‘Literary Translation Lifecycles’ is out now in open access

CETRA is delighted to announce the publication of Literary Translation Lifecycles: The Vital Networks Behind the Circulation of Dutch Literature, a new edited volume from Routledge, edited by CETRA colleagues Jack McMartin, Paola Gentile, and Elisa Nelissen and including contributions from CETRA researchers Ewoud Goethals, Paola Gentile, Maud Gonne, Jack McMartin, Timothy Sirjacobs and Luc van Doorslaer, among others. The ebook is available open access. Hard copies ship on 26 February 2026.

What is a “translation lifecycle”?

The volume starts from a simple but powerful premise: translated literature doesn’t “just happen”. Instead, translated books move through a set of linked stages—discovery, selection, acquisition, translation, production, marketing, and reception—and at each stage, different people and institutions shape what is possible.

Using Dutch as a source language “at the margins of the world literary system,” the collection proposes an innovative framework for studying how translations come into being and circulate across languages, cultures, and book markets.

What you’ll find in the book

Across fifteen case studies spanning five genres and fourteen target languages, the chapters shine a light on the often-invisible labour and decision-making that underpins literary circulation—bringing into view translators, editors, agents, rights managers, marketing staff, and public-sector actors.

The cases also make room for contrasting trajectories: alongside breakthroughs and success stories, the volume examines translations marked by delay, setbacks, and limited uptake, and connects “production-side” choices to what happens (or doesn’t happen) once books reach readers and reviewers.

To give just a taste, the table of contents ranges from literary awards and international mediation (e.g., Bart Moeyaert and the ALMA), to publishing pathways for Anne Frank’s Het Achterhuis in Italy, to the long arrival of Reve’s De avonden in English.

Early endorsements

“These meticulous studies of a variety of book translations from one language (Dutch) into many others provide an outstanding occasion for deciphering and conceptualising the complexities of the translation process as it actually plays out in reality.”

Johan Heilbron, emeritus director of research at the CNRS and member of the Centre Européen de Sociologie et de Science Politique (CESSP-CNRS-EHESS)

“This book offers an excellent set of case studies showing how a small literature finds resonance through translation. It also introduces a new, broadly applicable framework for exploring the lifecycle of translated books—from selection and production to marketing and reception. A timely and much-needed contribution to the study of literary circulation and the people and dynamics that shape it.”

Elke Brems, professor of Dutch literature and translation studies, KU Leuven

Read and share

Because the book is open access, we warmly encourage colleagues, students, and friends of CETRA to download, read, cite, and share it widely—whether you work in translation studies, book history, publishing research, or world literature.

A one-page flier (handy for sharing on social media or with students and colleagues) can be downloaded here:

Flyer – Literary Translation Lifecycles Download