Tiina Nunnally
Encyclopedia
Tiina Nunnally is an American
author and translator
.
Nunnally was born in Chicago
, Illinois
, and grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
, and St. Louis Park, Minnesota
. She was an AFS exchange student to Århus, Denmark
in 1969-70. She received her MA in 1976 from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and a PhC
from the University of Washington
in 1979. She has a long association with the Department of Scandinavian Studies at the University of Washington
, but she is not a salaried faculty member. Since 2002 she has lived in Albuquerque, New Mexico, with her husband Steven T. Murray
, both full-time freelance literary translators.
Nunnally is an award-winning translator of Danish
, Norwegian
, and Swedish
, who sometimes uses the pseudonym Felicity David when edited into UK English. Her translation of Kristin Lavransdatter
III: The Cross by Sigrid Undset
won the PEN/Book-of-the-Month Club Translation Prize
in 2001, and Peter Høeg
's Smilla's Sense of Snow
won the American Translators Association
's Lewis Galantière Prize.
Her first novel, Maija, won a Governor's Writers Award from the State of Washington in 1996. Since then two more of her novels have been published.
The Swedish Academy honored Nunnally in 2009 with a special award for her contributions to “the introduction of Swedish culture abroad.”
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
author and translator
Translation
Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. Whereas interpreting undoubtedly antedates writing, translation began only after the appearance of written literature; there exist partial translations of the Sumerian Epic of...
.
Nunnally was born in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, and grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
, and St. Louis Park, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
. She was an AFS exchange student to Århus, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
in 1969-70. She received her MA in 1976 from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and a PhC
Candidate of Philosophy
Candidate of Philosophy is any of the following academic degrees: a Bachelor's level, Master's level, higher than Master's level, or Doctorate level degree, depending on the country.- In the United States :...
from the University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
in 1979. She has a long association with the Department of Scandinavian Studies at the University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
, but she is not a salaried faculty member. Since 2002 she has lived in Albuquerque, New Mexico, with her husband Steven T. Murray
Steven T. Murray
Steven T. Murray is an American translator from Swedish, German, Danish, and Norwegian. He has worked under the pseudonyms Reg Keeland and McKinley Burnett when edited into UK English...
, both full-time freelance literary translators.
Nunnally is an award-winning translator of Danish
Danish language
Danish is a North Germanic language spoken by around six million people, principally in the country of Denmark. It is also spoken by 50,000 Germans of Danish ethnicity in the northern parts of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, where it holds the status of minority language...
, Norwegian
Norwegian language
Norwegian is a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Norway, where it is the official language. Together with Swedish and Danish, Norwegian forms a continuum of more or less mutually intelligible local and regional variants .These Scandinavian languages together with the Faroese language...
, and Swedish
Swedish language
Swedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish...
, who sometimes uses the pseudonym Felicity David when edited into UK English. Her translation of Kristin Lavransdatter
Kristin Lavransdatter
Kristin Lavransdatter is the common name for a trilogy of historical novels written by Nobel laureate Sigrid Undset. The individual novels are Kransen , first published in 1920, Husfrue , published in 1921, and Korset , published in 1922...
III: The Cross by Sigrid Undset
Sigrid Undset
Sigrid Undset was a Norwegian novelist who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1928.-Biography:Undset was born in Kalundborg, Denmark, but her family moved to Norway when she was two years old. In 1924, she converted to Catholicism and became a lay Dominican...
won the PEN/Book-of-the-Month Club Translation Prize
PEN/Book-of-the-Month Club Translation Prize
The PEN/Book-of-the-Month Club Translation Prize is an annual award given to outstanding translations into the English language. It has been presented annually by PEN American Center and the Book of the Month Club since 1963....
in 2001, and Peter Høeg
Peter Høeg
Peter Høeg is a Danish writer of fiction. He received a Master of Arts in Literature from the University of Copenhagen in 1984.-Early life:Høeg was born in Copenhagen, Denmark...
's Smilla's Sense of Snow
Smilla's Sense of Snow
Miss Smilla's Feeling for Snow or Smilla's Sense of Snow is a 1992 novel by Danish author Peter Høeg. It was translated into English by Tiina Nunnally...
won the American Translators Association
American Translators Association
The American Translators Association was founded in 1959 and is now the largest professional association of translators and interpreters in the United States with more than 10,000 members in 90 countries....
's Lewis Galantière Prize.
Her first novel, Maija, won a Governor's Writers Award from the State of Washington in 1996. Since then two more of her novels have been published.
The Swedish Academy honored Nunnally in 2009 with a special award for her contributions to “the introduction of Swedish culture abroad.”
