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Interview with
Drenka Willen
Senior Editor of Harcourt/ Houghton Mifflin
A Few Words with an Icon
Journalist Kim Meekyung discussed editing and politics with the U.S. editor Drenka Willen
who was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2009 London Book Fair. |
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“Line-editing.” When I asked her, “Which aspect of
publishing do you find most rewarding?” that was her
answer: line-editing. Drenka Willen, the famous senior
editor of Harcourt/ Houghton Mifflin, is one of the most
influential editors in the U.S. I was a little shocked because
I had expected an answer more profound. When I visited
her office, I asked her again. “What does ‘line-editing’
mean?” She showed me a bundle of thick white papers on
which all the print was written double-spaced. She slowly
began to point and touch the letters. “This is line-editing.
When I get the first translated draft, I always read these
sentences very, very slowly and carefully with my fingers
like this. I carefully reexamine, feel and check whether
the translated meaning is fine or not.” Line-editing.
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This
detailed process that many people think could be done by
a proofreader was her favorite work. It tells us how detailed
she is. It symbolizes why every author wants to work with
her. She gave me only simple and short answers. There was
no exaggeration. She didn’t tell me anything elaborate, but
all the answers she gave me were powerful, and echoed of a
quiet yet commanding presence that has been a publishing
force for over 40 years.
Kim Meekyung: You are well known, and have worked
with four of the Nobel Laureates in Literature from the
past dozen years. Who are they?
Drenka Wi l l e n : Gunter Gr a s s (1999), Jose
Saramago(1998), Wislawa Szymboraska (1996), and
Octavio Paz (1990).
KM: Because you have edited many Nobel Laureates in
Literature, I’m sure you have read widely in the literature of
many other countries. Does this wide reading and editing
experience give you a sense of the differences in the literature of
the world?
DW: Yes.
KM: Is there any secret know-how that makes it possible
for you to continually publish all the books of the Nobel
Laureates in Literature?
DW: Maintaining deep relationships with the authors is
one of the most important things. I always try to stay with
them as long as possible. Sometimes, I travel to the author’s
hometown to understand the context of the works. I keep in
good touch with them. I carefully read their works and give
them my sincere opinion.
KM: Do you have a special sense of what kinds of
literature are worthy of the Nobel Prize? Do you feel that
you can discern which authors might be worthy of this
honor?
DW: It is often a surprise to me, and to everyone, but of
course there are the shortlists of preeminent world authors. I
am in touch with translators, professors, readers, and writers.
From them, I get all kinds of information and think about
them.
KM: In Korea, there are many extraordinary novelists
and poets, but as of now Korean writers have not found a
large international audience. The fact that Korean is not a
major world language may be part of this problem. Also,
not much Korean literature has been translated into English.
What is your view of this? Do you think that my analysis is
correct, and if so, what would you see as a possible solution
to getting more Korean literature to a wider, world audience?
DW: I am not familiar with Korean literature,
unfortunately. But I am sure there is Korean literature worth
translating, there always is. Please introduce me to many
Korean writers. You can give me lots of information. (When
I showed her Ko Un and Hwang Sok-yong’s translated
books in English, she showed lots of interest. Particularly,
she was interested in Ko Un’s book of poetry. She exclaimed,
“It’s gorgeous! It’s beautiful!”) One of the problems may be a
lack of translators, or perhaps editors don’t know about the
literary translators that are in fact available. Translators can
be very good advocates for books.
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Harcourt / Houghton Mifflin published Kim Young-ha's novel,
I Have the Right to Destroy Myself.
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KM: You are emphasizing the importance of the
translators. How can you find good translators?
DW: It’s so important. It takes too long to become a
good translator. It’s such delicate, such difficult work. For
example, there are no translators who can translate every
masterpiece. Even though she or he is a fantastic translator,
they can’t translate every work. For a special book, a special
translator is needed. The translator’s entire career and
language ability should be suitable to translate the special
work. The most difficult thing to figure out is who is the
most perfect to do the work. When I try to find a suitable
translator, I usually ask them to send us 25 to 30 pages of
their translated draft. After reading very carefully, I make a
decision about the translator.
KM: Can you explain to me how you choose the books
which you will translate and publish? Do you have special standards or requirements?
DW: We look for works of literature exceptional in
their own countries. If one is going to go to the trouble of
translating a book, it should be the best.
KM: Can you please tell me what percentage of books
published by Harcourt/ Houghton Mifflin are translations
from another language?
DW: Around 12 percent.
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KM: Most publishing companies focus on “front” books
for more profit, so they usually focus on publishing books
by popular authors. This leads to the “rich get richer, poor
get poorer” result in publishing. What is your opinion of this
phenomenon? Does this practice limit the number of books
published in this country from authors in foreign countries?
DW: In terms of the number of translations published in
the United States, in every issue of Publishers Weekly, there are
at least three or four translated books. This seems like a good
sign to me.
KM: What kinds of books are bestsellers in America?
What is the percentage breakdown between fiction and nonfiction
bestsellers?
DW: This is hard to answer; some high-quality books are
bestsellers.
KM: Are you happy and satisfied with your work as an
editor?
DW: I am. I enjoy my work.
KM: You were born and raised in Croatia. Are you fluent
in the Croatian language? Do you view Croatia as your
motherland, or do you think of yourself as an American, or
as a cosmopolitan?
DW: Yes, I am fluent in Serbo-Croatian. I think of myself
as a cosmopolitan.
I asked her “In your life, what is the most important
thing among your work, your love, relationships?” She
answered “My children.”
“Are you using the e-book reader, Kindle?” was my last
question. She answered, no, she doesn't use Kindle. But she
did admit that it would be useful for travelers and younger
audiences. She was not sure whether it could be more
popular or not than books. She admits the importance of the
digitalization of books, but she also admitted the importance
of books, too.
“In the future? Anyway, books always will be,” was her
last answer.
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By Kim Meekyung (journalist)
