Guest editor Arthur Sze
Series edited by Noh Anothai, Wendy Call, Öykü Tekten & Kọ́lá Túbọ̀sún
Best Literary Translations redefines the canon of global literatures in English translation, showcasing the brave and brilliant work of contemporary translators and editors.
Publication Date: April 14th, 2026
Paperback ISBN: 9781646054244
eBook ISBN: 9781646054251
Description
Guest edited by National Book Award winner Arthur Sze, Best Literary Translations 2026 features poetry and prose written in languages both widely spoken and critically endangered, brought into English by some of the most talented translators working today.
Compiled from over 450 submissions written in 62 original languages, the third edition of this groundbreaking annual anthology features a chorus of voices from across the globe. Collecting translated works from French to Xitsonga, Farsi to Korean, Ukrainian to Guaraní, Best Literary Translations 2026 is a vibrant collection of poetry, essays, and short fiction, and hybrid work, each accompanied by a translator’s note reflecting on the discovery, translation, and resonance of the original work. For enthusiasts of literature in translation and newcomers to global literary traditions alike, Best Literary Translations offers a glimpse into essential writing from many corners of the world.
Author bio
Arthur Sze is a poet, translator, and editor. He recently published his twelfth book of poetry, Into the Hush (Copper Canyon Press, 2025) and The White Orchard: Selected Interviews, Essays, and Poems (Museum of New Mexico Press, 2025). His other collections include The Glass Constellation: New and Collected Poems, selected for a National Book Foundation Science + Literature Award, and Sight Lines, for which he received the 2019 National Book Award for Poetry. He has also published The Silk Dragon II: Translations of Chinese Poetry (Copper Canyon Press, 2024). A recipient of the 2025 Bollingen Prize for American Poetry for Lifetime Achievement from Yale University, a Rebekah Johnson Bobbitt National Prize for Poetry from the Library of Congress, the Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize from the Poetry Foundation, the Shelley Memorial Award from the Poetry Society of America, and the Jackson Poetry Prize from Poets & Writers, he is a professor emeritus at the Institute of American Indian Arts.