Selected translations
- Pippi LongstockingPippi LongstockingPippi Longstocking is a fictional character in a series of children's books by Swedish author Astrid Lindgren, and adapted into multiple films and television series...
by Astrid LindgrenAstrid LindgrenAstrid Anna Emilia Lindgren , 14 November 1907 – 28 January 2002) was a Swedish author and screenwriter who is the world's 25th most translated author and has sold roughly 145 million copies worldwide...
, a new translation, illustrated by Lauren ChildLauren ChildLauren Child MBE is an English author and illustrator. She is best known for writing the Charlie and Lola books and Clarice Bean novels....
(from Swedish) (2007) - Chronicler of the WindsChronicler of the WindsChronicler of the Winds is a story about an urchin set in Maputo, the capital of Mozambique written by Henning Mankell in 1995.The story is told by a baker, José M. V., who finds Nelio, the main character, shot on the stage of a theatre....
by Henning MankellHenning MankellHenning Mankell is a Swedish crime writer, children's author, leftist activist and dramatist, best known for a series of mystery novels starring his most famous creation, Inspector Kurt Wallander.-Life and career:...
(from Swedish) (2006) - Kristin LavransdatterKristin LavransdatterKristin Lavransdatter is the common name for a trilogy of historical novels written by Nobel laureate Sigrid Undset. The individual novels are Kransen , first published in 1920, Husfrue , published in 1921, and Korset , published in 1922...
by Sigrid UndsetSigrid UndsetSigrid Undset was a Norwegian novelist who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1928.-Biography:Undset was born in Kalundborg, Denmark, but her family moved to Norway when she was two years old. In 1924, she converted to Catholicism and became a lay Dominican...
, Deluxe Classics edition (from Norwegian) (2005) - Fairy Tales by Hans Christian AndersenHans Christian AndersenHans Christian Andersen was a Danish author, fairy tale writer, and poet noted for his children's stories. These include "The Steadfast Tin Soldier," "The Snow Queen," "The Little Mermaid," "Thumbelina," "The Little Match Girl," and "The Ugly Duckling."...
(from Danish) (2004) - When the Devil Holds the CandleWhen the Devil Holds the CandleWhen the Devil Holds the Candle is a novel by Norwegian writer Karin Fossum, fourth in the Inspector Konrad Sejer series. In 2007, upon its publication in the USA, the novel won the Gumshoe Award for Best European Crime Novel....
by Karin FossumKarin FossumKarin Fossum is a Norwegian author of crime fiction, often referred to as the "Norwegian queen of crime".-Biography:Karin Mathisen was born in Sandefjord in Vestfold county, Norway. She currently lives in Oslo. Fossum debuted as a poet with Kanskje i morgen, her first collection published in...
(from Norwegian) under pseudonym Felicity David (2004) - He Who Fears the WolfHe Who Fears the WolfHe Who Fears the Wolf is a novel by Norwegian writer Karin Fossum, the third in the Inspector Konrad Sejer series....
by Karin FossumKarin FossumKarin Fossum is a Norwegian author of crime fiction, often referred to as the "Norwegian queen of crime".-Biography:Karin Mathisen was born in Sandefjord in Vestfold county, Norway. She currently lives in Oslo. Fossum debuted as a poet with Kanskje i morgen, her first collection published in...
(from Norwegian) under pseudonym Felicity David (2003) - Don't Look BackDon't Look Back (novel)Don't Look Back is a novel by Norwegian writer Karin Fossum, the second to feature Inspector Konrad Sejer. The novel won the Glass Key Award in 1997....
by Karin FossumKarin FossumKarin Fossum is a Norwegian author of crime fiction, often referred to as the "Norwegian queen of crime".-Biography:Karin Mathisen was born in Sandefjord in Vestfold county, Norway. She currently lives in Oslo. Fossum debuted as a poet with Kanskje i morgen, her first collection published in...
(from Norwegian) under pseudonym Felicity David (2002) - Kristin LavransdatterKristin LavransdatterKristin Lavransdatter is the common name for a trilogy of historical novels written by Nobel laureate Sigrid Undset. The individual novels are Kransen , first published in 1920, Husfrue , published in 1921, and Korset , published in 1922...
III: The Cross by Sigrid UndsetSigrid UndsetSigrid Undset was a Norwegian novelist who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1928.-Biography:Undset was born in Kalundborg, Denmark, but her family moved to Norway when she was two years old. In 1924, she converted to Catholicism and became a lay Dominican...
(from Norwegian) (2000) - Kristin LavransdatterKristin LavransdatterKristin Lavransdatter is the common name for a trilogy of historical novels written by Nobel laureate Sigrid Undset. The individual novels are Kransen , first published in 1920, Husfrue , published in 1921, and Korset , published in 1922...
II: The Wife by Sigrid UndsetSigrid UndsetSigrid Undset was a Norwegian novelist who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1928.-Biography:Undset was born in Kalundborg, Denmark, but her family moved to Norway when she was two years old. In 1924, she converted to Catholicism and became a lay Dominican...
