Norwegian author and publisher Halfdan Freihow visits PEN World Voices Festival to talk about language: In terms of translated literature, and communication with an autistic child.
Halfdan Freihow’s first novel, "Dear Gabriel", was published in 2004. The powerful story takes the form of a letter from a father to his authistic son. The book has already been translated into 12 languages. Now, Freihow is to participate in several events during the PEN World Voices Festival in New York.
May 1: Publishers Weekly: On Translation
In addition to being a writer himself, Freihow has his own publishing company – Front – and joins the On Translation event as a publisher, together with Morgan Entrekin (Grove), Edwin Frank (NYRB), and Michael Krüger (Hanser Verlag, Germany). These editors have worked with literary giants like Umberto Eco and Jeanette Winterson, and on May 1 they gather to reflect on “the new topicality of literature in translation and why Americans seem to have so much more trouble with it.” The panel is moderated by Publishers Weekly editor Sara Nelson.
When: Thursday, May 1, 6-7:30pm
Where: Elebash Recital Hall, CUNY Graduate Center: 365 5th Avenue
Info: Free and open to the public. No reservations.
May 2: Reading the World
New Yorker staff writer and nonfiction author Janet Malcolm plunges us back into wartime France and the lives of Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas with a reading from her most recent book, "Two Lives". Halfdan Freihow offers us a more personal journey to the heart of his family and his relationship with his young son Gabriel. Booker Prize–winning novelist Peter Carey takes us to Australia with a reading from his just-released novel, "His Illegal Self", and Francesc Serés brings a distinguished Spanish voice to the table. Cosponsored by The American-Scandinavian Foundation.
When: Friday, May 2, 1-2pm
Where: Scandinavia House, 58 Park Ave.
Info: Free and open to the public. No reservations.
May 3: Learning to Speak
Xiaolu Guo writes of learning to speak English in her novel "A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers". She talks about the funny, poignant, and heartbreaking moments that occur between two people who don’t always quite understand what the other is saying. Halfdan Freihow has to place every word carefully and precisely when he speaks to his autistic son, Gabriel. The wrong word, or the right word in the wrong place, can result in severe fractures in his little boy’s life. Jean Hatzfeld, acclaimed journalist of wartime Rwanda, has helped a traumatized people tell their stories. Through his work, we can hear the voices of the survivors and those of the killers to better understand the tragedy of the war there. Carme Riera has written extensively on language’s ability both to marginalize and to reveal. Moderated by Sam Tanenhaus of The New York Times.
When: Saturday, May 3, 5-6:15pm
Where: Tinker Auditorium, The French Institute Alliance Francaise, 55 East 59th Street.
Info: Tickets $12/$8 PEN and FIAF members and students. Tickets available through FIAF’s box office, and through Ticketmaster.
May 3: A Believer Nighttime Event
Hosted by actor, comedian, and writer Michael Ian Black, this year’s Believer event will feature a musical performance by John Wesley Harding, a Vladmaster screening in which every attendee will simultaneously watch a “picture story” through their own personal View-Master, and a panel discussion with Scandinavian authors Halfdan Freihow, Christian Jungersen, Jo Nesbø, and Kristín Ómarsdóttir.
When: Saturday, May 3, 6pm
Where: Tishman Auditorium, The New School: 66 West 12th Street
Info: Free and open to the public. No reservations.