Ross Meckler Benjamin

📖BEHIND THE BOOK📖 Have you ever wondered where translators work? What their writing spaces look like or where they like to curl up with a book and read? If, like me, you’re curious to see where the magic happens, then look no further. Ross Benjamin shares some behind-the-scenes shots of his workspace and his favourite reading spot. If you’d like to dig a little deeper, then you’ll have to tune into the latest episode of It’s Lit in Translation.💡 This is the sixth and final episode from my International Booker Prize shortlist series. To learn more about Ross Benjamin’s translation of the IBP-shortlisted novel, The Director, you can listen to the full episode on Spotify, Apple Podcasts & Pocket Casts.🎙️🎧 🏆 @thebookerprizes @riverrun_books @summitbooks @kehlmanndaniel 📸: Ross Benjamin #literarypodcast #literatureintranslation #internationalbookerprize #literarytranslator #thedirector

🎙️EPISODE TEN IS NOW LIVE!🎙️ I am absolutely delighted to share that the sixth and final episode of my IBP interviews is now live. In today’s episode, award-winning translator of German literature Ross Benjamin joins the pod to discuss his translation of The Director by Daniel Kehlmann, shortlisted for the 2026 International Booker Prize. Ross takes us through his journey into literary translation, reflecting on his early encounters with translated literature through Grimm’s fairy tales, Bible stories, and French poetry, before eventually developing a deep connection to German language and literature. We discuss how translation became, for him, an extension of reading itself: a form of intense attentiveness that shaped both his literary sensibilities and his craft as a writer. We dive into his translation of Daniel Kehlmann’s The Director, a historical novel centred on Austrian film director G.W. Pabst during the rise of the Nazi regime. Ross shares the challenges of translating a work that moves so deftly between horror, satire, absurdity, and psychological tension, discussing the importance of preserving the novel’s tonal volatility without over-amplifying or flattening its effects. We also explore the novel’s cinematic quality, the role of silence and hesitation in dialogue, and the moral questions surrounding complicity, artistic integrity, and self-deception under authoritarianism. Together, we discuss the delicate process of translating humour and historical voice, including Ross’s fascinating approach to the character Rupert Worcester, whose voice draws on the world of P.G. Wodehouse. Ross also reflects on the extensive research involved in the translation process, from watching archival footage and films to recreating the atmosphere of 1930s Europe for contemporary readers. You can tune into the latest episode of It’s Lit in Translation on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Pocket Casts🎙️🎧 🏆 @thebookerprizes @kehlmanndaniel @riverrun_books 📸: David Schloss #itslitintranslation #literarypodcast #readaroundtheworld #internationalbookerprize #literarytranslation

We’re thrilled to be hosting artist Maira Kalman at The Angel Nyack. Maira will be in conversation with translator Ross Benjamin on June 11 at 6:30 Tickets are only $15 and can be purchased at bigredboooks.net or 845-875-7707. @angel_nyack @rossmbenjamin #jewishvoices #inconversation #indiebookstoreevents #independentbookstoreevents

Die englischsprachigen Ausgaben von Shida Bazyars »Nachts ist es leise in Teheran« @kiwi_verlag @shida.baz , übersetzt von Ruth Martin @dances_with_voles , sowie von Daniel Kehlmanns »Lichtspiel« @rowohltverlag @kehlmanndaniel , übersetzt von Ross Benjamin @rossmbenjamin , haben es auf die Shortlist des International Booker Prize 2026 @thebookerprizes geschafft. Damit könnte nach der Auszeichnung von Jenny Erpenbecks Roman »Kairos« @penguin_literatur erneut die Übersetzung eines deutschsprachigen Romans den renommierten Preis gewinnen, der in gleichen Teilen an Autor:in und Übersetzer:in geht. @wir_uebersetzen_literatur @toledo.programm @uebersetzerfonds @ueberuebersetzen

Honored and delighted to see my translation of Daniel Kehlmann's THE DIRECTOR on the International Booker Prize shortlist.

What Kafka Saw: Drawings and Diaries | THU, MAR 12, 7 PM | Bohemian National Hall Join us on Thursday for an evening dedicated to the visual world of Franz Kafka—the images, observations, and ways of seeing that shaped his writing and his lesser-known drawings. Next week: translator Ross Benjamin and art historians Marie Rakušanová and Nicholas Sawicki, in conversation with Merve Emre, will explore how Kafka moved through early-20th-century Prague, what caught his attention in its cafés, theaters, and streets, and how looking became central to his creative practice. Expect a richly illustrated conversation at the intersection of literature, art, and cultural history—plus the chance to purchase and have signed The Diaries of Franz Kafka and Through the Eyes of Franz Kafka: Between Image and Language. Organized by the Czech Center New York with additional support from the Society for the History of Czechoslovak Jews, the Austrian Cultural Forum New York, and Lehigh University. 🎟️ LEARN MORE & REGISTER: Follow the link in our bio or visit czechcenter.com #franzkafka #literarytalk #authorevent #pragueliterature #history

My translation of Daniel Kehlmann's THE DIRECTOR has been nominated for the International Booker Prize

This Friday I’ll be giving a lecture, "The Art of Getting Nowhere: On Translating Kafka’s Diaries," as part of the 2026 Boston University Lecture Series in Literary Translation. Free and open to the public. @butranslation

What Kafka Saw: Drawings and Diaries | THU, MAR 12, 7 PM | Bohemian National Hall Ross Benjamin, Marie Rakušanová, and Nicholas Sawicki in conversation with Merve Emre. Join us for a special evening devoted to the visual imagination of Franz Kafka—a writer whose way of seeing the world shaped not only his literature, but also his drawings and diaries. Through images and conversation, we’ll explore Kafka’s extraordinary sensitivity to people, places, and everyday scenes as he moved through cafés, theaters, galleries, and cinemas of early-20th-century Prague. What caught Kafka’s eye? How did he train himself to observe, and how did this visual attention find its way into his writing and into the recently rediscovered drawings he made throughout his life? Together, we’ll consider what Kafka saw, how he looked, and what his visual world reveals about his work. The discussion brings together translator Ross Benjamin, art historians Marie Rakušanová and Nicholas Sawicki, and is moderated by author, scholar, and critic Merve Emre. Print copies of The Diaries of Franz Kafka and Through the Eyes of Franz Kafka: Between Image and Language will be available for purchase and signing before and after the event. Organized by the Czech Center New York with additional support from the Society for the History of Czechoslovak Jews, the Austrian Cultural Forum New York, and Lehigh University. 🎟️ LEARN MORE & REGISTER: Follow the link in our bio or visit czechcenter.com #franzkafka #literarytalk #authorevent #pragueliterature #history

My latest post on FRANZ. Link in bio.

This Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. @bigredbooks , I'll be speaking with @sam__sussman about BOY FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY, a novel of love, loss, and artistic inheritance. Hope you can join us. Please RSVP at /events

Finally got this one back in stock! It’s made every “Best of” list for the year just past and now’s your chance to find out why. G.W. Pabst Made beautiful, important movies — and tragic choices. Here’s that story, told from inside. From @summitbooks @simonandschuster and translator @rossmbenjamin Ross Benjamin, The Director: A Novel, by prize-winning German novelist Daniel Kehlmann. #fiction #booksintranslation #danielkehlmann #bnunidistrictwa #bookstagram