Salt is to develop a new classics list starting with 10 titles for 2009. The list revivifies the planned series, WIRE, which Salt closed a few years ago. “We’ve had a change of heart about a classics list, in some respects our earlier thinking was simply too complex and we’ll never compete on price and distribution; we needed something different,” said Chris Hamilton-Emery. “John [Kinsella] has been keen on this since 2000 and we did a great deal of work on the old WIRE series, but we’re aiming for something different here, we’re no longer aiming at a trade paperback offer.” Hamilton-Emery is keeping quiet about the new series for now.
In a further move, Salt is to dramatically expand its translation programme. The press has been carefully developing a translation series with major works by Berk, Czerniawski, Kosovel, Lehto and Montejo, but now intends to launch an online magazine and a major expansion of its book publishing. “Our successes with our current list have been encouraging and our new Latin American series begins in the autumn. I now want to draw together a first rate team to lead a translation programme at Salt which will make a major contribution to our international lists an to our understanding of world literature. We’ll be announcing that team in a couple of months’ time, but our discussions have been wonderfully supportive and I feel confident that the right people are coming together” said Hamilton-Emery.
tags:
translations
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classics
