In June 2021, we were joined by Derek Barretto, who was the translator in residence at Dragon Hall. Encouraged by a succession of brilliant language teachers, Derek thrives on a literary reading diet of English, Lusophone and occasionally Francophone fiction and non-fiction. He is an aficionado of classical and contemporary literature and a voracious reader of ancient and modern poetry and practising poet. A would-be literary translator looking to specialize in translation of Lusophone fiction and poetry, he has a keen interest in conveying the richness and variety of Portuguese literature to Anglophone readers.
During his residency, Derek worked on a translation of ‘Madrugada Fria’ by Laura DaSilva, a contemporary Portuguese poet. On the podcast today he is talking with Rebecca DeWald.
Hosted by Simon Jones and Steph McKenna.
The Visible Communities residency programme was supported by Arts Council England.
Check out our online courses: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/creative-writing-online/
Put a reminder in for the East Anglian Book Awards: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/east-anglian-book-awards/
![]()
You can go direct to the RSS feed here.
Music by Bennet Maples.
You may also like...
Watch ‘White Moss Translated: From Mentorship to Publication’
Watch Irina Sadovina, translator of White Moss, discuss her journey in bringing Nerkagi’s novel to English-language readers.
16th January 2026
Poets in conversation: Lewis Buxton & John Osborne on performance, humour, and place
In this episode of The Writing Life Podcast, Norwich-based writers John Osborne and Lewis Buxton discuss writing poetry for page and performance.
12th January 2026
New year, new writing goals: Julia Crouch on getting started, finding inspiration, and writing what excites
In this episode of The Writing Life Podcast, Julia Crouch shares her advice and encouragement for the writing year ahead.
29th December 2025