Thu, Oct 02
|Backstory English Bookshop
Backstory Talks: Marta Orriols & Mara Faye Lethem
On Writing, Translation, and Bringing Stories Across Borders
Time & Location
Oct 02, 2025, 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM
Backstory English Bookshop, Carrer de Mallorca, 330, L'Eixample, 08037 Barcelona, España
About the event
Join us for a very special evening with Catalan author Marta Orriols and her translator into English, Mara Faye Lethem. This unique encounter will explore the creative collaboration between writer and translator, offering an intimate look into the process of bringing Marta’s acclaimed novel Aprendre a parlar amb les plantes (Edicions del Periscopi, 2018) into English as Learning to Talk to Plants (Pushkin Press, 2020).
Marta and Mara first worked together during the prestigious Art Omi Translation Lab residency, a space dedicated to fostering dialogue between authors and translators. Their ongoing collaboration offers a rare glimpse into how a literary voice travels across languages, cultures, and readerships.
Together, they will reflect on the writing and translation process, the nuances of creative exchange, and how literature transcends borders to reach new audiences.
About the Book
Learning to Talk to Plants tells the story of Paula, a neonatologist who must navigate grief…