By Neena Bhandari

Sydney, 08.11.2016 (Scroll.in): Cultural diplomacy is putting a positive spin to the India-Australia bilateral relationship and also enriching the Australian economy.

The first ever Confluence Festival of India in Australia, touted as one of the largest ever foreign cultural festivals to be organised in the continent country, rolled out 25 productions showcased over 70 different events at iconic landmarks across seven cities.

For decades, India’s soft power potential has remained largely untapped, but the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Government has been focusing on raising India’s profile in the international arena through cultural diplomacy. Indian High Commissioner to Australia, Mr Navdeep Suri, strongly believes that “India is a super power when it comes to soft power and Prime Minister Modi has been adroit in recognising the potential of yoga and cultural diplomacy in raising India’s profile around the world”.

Continue reading →

The much sought after Italian-to-English translator, Ann Goldstein, has made translation a skill to be celebrated as much as writing. Goldstein, whose name on a book jacket adds credence, is the celebrated translator of Italian literary works by prominent authors, including Elena Ferrante, Jhumpa Lahiri, Primo Levi and Pier Paolo Pasolini. She heads the copy department at The New Yorker and she is a recipient of PEN Renato Poggioli Translation Award and a Guggenheim Fellowship. She is in Australia as a guest of the Sydney Writers’ Festival and spoke to NEENA BHANDARI  about her passion for Italian language, the challenges and future of translation, and the surprising international recognition Ferrante’s books have brought her. Excerpts from her interview published in SCROLL.IN:

Has it been tough to deal with all the attention and publicity that is usually given to the writer and not the translator? The Neapolitan Quartet (My Brilliant Friend, The Story of a New Name, Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay, and The Story of the Lost Child] by Ferrante, whose identity is a closely guarded secret, has sold over a million copies and counting.
Yes [laughs]. Of course. I didn’t plan to be the voice of Ferrante or to be the speaker for the books. That came as a kind of a surprise to me.

Continue reading →