We’re very excited that this week the World Fantasy Convention will be coming to the Bay Area, specifically San Jose’s lovely Fairmont Hotel. Guests of honor include Haikasoru pal Jeff Vandermeer, who so recently interviewed us on the Omnivoracious blog, and the theme of the convention is the 200th anniversary of the birth of Edgar Allan Poe.

Poe has a special place in our hearts as he was a writer who became more famous in translation than he did in is native language. In life, Poe had flashes of popular success, such as with “The Raven”, and he sold many of his stories to the top periodicals of day. Just how good Poe was, however, became clear in Europe first thanks in part to translations of his work by Charles Baudelaire. Then the master’s reputation drifted back across the Atlantic to the United States.

WFC is recognizing the importance of translation with a panel we’ll be participating in this Friday afternoon at 2PM:

Fantasy in Translation
While English continues to dominate the world’s market for fantastic fiction, much fine work is also produced in other languages. Indeed, many classic works have been produced in other languages. Writers such as Verne, Lem, Borges and Calvino, as well as newcomers such as Sapkowski and Živković, have delighted us with their work. But these writers are only the tip of an iceberg. Very little of this material is ever translated, and consequently the English-speaking world is presumably missing out on a lot of good reading. So what exactly are we missing out on, and how can we get more of it?
Cheryl Myfanwy Morgan (moderator), Rani Graff, Nick Mamatas, Ann VanderMeer, Zoran Živković

I hear there will be a special announcement made at the panel so if you are at the con, please do attend. Haikasorunaut atttendees should also check out their WFC goody bags—selected bags will include free copies of either ZOO or The Lord of the Sands of Time.

See you all there!