaro, Executive Director and Publisher at Tilted Axis Press.

They will be in conversation with Daniel Gorman, Director of English PEN — a human rights organization that champions the freedom to write and read, and is part of PEN International, the global writers’ association.

‘Heart Lamp returns us to the true, great pleasures of reading: solid storytelling, unforgettable characters, vivid dialogue, tensions simmering under the surface, and a surprise at each turn.’
2025 International Booker Prize Judges

About the Authors
Deepa Bhasthi is a writer and an award-winning literary translator working in Kannada and English. Her cultural criticism, essays, columns and journalism have been published extensively in Indian and international publications, including The Paris Review, Himal Southasian, MOMUS, The Guardian, MOLD, Hyperallergic, The Caravan, The Hindu and Literary Hub. She is the recipient of the International Booker Prize and an EnglishPEN Award for her translation of Banu Mushtaq’s short stories.

Clare Richards is an award-winning literary translator working from Korean with a particular interest in feminist literary fiction and the intersection between disability, neurodivergence and translation. She has written about her own experiences  Her translations and essays have been published in outlets including The Massachusetts Review, The Author, and The Linguist.

Chair: Daniel Gorman, director of English PEN

Limited number of free tickets to residents in postcodes CR4, CR7, SM3 and SM4 (restricted to two free tickets per event, per household).

Under-30s tickets : £6.50