A Conversation with Gareth L. Powell
Gareth Powell is an author who needs no introduction. His works include Silversands, The Recollection, and the highly acclaimed trilogies; Ack Ack Macaque and Embers of War. He’s won the BSFA award for Best Novel, twice, and he’s been nominated for the Locus, British Fantasy and Seiun Awards.
I met Gareth on Twitter last year. His positivity and support of young writers was a huge source of inspiration to me and set the tone for my own amazing experience in the Twitter Writing Community.
When the final book in his Embers of War trilogy was released I was lucky enough to meet him in person. That day our friendship was secured when I conspired in kidnapping him and taking him to the pub (following this experience I can personally nominate Gareth as a strong contender for the Most Charming Kidnapee Award).
Recently, Gareth announced his second Seiun Award nomination in the category of Best Translated Novel. The translation of novels isn’t something we talk much about in the Writing Community, and I decided to ask a few questions.
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So how many languages have your books been translated into?
Off the top of my head, French, German, Czech, Croatian, Italian, Russian, Spanish and Japanese.
I know that for the Japanese translation of Embers of War, the title of the book was changed, can you tell us what it’s known as in Japan?
The Japanese title translates as “Warship Girl,” which puts the emphasis firmly on the character of the sentient starship Trouble Dog.
Deciding on a title for a book can be difficult. The Japanese title switches the emphasis from the wider political context of the book, to one of the main characters. Do you think this will change the way people in Japan approach the book?
I’m not sure. The Japanese cover has a very cool manga-style illustration of Trouble Dog’s human persona, so coupled with the title change, I think the publishers are very much positioning her as the main character/selling point. She’s young but hooked into this powerful weapon, and I think in that way perhaps they see her in the same sort of light as the main characters in Ghost in the Machine or Akira.
I can see that. The Trouble Dog character is very interesting, and a line from Embers of War haunts me to this day:
I was a fourteen-year-old girl in the guise of a missile.
For me it says so much about the problematic nature of placing young human sentience in overpowered war machines… but that’s a subject for another time!
The Japanese market can be very different from our own. Did anything else change for the purposes of translation?
Not that I’m aware of. A friend who reads Japanese told me the translation is very good.
Is there a language you’d really like to see one of your books translated into?
A Chinese edition would be very cool, simply because of the huge number of potential readers.
You can’t beat a strong market!
You’re known to be one of the most helpful role models on twitter, and you’ve certainly been a huge guiding light for me. So would you mind answering some questions for the aspiring writers out there?
No, not at all!
Excellent, well, let’s start with who organises translations of your work? Is it your Agent or your publisher?
When selling the English publication rights to the books, my agent made sure we kept the foreign rights. This is really worth doing, as it means you can then sell the rights in other languages and get paid for the same book many times over.
Oh good tip! Do you think a world book tour is on the horizon?
In 2019, I attended conventions and literary festivals in Croatia, Dublin, Edinburgh and the Isle of Man. None in 2020, of course. One day, I would dearly love to get invited to a few US conventions, as I’ve never been to the States and know I have some very enthusiastic readers over there.
I hope it happens. Then the same gang who kidnapped you and took you to a pub off Leicester Square, can take you to a bar in New York, which will be much more glamorous!
I can but hope!
Being nominated for any award must feel amazing. Every single one has a history of recognising the most famous names in Sci-Fi. But following your progress on the social medias, it feels like you’re being nominated every five minutes! Is it starting to feel boring now?!
Not at all! Every nomination is a huge honour, and another talisman to ward off my imposter syndrome. As you said, I’ve won the BSFA twice and been shortlisted for the Locus, British Fantasy, and Seiun Awards, which is all fantastic, but I would really like to get on the shortlist for the Clarke or Hugo.
Well, for what it’s worth, I want that too!
Alright, now for the important questions. I usually ask writers what their favourite movie is, but given the theme of this Q&A I’m going to be more specific… what’s your favourite Japanese movie?
I am very fond of Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away, but I’m going to have to be honest and say the original 1954 Godzilla.
Oh classic!
And, of course, the ultimate question, the one that reveals so much: what is your absolute favourite biscuit? And I mean, if you were stranded on the moon for the rest of your life with only one variety of biscuit, what biscuit would it be?
I love dunking ginger nuts in coffee*. It’s a taste from childhood that I would happily keep in preference to any other biscuit.
*Not a euphemism
This is music to my ears because mine is also the Ginger Nut. You can’t beat it for structural integrity on the dunk, or enhanced flavour post-dunk. It is a next level experience.
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So on that note I shall draw this interview to a close! You can follow Gareth on social media, visit his website, and buy his books by following the link below.
