Parthian Books has signed a rights deal for the translation of Easy Meat into Danish with the publisher Forlaget mellemgaard of Odense, Denmark.
As an award-winning author, Rachel Trezise has managed to again capture the minds of those outside of Wales, with Mellemgard looking for answers about the UK’s choice to leave the European Union and finding those answers in Trezise’s new book, Easy Meat. This is why Jens Eichler Lorenzen, editor of Forlaget
mellemgaard, is so keen to showcase this important work of fiction to a wider audience, because of the unfiltered truth it delivers – Lorenzen commented:
“Rachel Trezise’s depiction of working-class Wales and how people deal with their often bleak reality makes for strong reading. The Brexit theme is of course interesting for a Danish audience, who is largely baffled by the fact that the UK chose to leave the EU.”
Trezise agreed with the rationale behind Lorenzen’s choice to publish her book in Danish, commenting:
“I'm absolutely delighted that [Forlaget mellemgaard] are going to publish my new book in Denmark and that there's such interest from Europe in Welsh working-class literature. I've always felt we owe Europeans some sort of explanation for the Brexit vote. I hope Easy Meat hits the mark.”
And, certainly, Easy Meat has most definitely ‘hit the mark’ so far – by setting the book in the south Wales Valleys on the 23rd of June 2016, Trezise manages to capture the insatiable crave for change that finally culminated in an extraordinary and historic decision being made on the day of the Brexit vote. It was a decision that shocked Europe, hence the intrigue from a Danish perspective.
However, this is not the first time that Trezise has caught the attention of a European publisher – her debut novel, In and Out of the Goldfish Bowl was translated into Italian and her short story collection, Fresh Apples, which won the inaugural Dylan Thomas Prize, was translated into Danish, Italian and Serbian.
Easy Meat continues to gain Trezise international attention as an author – this time, it happened almost immediately, with the rights deal being decided less than 2 weeks after the initial release of the book. Mellemgard is clearly enthusiastic to provide an aspect of understanding regarding the Brexit vote for those outside of the UK, with their publication of the novella in Danish bound to incite more conversations about this topic from a non-British POV. They no longer have to act as outsiders looking in, but are immersed into a visceral depiction of Welsh working-class life that just so happens to take place during the day of the referendum.
Finally, author, editor and broadcaster Gary Raymond sums up the importance of translating this novella perfectly:
“Journalists, commentators, statisticians, blowhards, politicians, all scrambling around trying to understand the Welsh Brexit vote, and here is proof they should have just asked a novelist.”
Here’s to hoping that the citizens of Denmark find a similar type of solace in reading Easy Meat.
Mellemgard is a Danish publishing house founded in 1998. They publish around 250-300 titles every year and have recently begun publishing translations from English, American, German, French and Italian publishers: http://mellemgaard.dk
Easy Meat by Rachel Trezise is a glimpse of a young man and a country on the verge of a momentous decision – find it here: https://bit.ly/3pAe2tH
Gary Raymond’s review on Twitter: https://bit.ly/3gisGl2
