Bookworm in a Chrysalis: How Language Acquisition Nourishes a Love of Literature
Natasha S. on Being a Multilingual Reader and Writer
April 19, 2023
By Natasha S. and Larissa Kyzer
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Natasha S. and Larissa Kyzer
Natasha S. wrote this essay for the bilingual collection Writers Adrift, coedited by herself and fellow immigrant author and artist Ewa Marcinek, which will be published by the Reykjavík UNESCO City of Literature Office on the occasion of the upcoming Reykjavík International Literary Festival. The festival will take place from April 19 - 23 and be live-streamed for free on its website. Natasha will be taking part in RILF’s opening night event, in which she and celebrated Icelandic author, poet, and playwright Kristín Eiríksdóttir and American Pulitzer-Prize winner Colson Whitehead will discuss power: who holds it, how it is used, and what structures maintain its status quo.
Larissa Kyzer is a writer and Icelandic to English literary translator. Her translation of Kristín Eiríksdóttir’s A Fist or a Heart was awarded the American Scandinavian Foundation’s 2019 translation prize. That same year, she was one of Princeton University’s Translators in Residence. She has translated poetry, short stories, literature for children, theatrical works, nonfiction, and novels and recently guest-edited “On the Periphery,” a spotlight on new Icelandic writing for Words Without Borders. Her translation of Sigríður Hagalín Björnsdóttir’s The Fires was published in 2023. Larissa is a former co-chair of PEN America’s Translation Committee and runs the virtual Women+ in Translation reading series Jill!
Larissa Kyzer is a writer and Icelandic to English literary translator. Her translation of Kristín Eiríksdóttir’s A Fist or a Heart was awarded the American Scandinavian Foundation’s 2019 translation prize. That same year, she was one of Princeton University’s Translators in Residence. She has translated poetry, short stories, literature for children, theatrical works, nonfiction, and novels and recently guest-edited “On the Periphery,” a spotlight on new Icelandic writing for Words Without Borders. Her translation of Sigríður Hagalín Björnsdóttir’s The Fires was published in 2023. Larissa is a former co-chair of PEN America’s Translation Committee and runs the virtual Women+ in Translation reading series Jill!
