Susan Ouriou (born 15 July 1955) is a Canadian fiction writer, literary translator and editor.
Susan Ouriou | |
|---|---|
| Born | Susan Muir 15 July 1955 |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Occupation(s) | Writer, Translator, Editor |
Career edit
Ouriou, née Muir, was born in Red Deer, Alberta and raised in Calgary, Alberta and pursued her studies in France, Spain, Quebec and Mexico, obtaining a bachelor's degree in applied foreign languages and a masters in translation studies. She has worked as a fiction writer, literary translator and editor and was one of the co-founders of the Banff International Literary Translation Centre at the Banff Centre, where she also served for three years as the BILTC's director.
Ouriou has worked as a interpreter in a variety of capacities, including with The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada.
Awards edit
The Thirteenth Summer, her translation of José Luis Olaizola's Planicio, was a finalist for the John Glassco Translation Prize in 1994.[1]
Pieces of Me, Ouriou's translation of Charlotte Gingras' La liberté? Connais pas, won the Governor General's Award for French to English translation at the 2009 Governor General's Awards.[2]
She has been shortlisted for the award six other times, for The Road to Chlifa (Michèle Marineau, La Route de Chlifa) at the 1995 Governor General's Awards,[3] for Necessary Betrayals (Guillaume Vigneault, Chercher le vent) at the 2003 Governor General's Awards,[4] as co-translator with Christelle Morelli of Stolen Sisters: The Story of Two Missing Girls, Their Families and How Canada Has Failed Indigenous Women (Emmanuelle Walter, Sœurs volées: Enquête sur un féminicide au Canada) at the 2015 Governor General's Awards,[5] for The Lover, the Lake (Virginia Pésémapéo Bordeleau, L'amant du lac) at the 2021 Governor General's Awards,[6] for White Resin (Audrée Wilhelmy, Blanc Résine) at the 2022 Governor General's Awards,[7] and for Kukum (Michel Jean) at the 2023 Governor General's Awards.[8]
Ouriou and Morelli also jointly won a Libris Award in 2014 for Jane, the Fox and Me, their translation of Fanny Britt's Jane, le renard et moi.[9]
One of her many short stories, "Violette Bicyclette" (Alberta Views, 2008) won the Western Canadian Magazines Association fiction award and her first novel Damselfish was short-listed for the Writers Guild of Alberta's Georges Bugnet Fiction Award and the City of Calgary W.O. Mitchell Book Prize.[10] Several of her short stories have been translated into Spanish, French, Dutch and Bulgarian.
In 2010, she was appointed a Chevalier in France's Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in recognition of her commitment to La Francophonie through her work as a writer, translator and interpreter.
Bibliography edit
Fiction edit
- Damselfish (XYZ Publishing, 2003)[11]
- Nathan (Red Deer Press, 2016)
- The Recipe (Loft on Eighth, 2018)
- The Stuff of Life (Short Édition, 2019)
Translation edit
A selected list of Ouriou's translations include:
- 1993 - The Thirteenth Summer (José Luis Olaizola, Planicio)
- 1998 - The Road to Chlifa (Michèle Marineau, La Route de Chlifa)
- 2002 - Necessary Betrayals (Guillaume Vigneault, Chercher le vent)
- 2009 - Pieces of Me (Charlotte Gingras, La Liberté? Connais pas)
- 2013 - Jane, the Fox and Me, a co-translation with Christelle Morelli (Fanny Britt, Jane, le renard et moi)[12][13]
- 2015 - Stolen Sisters - The Story of Two Missing Girls, Their Families and How Canada Has Failed Indigenous Women and Girls, a co-translation with Christelle Morelli (Emmanuelle Walter, Sœurs volées - Enquête sur un féminicide au Canada)
- 2017 - Winter Child, a co-translation with Christelle Morelli (Virginia Pésémapéo Bordeleau, L'enfant hiver)
- 2017 - Louis Undercover, a co-translation with Christelle Morelli (Fanny Britt, Louis parmi les spectres)
- 2018 - Ophelia, a co-translation with Christelle Morelli (Charlotte Gingras, Ophélie)
- 2019 - The Body of the Beasts (Audrée Wilhelmy, Le Corps des bêtes)
- 2019 - Blue Bear Woman, a co-translation with Christelle Morelli (Virginia Pésémapéo Bordeleau, Ourse bleue)
- 2021 - The Lover, the Lake (Virginia Pésémapéo Bordeleau, L'Amant du lac)
- 2022 - White Resin (Audrée Wilhelmy, Blanc Résine)
- 2023 - The Future (Catherine Leroux, L'avenir)[14]
Anthologies, Editor edit
- Beyond Words – Translating the World (Banff Centre Press, 2010)
- Languages of Our Land - Indigenous Poems and Stories from Quebec (Banff Centre Press, 2014)
References edit
- ^ "Columnist wins translation prize". Montreal Gazette, May 7, 1994.
- ^ Volmers, Eric (November 18, 2009). "Calgarian best in literary translation". Calgary Herald. Retrieved June 26, 2019.
- ^ Gordon Morash, "Edmonton fares well again in Governor General's race; Shortlist also a vindication for beleaguered small presses". Edmonton Journal, October 28, 1995.
- ^ Judy Stoffman, "Literary award short list reveals quirky choices; Governor General picks are mostly unexpected titles". Toronto Star, October 21, 2003.
- ^ "Cusk a finalist for Governor General's literary Award". Telegraph-Journal, October 8, 2015.
- ^ "Ivan Coyote, David A. Robertson & Julie Flett among finalists for $25K Governor General's Literary Awards". CBC Books, October 14, 2021.
- ^ "The finalists for the 2022 Governor General's Literary Award for translation". CBC Books, October 12, 2022.
- ^ "Suzette Mayr, Iain Reid among finalists for $25K Governor General's Literary Awards". CBC Books, October 25, 2023.
- ^ Sue Carter, "Joseph Boyden double winner at Libris Awards". Quill & Quire, June 3, 2014.
- ^ "Mitchell Prize finalists named". Calgary Herald, March 19, 2004.
- ^ Toub, Micah (October 2003). "Damselfish, by Susan Ouriou". Quill and Quire. Retrieved June 27, 2019.
- ^ Brodesser-Akner, Taffy (August 23, 2013). "Solitary Creatures". The New York Times. Retrieved June 27, 2019.
- ^ Goedhart, Bernie (August 30, 2013). "For kids: A sly response to cruelty". Montreal Gazette. Retrieved June 26, 2019.
- ^ "The Future by Catherine Leroux, translated by Susan Ouriou". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 2023-08-22. Retrieved 2023-12-17.