What does it take to carry Shakespeare across languages — not just his plots and his characters, but the very heartbeat of his verse? Today I'm speaking with Daniel Hahn, one of the most celebrated literary translators working today.

With several works to his credit, he has translated fiction, nonfiction, children's books, and plays from across Europe, Africa, and the Americas. He is the recipient of the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize, the International Dublin Literary Award, the Blue Peter Book Award, and the 2023 Ottaway Award for the Promotion of International Literature. In 2020, he was appointed an OBE for his services to literature.

Daniel's new book, If This Be Magic: The Unlikely Art of Shakespeare in Translation, is part love letter, part close reading, and part globe-trotting investigation — one that took him from Budapest theatre seats to Zoom calls with translators working in everything from Swahili to Bangla. It's a book that asks: when you change everything, can you still keep everything?

published in April 2026 - If This Be Magic: The Unlikely Art of Shakespeare in Translation by Daniel Hahn is a non-fiction book exploring how Shakespeare's plays are translated, adapted, and re-imagined for global audiences. It investigates the challenges of translating Shakespearean language, wordplay, and poetry across different cultures and languages.

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***Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by Interviewees in interviews conducted by Harshaneeyam Podcast are those of the Interviewees and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Harshaneeyam Podcast. Any content provided by Interviewees is of their opinion and is not intended to malign any religion, ethnic group, club, organization, company, individual, or anyone or anything.

"Welcome to Harshaneeyam Podcast. Today, we enter the intricate, wickedly humorous, and deeply observant world of Swedish author Ia Genberg. Joining us is the acclaimed translator Kira Josefsson, whose English translation of the short story collection - Small Comfort, has been longlisted for the International Booker Prize 2026.

Kira is no stranger to Genberg’s sharp prose; she also translated the 2024 International Booker Prize-shortlisted novel The Details. In Small Comfort, the author shifts her focus toward the subtle, often invisible ways that money, status, and debt permeate our most intimate human relationships. From a former child star turned elusive interviewee to a divorced couple feigning marriage to secure an inheritance, these stories take us to the inner worlds of these characters.

Stay with us as we discuss the 'slippery' nature of success, the challenge of finding distinct tonalities for interconnected stories, and why Ia Genberg is a master of making the mundane feel extraordinary."

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* Please complete Harshaneeyam Listener Survey using the above link.

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***Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by Interviewees in interviews conducted by Harshaneeyam Podcast are those of the Interviewees and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Harshaneeyam Podcast. Any content provided by Interviewees is of their opinion and is not intended to malign any religion, ethnic group, club, organization, company, individual, or anyone or anything.

"Welcome to Harshaneeyam. Today, we delve into a powerful work of Bulgarian literature that has recently made its way to the 2026 International Booker Prize shortlist: 'She Who Remains' by Renée Karbash.

The novel explores the life of a 'sworn virgin'—a woman who, according to an ancient Balkan tradition, takes a vow of celibacy and lives as a man to gain the rights and status reserved for men in a patriarchal society. However, Karbash moves beyond the tradition itself to examine the psychological weight of this choice. It is a story about identity, the cost of survival, and the profound isolation that comes with erasing one's past.

Joining us to discuss this work is the English translator Izidora Angel. Having translated other notable Bulgarian writers like Natalia Deleva, Izidora found this particular project to be uniquely challenging and innovative.

In our conversation, she talks about the experience of the book being recognized by the International Booker Prize—from the initial longlist to the formal invitation to London. We also discuss her translation process, specifically how she approached Karbash’s experimental style and the linguistic shifts required to capture a character who transitions between a female past and a male present. It is a fascinating look at how a translator navigates a text that is as much about what is unsaid as what is written."

Izidora Angel is a Bulgarian-born memoirist, essayist and literary translator based in Chicago. Her translation of She Who Remains by Rene Karabash has been shortlisted for the 2026 International Booker Prize.

Izidora's writing has appeared in A Public Space, Astra Magazine, Electric Literature, Gulf Coast, and elsewhere, and anthologized in Best Literary Translations. She’s been recognized by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Elizabeth Kostova Foundation, PEN/Heim, and others.

Izidora is completing her debut memoir, Solomon’s Daughter, first excerpted in The American Scholar.

If you enjoy Harshaneeyam Podcast please follow the show on Apple, Spotify, or your favourite podcasting platform and leave a review for us. It will help truly help us; and don't forget to Share our podcast link with your other friends who enjoy similar content.

To help us provide even more value, using the link given below in the show notes to complete our brief Listener Survey. Your feedback is the secret ingredient that helps us improve and create content tailored to your interests!

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* Please complete Harshaneeyam Listener Survey using the above link.

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***Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by Interviewees in interviews conducted by Harshaneeyam Podcast are those of the Interviewees and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Harshaneeyam Podcast. Any content provided by Interviewees is of their opinion and is not intended to malign any religion, ethnic group, club, organization, company, individual, or anyone or anything.