Comparative Literature Professor Christi Merrill and Professor Laura Brueck (Northwestern University) edited a special issue of Dalit writings from Hindi into English for the October issue of Words Without Borders! The translations include stories on “a traveler who finds himself checked into a ghost story to an ambitious schoolgirl facing her relatives’ resentment, in settings that range from a corporate office to a rural village.”

Words Without Borders promotes the accessibility of international literature through translation and publication to further intercultural understanding. The Dalit community’s Hindi writings use the national language to challenge the caste system and untouchability. Dr. Merrill’s careful work as a translator and editor of the special issue makes available to English readers “some of the most meaningful, socially engaged narrative voices in India today” (Introduction).

Congratulations to Dr. Christi Merrill! The October issue of Words Without Borders can be found here.

(Image: Tejubehan, “Women and Bicycles,” from Drawing from the City by Tejubehan, Original Edition © Tara Books Pvt LTD, Chennai, India.)