The National Endowment for the Arts announced a new round of 13 translation fellowships, one of which, in the amount of $20,000, goes to AATIA member Michele Aynesworth to support the translation from French of In So Corrupt an Age, the journal of Charles Rist.

A successful economist living in Paris, Rist (1874-1955) began keeping a personal journal in 1939, the day after Germany’s invasion of Poland. The daily entries record his reflections on the war and occupation. The journal bears witness to events of national and international importance, but also traces the more personal dealings of Rist’s family and friends. Written in the self-reflective tradition of Montaigne, the 470-page journal ends in 1945, with the author’s reaction to the Nuremberg trials.

These NEA grants will support the translation of six works of prose, including a play, and seven works of poetry. The works will be translated from nine languages including Japanese, Czech, Portuguese, and medieval Cretan Greek. The NEA also announced significant changes to the guidelines for the Literary Translation fellowships, to foster more translations of world literature into English.

"One of the most profound ways to engage citizens of different countries with each other is through literature, but most of us will never be able to read much of the world’s literature except in translation," said NEA Chairman Dana Gioia. "I am delighted to announce these grants and the program’s new guidelines that will expand opportunities for literary translators and help grow the translation field."

Aynesworth received her doctorate in Comparative Literature from the University of Texas at Austin. She has also translated the novel Mad Toy by Argentine writer Roberto Arlt. She is an Associate Professor of English at Huston-Tillotson University, Retired.