David M. Smith

Literary translator, Norwegian to English. Ihuga nynorskbrukar.

[David M. Smith @smithigans_wake]

Dag Solstad’s Maoism-influenced novels remain untranslated—leaving a major gap in how we see one of Norway’s greatest writers. I write in @LAReviewofBooks on why these strange, funny, vital works matter, and why it’s past time they reached English readers.
https://t.co/yuioG4vQHK

[Charlotte Mandell @avecsesdoigts]

Dear book reviewers,
If you are reading a book in translation, please remember that every single word you are reading was chosen by the translator. Every. Single. Word. Sometimes even agonized over for hours, or days. There are two authors of a translated book, not one.

[Charlotte Mandell @avecsesdoigts]

Dear @Chris_Byrd , thank you for that long and interesting article on the work of Mathias Énard in the NYRB. Some mention of the translations themselves would have been welcome. The work of Énard is also the work of Mandell and Wynne.

[And Other Stories @andothertweets]

Yáng Shuāng-zǐ and Lin King have won this year’s International Booker Prize with TAIWAN TRAVELOGUE!

This marks our second International Booker win in a row (!!!), following the success of Deepa Bhasthi’s translation of Banu Mushtaq’s HEART LAMP in 2025.

[Granta @GrantaMag]

This is Granta 175: Scandinavia.

The spring 2026 issue of Granta showcases a literature that packs in more force, pound for pound, than almost anywhere else in Europe.

The issue launches on 21 May 2026.

[gregory conway @gregorymconway]

Lønningspils top 100 novels of all time.

1. Is-slottet, Tarjei Vesaas
2. The Ice Palace, Tarjei Vesaas
3. El Palacio De Hielo, Tarjei Vesaas
4. Isslottet, Tarjei Vesaas
5. Das Eis-Schloss, Tarjei Vesaas
6. Il Castello Di Ghiaccio, Tarjei Vesaas
7. Isslottet, Tarjei Vesaas

[sebastian castillo @bartlebytaco]

@ragandboneshop @grnpointer very funny misreading of that solstad book which is completely hilarious and intentionally silly. the teacher character in question is also egregiously hungover while lecturing to bored hs students and trying to stave off a panic attack lol

[David M. Smith @smithigans_wake]

@gregorymconway Gratulerer!

[David M. Smith @smithigans_wake]

@PersonalRecords At least they are honest.

[David M. Smith @smithigans_wake]

(And also--Relax, nobody "stole" anything from anyone, I'm just saying)

[David M. Smith @smithigans_wake]

Well. Didn't they both steal the scenario from Philip Roth?

[Minor Canon @saelantwerdy]

Has anybody commented on how much the premise of the new Ben Lerner resembles @bartlebytaco’s Fresh, Green Life? A man goes to visit the home of an aging, senescent mentor to engage in a conversation while also touring memories of his own recent past?

[David M. Smith @smithigans_wake]

(Based on my vague memory of The Ghost Writer)

[And Other Stories @andothertweets]

They said nobody could do it, but we’re pleased to announce that we will be publishing David M. Smith’s translation of Thure Erik Lund’s THE MYSTERY OF WHAT BEFELL IN THE DITCH, a novel often spoken of as untranslatable. Publishes 20 October

Preorder now
https://t.co/quoZtGnSUM

[David M. Smith @smithigans_wake]

Maybe someday I'll pull a Walter Benjamin and write a translator's preface that makes no reference whatsoever to the work I've just translated

[David M. Smith @smithigans_wake]

"And remembering is always essentially the act of translating"...couldn't have said it better myself. Thanks @chrisvia for this wonderful review of THE CALF!
https://t.co/0Yus5AuJ6h

[David M. Smith @smithigans_wake]

@plainly_andy Exactly why it would keep me up at night; I’m not that familiar with metal—black or death—at all. I’ll consult your expertise if it ever comes up in one of my projects!

[David M. Smith @smithigans_wake]

As a translator, these are the kinds of questions that keep me up at night

[gregory conway @gregorymconway]

Can someone who has Knausgaard's Morning Star series in Norwegian check this out for me?

[David M. Smith @smithigans_wake]

@gregorymconway This is exactly what set me on my future career path

[sebastian castillo @bartlebytaco]

@circles2waves writing a novel is a fundamentally silly thing: spending hundreds of hours and sometimes years of your life dedicated to a make believe scenario you treat with as much seriousness as your tax returns or human relationships. freud wrote about it

[David M. Smith @smithigans_wake]

As it happens, using a typewriter to draft things does not eliminate the urge to hit ctrl-S after every sentence

[Jordan Barger @PersonalRecords]

Hello world! I’m traveling and I’ve got several readings coming up. I’ll be in Oslo 17th-21st, then NYC til’ the 27th, then PHILLY for the foreseeable future.