(from Norwegian) (1999) - Kristin LavransdatterKristin LavransdatterKristin Lavransdatter is the common name for a trilogy of historical novels written by Nobel laureate Sigrid Undset. The individual novels are Kransen , first published in 1920, Husfrue , published in 1921, and Korset , published in 1922...
I: The Wreath by Sigrid UndsetSigrid UndsetSigrid Undset was a Norwegian novelist who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1928.-Biography:Undset was born in Kalundborg, Denmark, but her family moved to Norway when she was two years old. In 1924, she converted to Catholicism and became a lay Dominican...
(from Norwegian) (1997) - Smilla's Sense of SnowSmilla's Sense of SnowMiss Smilla's Feeling for Snow or Smilla's Sense of Snow is a 1992 novel by Danish author Peter Høeg. It was translated into English by Tiina Nunnally...
[American title] by Peter HøegPeter HøegPeter Høeg is a Danish writer of fiction. He received a Master of Arts in Literature from the University of Copenhagen in 1984.-Early life:Høeg was born in Copenhagen, Denmark...
(from Danish) (1993); [UK reprint title: Miss Smilla's Feeling for Snow under pseudonym F. David]
Honors and awards
- Award from the Swedish Academy for “the introduction of Swedish culture abroad” (2009). The citation noted in particular her translations of works by Per Olov EnquistPer Olov EnquistPer Olov Enquist, better known as P. O. Enquist, is a Swedish author. He has worked as a journalist, playwright and novelist...
, Bodil Jönsson, Astrid LindgrenAstrid LindgrenAstrid Anna Emilia Lindgren , 14 November 1907 – 28 January 2002) was a Swedish author and screenwriter who is the world's 25th most translated author and has sold roughly 145 million copies worldwide...
, and Klas ÖstergrenKlas ÖstergrenKlas Östergren is a Swedish novelist, screenwriter and translator who, in 1999, was nominated for his country's top film award, the Guldbagge and, in 2005, received the grand prize bestowed by the country's premier literary society, Samfundet De Nio.A native of Stockholm, Klas Östergren was twenty...
(all of which have inexplicably been deleted from the list above). - Winner of the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize, for The Royal Physician’s Visit by Per Olov EnquistPer Olov EnquistPer Olov Enquist, better known as P. O. Enquist, is a Swedish author. He has worked as a journalist, playwright and novelist...
(2003). - Winner of the PEN/Book-of-the-Month Club Translation Prize, for Kristin Lavransdatter: The Cross by Sigrid UndsetSigrid UndsetSigrid Undset was a Norwegian novelist who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1928.-Biography:Undset was born in Kalundborg, Denmark, but her family moved to Norway when she was two years old. In 1924, she converted to Catholicism and became a lay Dominican...
(2001). The award citation noted that Nunnally had “returned a masterpiece of Scandinavian literature to the English bookshelf.” - Winner of a Governor's Writers Award from the State of Washington for her novel Maija (1996).
- Winner of the Lewis Galantière Award from the American Translators Association, for Smilla's Sense of SnowSmilla's Sense of SnowMiss Smilla's Feeling for Snow or Smilla's Sense of Snow is a 1992 novel by Danish author Peter Høeg. It was translated into English by Tiina Nunnally...
by Peter HøegPeter HøegPeter Høeg is a Danish writer of fiction. He received a Master of Arts in Literature from the University of Copenhagen in 1984.-Early life:Høeg was born in Copenhagen, Denmark...
(1994). - Winner of the American-Scandinavian Foundation Translation Prize, for Early SpringEarly Springis a 1956 film by Yasujiro Ozu about a married office worker who has a fling with a typist, a fellow commuter, and the fallout that ensues with his friends and wife...
by Tove DitlevsenTove DitlevsenTove Ditlevsen was a female Danish poet and author.She was born in Copenhagen and grew up in the working-class neighbourhood of Vesterbro. Her childhood experiences were the focal points of her work. Ditlevsen was married four times.She published 29 books including short stories, poetry and...
(1984).
External links
- See http://reg-stieglarssonsenglishtranslator.blogspot.com for current news on Tiina's latest publications.
- See http://www.svenskaakademien.se/web/Svenska_Akademiens_pris_for_introduktion_av_svensk_kultur_utomlands_2009.aspx for information on Tiina's prize from the Swedish Academy [in Swedish].
- Web page at the University of Washington
- Finding the Right Words: An award winning Seattle translator gives voice to writers from other lands - Profile from The Seattle TimesThe Seattle TimesThe Seattle Times is a newspaper serving Seattle, Washington, US. It is the largest daily newspaper in the state of Washington. It has been, since the demise in 2009 of the printed version of the rival Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Seattle's only major daily print newspaper.-History:The Seattle Times...
, September 9, 2001.