Yes, I also translate literature from French (though not so often these days). Several of my translations have been published as books, while my translation of an extract from Seynabou Sonko’s brilliant debut novel Djinns was selected for publication in the final edition of the White Review.

Select list of translations:

Clara Reads Proust – Stéphane Carlier (Gallic Books, March 2024) 

‘Elegant and quietly lyrical . . . captures the quirks and intimacies of life in provincial France’ Irish Times

‘A book of great charm and quiet distinction … [in] Polly Mackintosh’s expert translation, it proves to be the perfect vehicle for Clara’s literary odyssey’ The Spectator

‘An easy-to-read novel that superbly conjures up a provincial hairdresser’s’ Sunday Times

‘A slender but gently diverting tale of inspiration, bold re-inventions and the richness that great literature is a gateway to’ Daily Mail

Djinns – Seynabou Sonko [extract] (The White Review: Writing in Translation Anthology, April 2024)

Available on request.

Good Taste: A Life of Food and Passion – Alain Ducasse (Gallic Books, September 2023)

Extract in House & Garden.

‘Alain Ducasse is the stuff of culinary legend, and paved the way in championing local and healthy eating long before it became trendy . . . There is so much to learn from Chef Ducasse, and I hope that this book is used as a manual to inspire chefs for generations to come’ Michel Roux Jr.

‘I am still learning from Chef Ducasse. He is just as inspirational to me now as he was at the beginning of my career, and I’m certain that this book, with all the knowledge it contains, will guide and inspire generations of chefs to come’ Clare Smyth

‘Inspired’ Le Point

The Readers’ Room – Antoine Laurain (Gallic Books, September 2020. Co-translation with Jane Aitken & Emily Boyce)

‘A cracking literary murder mystery’ Tatler

‘The plot blends mystery with comedy to great effect, and, as ever, Laurain has fun at the expense of his countrymen’ Daily Mail

‘A stylish whodunnit blended with an affectionate send-up of the world of books’ Sunday Mirror

‘[An] elegantly written little gem… the whole thing is such fun’ Big Issue

‘A profound love of books and authors underpins this sprightly mystery’ Publishers Weekly

Wild Dog by Serge Joncour (Gallic Books, April 2020. Co-translation with Jane Aitken)

‘Details a disturbing continuum of savagery, both animal and human. At once eerie and sensual, it’s a timely reminder that, no matter how sophisticated we believe ourselves to be, we are no match for nature’ The Guardian

‘[A] deservedly award-studded delight’ Strong Words Magazine

‘Sinister and savage’ Chris Whitaker, author of We Begin at the End

‘A smart, scathing and bleakly funny cross of folk horror, satire and historical fiction’ Toronto Star

‘The suspense seeps from each exquisitely crafted sentence, taking the reader into a world replete with complex emotional and moral dilemmas . . . a raw, brutal and magnificent literary experience’ European Literature Network