On Translating Annika Thor: A Conversation with Linda Schenck

Annika Thor

Annika Thor's classic A Faraway Island tetralogy, about two sisters growing up apart from their parents due to war, is read in many languages but almost didn't make it into English fully. I spoke by Zoom with Thor's Gothenburg-based translator Linda Schenck.

Avery: Did these books find you, or you them?

A Faraway Island, The Lily Pond, Deep Sea, and Open Sea by Annika Thor, translated from Swedish by Linda Schenck

Linda: They found me. I was contacted by Annika's agent, who wanted a sample translation, and of course I was thrilled and made the sample. Then it took years—not metaphorically—for her to place the books in an English-speaking country. The main problem was that too early on in the books for what the Americans, English and Canadians thought was the target reader, things about sexuality came in.

What happened in the end is Francoise Bui at Delacorte, who had read the books in French, saw the possibilities of these books and not just the problems. She bought the first book, I did the first book—as you know, it won some recognition—the second book also won some recognition, and then Delacorte had had a change of management and decided book 3 couldn't be listed as a children's book. It had to be a YA book. And so, they listed it as a YA book instead, and it didn't find its readers. Book 3 didn't make enough money for them to feel they could justifiably publish book 4. Francoise had moved on by that point, so it was not her fault in any way . . . it was just, you know, a publisher's decision.

I was working on book 4 from the minute I finished book 3, so as not to lose momentum. So by the time they made it clear that they were not intending to publish it, it was long since finished. 

So, the book lay around for a while, and then I said to Annika, "You know, it can't be very hard to self-publish this book. Let's ask your agent, and ask her to ask Delacorte if we can have free hands to do that." And after a bunch of back and forth—and that also took some time!—they gave us free hands.

A: Did you and she feel good about how the ebook came out? 

L: Yes, absolutely. We had very nice communication, and we've had a very pleasant relationship since then. Annika knows a middle school teacher near New Delhi who loves these books in English . . . the teacher reads A Faraway Island with her 11-year-olds every year, and they have a Zoom with Annika. And starting last year, they've also had a Zoom with me. And it was the most moving and touching experience, it was just wonderful! They were these fabulous kids, and they had good questions, and they loved the books, and they were starting to think also about, What role does the translator play in all of this? 

A: Did you find it challenging to translate a series that features young children in the first volumes but later comes to be about young adults getting their first tastes of independence?

L: That, to me, was just a positive. I loved that. Partly because I translated the books just as my four grandchildren were growing into them. And one of the grandchildren is sixteen now, but until last year, she would reread them every year, and at some point during the year she had to write something about a favorite book, or a favorite author; she wrote about these books and about Annika Thor the entire time. I have the definite feeling that she'll read them with her children one day. 

A: The story of two girls having to grow up apart from their parents is, sadly, timeless.

L: It's something that a parent or a grandparent reading the book thinks about too, right? In these books, there's nothing about that existential decision that Stephie and Nellie's parents had to make to send them off, but you can feel it there under the surface, somehow—what a huge, huge choice that was for them. And if you're a parent reading these books out loud to your children, then you identify not only with the children, I think you identify with what the parents are going through when all of this is happening.

A: Finding out what happens to Stephie and Nellie's father is another reason I'm so glad the fourth volume is out in English. 

Would you like to share about your latest project?

L: The Story of Bodri by Hédi Fried is a very short book and meant for very young children—whenever the child begins to develop an awareness of and questions about war and survival. And it's a work of art, it's an absolutely gorgeous book, and told with just the right degree of succinctness. When it came out a couple of years ago in Sweden, I decided, I am translating this book. Nothing's going to stop me. 

A: I see!

L: I mean, it's very short, it was no huge risk on my part. I translated it, and then I wrote to Stina Wirsén, the illustrator, with whom I had had other contact, and said I had done this, and I think the course of events was that she then gave me the email address to their agent, and the agent—I think she thought I was crazy to begin with, like, why would anyone translate something without being asked?

A: I've done it!

L: Me too! She said, "OK. Thank you very much. We'll see," and then there was silence for a long time, and then suddenly, she had placed it with Eerdmans in Michigan. 

A: Seeing your passion for these books, it makes me think of all those folks who see translation as mechanical, automatic . . . but it's connected to our souls. It's heart work.

L: It is heart work.

A: The world has both changed and not changed since 2010, when A Faraway Island won a highly deserved Batchelder Award. What do you feel that these books offer readers in the 2020s?

L: I would just repeat how so many children in the world today are, for reasons relating to war or strife of some kind, separated from their families. And it's really important for our children and grandchildren to know that, even if they are fortunate enough not to experience it themselves. There will be people around them, there will be kids in their class. As they get bigger, they'll be able to volunteer to work with other kids, or be able to help someone in some way, because they're attuned to the fact that turning up in a new country isn't just an exciting adventure.

I feel that it's so important, especially for our relatively privileged children, to think about, Is there anyone on the periphery of my world who might be in a similar situation, and to whom I should think about being a little extra empathetic?

My name is Avery Fischer Udagawa, and I'm honored to be blogging global reads this month on Thursdays. I serve as SCBWI Translator Coordinator (see Translation in SCBWI) and SCBWI Japan Translator Coordinator (see Ihatov).