literature

Kristen Gehrman Wins Vondel Translation Prize 2024

Kristen Gehrman is awarded the Vondel Translation Prize 2024 for The History of My Sexuality, her translation of Tobi Lakmaker’s Dutch novel De geschiedenis van mijn seksualiteit. The jury praised her for ‘bringing Lakmaker’s bold narrative voice memorably to life with verve and irresistible comic timing.’

The Vondel Translation Prize is awarded every three years to the best English translation of a Dutch literary or cultural-historical work, with the winner receiving €5,000.

The jury is full of praise for Gehrman’s remarkable achievement: ‘Running the gamut from broad comedy to brittle vulnerability, Gehrman instantly establishes a gutsy, assured voice that effortlessly matches the pace and punch of Lakmaker’s bold, highly idiosyncratic narrative of self-discovery. The humour is often ebullient but never strained: Gehrman delivers laugh-out-loud lines with crisp comic timing, yet hits the mark just as effectively when handling the novel’s darker undercurrents and raw, intimate moments, which she does with disarming directness and haunting clarity. In short, an extraordinary feat of balance, finesse and emotional range – one that Gehrman pulls off in style.’

Kristen Gehrman, originally from the US, has a master’s degree in Language Science and Communication from the University of Lausanne. She now lives and works in The Hague. Her earlier translations include The Melting by Lize Spit, The Boy Between Worlds: A Biography by Annejet van der Zijl and I Will Live by Lale Gül.

Runner-up

The runner-up for the Vondel Prize is David McKay for We Slaves of Suriname (Polity), his translation of Anton de Kom’s Wij slaven van Suriname (Contact). In the words of the jury, ‘David McKay expertly captures every nuance of De Kom’s deeply personal and wide-ranging account in lucid and accessible prose that is as emotive and harrowing as the original, cementing the book’s status as essential reading for generations to come.’

Three other highly accomplished translators were shortlisted for the Vondel Translation Prize 2024: Michele Hutchison for My Heavenly Favourite by Lucas Rijneveld, Sam Garett for Falling Is Like Flying by Manon Uphoff and Emma Rault for We Had to Remove This Post by Hanna Bervoets.

About the prize

Named after the most prominent Dutch poet and playwright of the 17th century, Joost van den Vondel, the prize was established in 1996 by the British Society of Authors and is sponsored by the Dutch Foundation for Literature.

Three years ago, it was awarded to David Doherty for Summer Brother by Jaap Robben. Doherty served on this year’s jury, alongside author and literary reviewer Claire Lowdon, who writes for the Times Literary Supplement, The Sunday Times and The Spectator, and literary translator Susan Massotty, whose numerous translations include Anne Frank’s Diary of a Young Girl.

The Vondel Translation Prize will be awarded in London on 12 February 2025.

• Vondel
• Vondel Translation Prize