British Centre for Literary Translation

The British Centre for Literary Translation (BCLT) is Britain’s leading centre for the development, promotion and support of literary translation and contemporary writing from around the world. They are part of the School of Literature, Drama and Creative Writing at the University of East Anglia.

BCLT was founded in 1989 by the late WG Sebald. ‘Max’ was Professor of European Literature at UEA and a German writer who opted to live in the UK and continue writing in German. His novels and collections of essays, including The Rings of Saturn, The Emigrants, Austerlitz and On The Natural History of Destruction, established him as one of the leading writers of the twentieth century.

BCLT is a member of the international RECIT network of literary translation centres and an Associate Member of the Free Word Centre. BCLT combines teaching, research and expertise with an ambitious outreach programme. They work in partnership with a wide range of stakeholders in the literature sector to curate events at various festivals across the UK and to deliver training and networking events regionally, nationally and internationally.