Megan McDowell

Megan McDowell is an American literary translator.^[1] She principally translates Spanish-language works into English. Originally from Kentucky, she studied English at DePaul University in Chicago. Upon graduation, she worked at the Dalkey Archive Press. She then moved to Chile, moving back to the US after three years to study translation at the UT Dallas. Her first work of translation was Alejandro Zambra's The Private Lives of Trees. Since then, she has collaborated with Zambra on several more books.^[2]

Among other books she has translated are:

• Our Share of Night by Mariana Enriquez
• Fever Dream by Samanta Schweblin
• Things We Lost in the Fire by Mariana Enriquez
• The Dangers of Smoking in Bed by Mariana Enriquez
• Ways of Going Home by Alejandro Zambra
• Multiple Choice by Alejandro Zambra
• Mouthful of Birds by Samanta Schweblin
• Little Eyes by Samanta Schweblin
• My Documents by Alejandro Zambra
• Seeing Red by Lina Meruane
• Nervous System by Lina Meruane
• Humiliation by Paulina Flores
• The Crossed-Out Notebook by Nico Giacobone
• My Favorite Girlfriend was a French Bulldog by Legna Rodriguez
• Yesterday by Juan Emar
• Camanchaca by Diego Zúñiga
• Under This Terrible Sun by Carlos Busqued
• Not to Read by Alejandro Zambra
• Dead Stars by Álvaro Bisama
• Colonel Lágrimas by Carlos Fonseca Suarez
• Natural History by Carlos Fonseca Suarez
• Older Brother by Daniel Mella
• Divorce Is in the Air by Gonzalo Torné
• La Vida Doble by Arturo Fontaine
• Fantasia by Alejandro Zambra
• Loving Pablo, Hating Escobar by Virginia Vallejo
• Son of Black Thursday by Alejandro Jodorowsky

McDowell lives and works in Santiago de Chile.

Recognition

• Winner of the 2022 National Book Award for Translated Literature for Seven Empty Houses by Samanta Schweblin
• Shortlisted for the 2021 Kirkus Prize for The Dangers of Smoking in Bed by Mariana Enriquez^[3]
• Shortlisted for the 2021 Man Booker International Prize for The Dangers of Smoking in Bed by Mariana Enriquez^[4]
• 2020 Literature Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters^[5]
• Longlisted for the 2020 Man Booker International Prize for Little Eyes by Samanta Schweblin^[6]
• Longlisted for the 2019 Man Booker International Prize for Mouthful of Birds by Samanta Schweblin^[7]
• Winner of the 2018 Premio Valle-Inclan for Seeing Red by Lina Meruane^[8]
• Shortlisted for the 2017 Man Booker International Prize for Fever Dream by Samanta Schweblin^[9]

References

1. laltteam (2022-02-02). ""That visceral experience is what I'm trying to recreate": An Interview with Megan McDowell". LALT. Retrieved 2023-06-29.
2. Interview
3. "Finalists for 2021 Kirkus Prize Are Revealed". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved 2021-10-19.
4. "The Dangers of Smoking in Bed | The Booker Prizes". thebookerprizes.com. May 2021. Retrieved 2021-10-19.
5. "2020 Literature Award Winners – American Academy of Arts and Letters". Retrieved 2021-10-19.
6. "Blog - Little Eyes Longlisted for the International Booker Prize 2020". oneworld-publications.com. 27 February 2020. Retrieved 2021-10-19.
7. "Mouthful of Birds interview | The Booker Prizes". thebookerprizes.com. 7 February 2019. Retrieved 2020-09-12.
8. "News | The Society of Authors". www.societyofauthors.org. Retrieved 2020-09-12.
9. "Fever Dream | The Booker Prizes". thebookerprizes.com. 5 October 2017. Retrieved 2020-09-12.