Booklovers, rejoice! On 23 November, the Delegation of the European Union (EU) to Japan will launch narrating eu:rope, an EU-funded initiative giving Japanese bibliophiles and publishing professionals a close-up view of the latest in European literature and new books published in Japanese by European authors.

narrating eu:rope kicks off with a launch event titled Language on the Move at the Spiral Hall in Tokyo’s Minami-Aoyama district on 23 November, during the European Literature Festival (21-26 November). Alongside music, discussions and an exhibition by Japanese publishers, the event will dive into the present and future of European literature.

At the core of Language on the Move are Japanese translators who translate from European languages into Japanese. These professionals often remain behind the scenes, yet operate at the forefront of literary trends and are perfectly placed to introduce new masterworks from their target languages. In addition, a discussion titled “Literary Translation in the Age of AI” by two Japanese literary practitioners will explore the present and future of this profession as new technologies emerge. The event is organised by the EU Delegation and operated by Goethe-Institut Tokyo.

In tandem, a dedicated narrating eu:rope website will go live using the URL eubungaku.jp, offering a country-by-country exploration of the literary landscapes of EU Member States through interviews with authors, articles and comprehensive lists of book fairs, awards, residency programmes and more.

Launch Event | narrating eu:rope

Title:                             Language on the Move

Date and time:             23 November (Thu, Public Holiday), 14:00 – 18:00 (doors open 13:30)

Venue:                         Spiral Hall, Spiral 3F (5-6-23 Minami-Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-0062) 

Languages:                 Japanese, English (simultaneous translation provided) 

Programme highlights:

• Translators’ favorite picks: Japanese translators briefly introduce their favorites among books recently published in their source languages but not yet translated into Japanese
• Themed discussion: “Literary Translation in the Age of AI” by author and linguist Ai Kawazoe and translator and literary critic Yukiko Konosu (moderated by Kyoko Yoshida, author and director, Kyoto Writers Residency)
• Foyer exhibition: Recent publications of European literature by Japanese publishers
• Collaboration pieces by European authors and Japanese percussionist Tatsuhisa Yamamoto and DJ YELLOWUHURU (curated by Mike Kubeck, SupernaturalDeluxe)
• Moderated by Sukezane Watanabe, writer, book reviewer and book review YouTuber
• EU-Japan fusion o-nigiri rice balls and drinks

Reservation

Register on https://eubungaku.peatix.com.

Registration will be closed once the maximum capacity is reached.

Event timetable

*In the foyer, Japanese publishers will exhibit their recent titles from Europe. Furthermore, EU-Japan fusion o-nigiri rice balls and a variety of drinks will be served.

*The event programme may be subject to change.

13:30 Doors Open

14:00 Greeting by Haitze Siemers, Minister and Deputy Head of the Delegation of the European Union to Japan

14:10 Presentations by translators – part 1

15:00 Reading and music performance

15:10 Break

15:25 Themed discussion: Literary Translation in the Age of AI

16:35 Break

16:50 Presentations by translators – part 2

17:40 Reading and music performance

18:00 Doors Close

For speakers and performers, details can be found here.