By Julia Snyder, senior English major from Murrysville, Pennsylvania
LATROBE, PA — PEN America has named “Katabasis” one of the top five works of translated poetry of 2020. “Katabasis,” a poetry collection written by Colombian poet Lucía Estrada and translated by Olivia Lott, is the first full collection of poetry by a Colombian woman to be translated into English.
Eulalia Books, which published “Katabasis,” is housed at Saint Vincent College and edited by Michelle Gil-Montero, a poet and translator living in Pittsburgh and professor of English at the College. Gil-Montero started Eulalia Books in 2018 with Román Antopolsky, another Pittsburgh poet and translator.
The PEN America Literary Awards program received more than 1,850 submissions this year. “Katabasis” is one of only 55 books across 11 categories to be named a finalist for a PEN award. Winners will be announced on April 8 at a virtual ceremony.
Big morning in #Littsburgh: @PENamerica award finalists announced from @UPittPress/@PittPoetry, @AutumnHousePrs, and @EulaliaBooks! pic.twitter.com/ON7b121U42
— Joel W. Coggins (@syn_tax) February 10, 2021
The collection has garnered numerous honors in both English and Spanish. In 2017, Estrada won the Bogotá Poetry Prize for “Katabasis,” and in 2019, the collection was a finalist for the Colombian National Poetry Prize. In addition to being a finalist for the PEN award for poetry in translation, “Katabasis” was included with 19 other books on a list of “Our Favorite Books-in-Translation of 2020” by Action Books Blog.
Lott said, “People have expressed how shocked they were to read that ‘Katabasis’ is the first full-length English-language translation of a woman poet from Colombia. Lucía Estrada and I are both hopeful that the attention paid to our project will help open doors for more Colombian poets in translation.”
Critics have described Lott’s translation as “impressive” and “sophisticated,” praising its “lyrical luminosity” and “memorable musicality.”
Katherine Hedeen wrote in the Kenyon Review that “Olivia Lott’s translation of ‘Katabasis’ by Lucía Estrada makes a critical contribution to the discourse around translation practice.”
Lott explained, “This book offers important insight on what it means to write from Colombia in the 21st century. It’s urgent, so I felt the need to urgently translate it.”
“Katabasis” is available for purchase at https://www.eulaliabooks.com/catalog/katabasis.
To learn more about upcoming Eulalia Books publications, events and more, visit its website at www.eulaliabooks.com, follow on Instagram and Twitter and “like” on Facebook.
Eulalia Books is a part of Saint Vincent College’s literary translation program, a conjunctive effort of the English and modern language departments. Its mission is to publish modern and contemporary poets who do not yet have a collection translated into English.
We’ve been celebrating literary Pittsburgh since 2015 without a break, so for the ten year anniversary of Littsburgh, we decided Read more
Want to get your writing mojo back? Attend Seton Hill U’s In Your Write Mind Writers conference. $120 for the Read more
New York, NY — The Community of Literary Magazines & Presses (CLMP), the national nonprofit organization that for 58 years Read more
From Mt. Lebanon Magazine by way of Facebook: "On February 18, the Mt. Lebanon Public Library Board of Trustees passed Read more
"The City of Pittsburgh, with funding through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), is launching the Support for Artists Grant Read more
Littsburgh's founder Rachel Ekstrom Courage (now a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author!) recently stopped by KDKA to Read more
"The Drue Heinz Literature Prize recognizes and supports writers of short fiction and makes their work available to readers around Read more
"For the 2025 prize, the Autumn House staff as well as select outsider readers serve as the preliminary readers, and Read more
"Applications are now open for Read Local Eat Local 2025! This is event is on Saturday, September 6, from 11 Read more
"What: This is an annual, alumni-run writers workshop. It features writing-related classes, agent pitch sessions, a book signing, and other Read more
"Calling all plot twisters, world builders, and romance stirrers! Join fellow genre lovers, top-tier agents, sharp-eyed editors, and bestselling authors Read more
PITTSBURGH — Prime Stage Theatre celebrates its 29th season with three world premieres commissioned from three Pittsburgh playwrights: Nov. 7-16, 2025 – Mr. Read more
From our friends at Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures: Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures’ 2025/26 roster of acclaimed authors for our Ten Read more
PITTSBURGH, PA – It’s time to book your spot! Registration for the 2025 Greater Pittsburgh Festival of Books is officially Read more
"United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania hosted its seventh annual Big Book Drop event on April 15-17 at Acrisure Stadium, where Read more
"The Northern Appalachia Review welcomes submissions of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction written about, representing, or engaging with the experience of Read more
But this too is true: stories can save us The writer Tim O’Brien calls storytelling an essential human activity. "The Read more
Press Release: Art All Night Pittsburgh is back in full force this April 26-27, 2025 starting at 4 pm and Read more
Press Release: Duquesne University is proud to announce the appointment of noted writers Lee Gutkind and Jill Moyer Sunday as Read more
City of Asylum Pittsburgh and International Cities of Refuge Network (ICORN) collaborate to present 30+ free,transformational events over 4 days Read more
