Jordan Stump, professor of French, was longlisted for the National Book Award for Translated Literature 2019 for his English translation of the French memoir The Barefoot Woman by Scholastique Mukasonga. His translation is among seven novels, two memoirs, and a collection of essays—selected from 145 books.
The National Book Awards, established in 1950, are prestigious literary prizes that celebrate the best writing in America. The National Book Foundation administers the award and aims to celebrate the best literature in America, expand its audience, and ensure that books have a prominent place in American culture.
Stump is an award-winning translator of more than 30 French-language novels who has been translating since 1992. His translation of the French novel "Ladivine" by Marie NDiaye was longlisted for a Man Booker International Prize in 2016.
“It’s the chance to see something that you love taking shape in a different form," he said. "Trying to make it be the thing that you fell in love with is a tremendous, great struggle. It’s a wonderful puzzle.”
The Barefoot Woman, Mukasonga's second memoir about the Rwandan genocide that focuses on the loss of her mother, made the New York Times' "50 Best Memoirs of the Past 50 Years" and "9 New Books We Recommend This Week."
Finalists will be announced on October 8, 2019.
