"The Art of Hearing Heartbeats" by Jan-Philipp Sendker

The English translation of Jan-Philipp Sendker’s well-received novel, The Art of Hearing Heartbeats (Das Herzenhören) was published recently by Other Press. Jan-Philipp was one of the GLD’s two Distinguished Speakers at the ATA’s 52 Annual Conference in Boston.

Visit www.artofhearingheartbeats.com for more about the book, the author and links to purchase.

Here’s a little blurb to whet your appetite:

A poignant and inspirational love story set in Burma, The Art of Hearing Heartbeats  spans the decades between the 1950s and the present.  When a successful New York lawyer suddenly disappears without a trace, neither his wife nor his daughter Julia has any idea where he might be…until they find a love letter he wrote many years ago, to a Burmese woman they have never heard of. Intent on solving the mystery and coming to terms with her father’s past, Julia decides to travel to the village where the woman lived. There she uncovers a tale of unimaginable hardship, resilience, and passion that will reaffirm the reader’s belief in the power of love to move mountains.

I attended the bilingual readings with Jan-Philipp and GLD member Linda Marianiello in Boston. It was a fascinating experience to listen to the author and translator read their work and then discuss the process they went through to ensure that the translation mirrored not only the tone and syntax of the original, but also Jan-Philipp’s unique writing and storytelling style. I really felt like was listening his words in the English. Kevin Wiliarty’s translation of The Art of Hearing Heartbeats is just as remarkable.

We published the complete bilingual reading from the ATA Conference in Boston right here on the GLD website: https://ata-divisions.org/GLD/?p=1231

Happy Reading!

Matt