In this episode of The Writing Life podcast, our Programme Manager Rebecca DeWald speaks to Katherine Gregor and Caroline Lamarche about the process of writing and translating The Memory of the Air, a novella by Caroline which explores a universal experience of gender and sexual violence and challenges common notions of victimhood.

Together with Rebecca, they discuss how Katherine first discovered Caroline’s book and the experience of it being rediscovered and translated in a post-#MeToo era. Caroline talks about the process of drawing on personal experiences to write this book, and about finding her voice.

Please note that this conversation contains references to domestic violence and sexual assault, so listener discretion is advised.

Edited by Omni Mix

Caroline Lamarche (Liège, 1955) is one of the most important contemporary Belgian authors. She studied Romance Studies at the University of Liège. Her debut novel Le jour du chien (Minuit, 1996) received the Prix Rossel. She is the author of eleven novels and six short stories, including the collection of short stories Nous sommes à la lisière (Gallimard, 2019) which received the prestigious Prix Goncourt de la nouvelle.

Katherine Gregor is a writer and translator.  Before embarking on literary translation, she spent several years working in the theatre as a publicist, copywriter, actors’ agent, and briefly running a small London Fringe theatre company. She also taught English as a Foreign Language, working with general English students and corporate clients. Katherine has been translating full-time since 2013, working from Italian and French, with the odd brief project from Russian. She has so far translated over 30 books. When not translating, Katherine writes, walks, takes photographs, practises QiGong, draws cartoons, fosters tree saplings on her balcony and does a lot of dreaming.