Ross Benjamin on fascism, film, and being shortlisted for the 2026 International Booker Prize

Welcome to It’s Lit in Translation: the podcast that champions literature in translation and the people who make it possible.This year, in collaboration with the International Booker Prize, I’ve had the privilege of interviewing the shortlisted panel of translators ahead of this year’s Prize announcement.In today’s episode, award-winning translator of German literature Ross Benjamin joins the pod to discuss his translation of The Director by Daniel Kehlmann, shortlisted for the 2026 International Booker Prize.Ross takes us through his journey into literary translation, reflecting on his early encounters with translated literature through Grimm’s fairy tales, Bible stories, and French poetry, before eventually developing a deep connection to German language and literature. We discuss how translation became, for him, an extension of reading itself: a form of intense attentiveness that shaped both his literary sensibilities and his craft as a writer.We dive into his translation of Daniel Kehlmann's The Director, a historical novel centred on Austrian film director G.W. Pabst during the rise of the Nazi regime. Ross shares the challenges of translating a work that moves so deftly between horror, satire, absurdity, and psychological tension, discussing the importance of preserving the novel’s tonal volatility without over-amplifying or flattening its effects. We also explore the novel’s cinematic quality, the role of silence and hesitation in dialogue, and the moral questions surrounding complicity, artistic integrity, and self-deception under authoritarianism.Together, we discuss the delicate process of translating humour and historical voice, including Ross’s fascinating approach to the character Rupert Worcester, whose voice draws on the world of P.G. Wodehouse. Ross also reflects on the extensive research involved in the translation process, from watching archival footage and films to recreating the atmosphere of 1930s Europe for contemporary readers.It is absolutely fascinating to hear Ross discuss translation as a craft of calibration, revision, and close listening, as well as the role translated literature plays in preserving cultural difference and expanding the possibilities of reading beyond borders.-You can purchase a copy of The Director by Daniel Kehlmann, translated by Ross Benjamin, here: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/it-s-lit-in-translation- Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/el-depravo/tarnished-rosePhoto Credit: David Schloss