Kurdish translator awarded Swedish Academy prize
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – A Kurdish writer has been awarded a prestigious Swedish prize for his translations of Swedish literature into Kurdish.
“The Swedish Academy has sent me a letter informing me that I will be receiving this year’s award for translating Swedish literature. The award is 100,000 krona ($11,175). I am very happy about this. I want to express gratitude to them,” Rizgar Shekani told Rudaw.
The Swedish Academy was founded in 1786 and is the body responsible for selecting the annual recipient of the Nobel Prize in literature.
“The award is in recognition of my 30 years of translation. The award doesn’t mean I am a good translator. Rather, it is in recognition of me translating Swedish literature to Kurdish,” Shekani explained.
Shekani was born in Erbil in 1961. He served for a time as a Peshmerga.
He left Kurdistan 37 years ago and has been living in Sweden since 1982.
He began translating Swedish literature in 1988.
“The Swedish Academy has sent me a letter informing me that I will be receiving this year’s award for translating Swedish literature. The award is 100,000 krona ($11,175). I am very happy about this. I want to express gratitude to them,” Rizgar Shekani told Rudaw.
The Swedish Academy was founded in 1786 and is the body responsible for selecting the annual recipient of the Nobel Prize in literature.
“The award is in recognition of my 30 years of translation. The award doesn’t mean I am a good translator. Rather, it is in recognition of me translating Swedish literature to Kurdish,” Shekani explained.
Shekani was born in Erbil in 1961. He served for a time as a Peshmerga.
He left Kurdistan 37 years ago and has been living in Sweden since 1982.
He began translating Swedish literature in 1988.