Reading (in) the Antipodes: New Zealand and Pacific Literatures in Spanish Translation

Abstract

This article considers the Spanish translations of New Zealand and Pacific authors and explores the circumstances that have determined their arrival into the Spanish market as well as the different editorial and marketing choices employed to present these works to a Spanish readership. It considers the scarcity of canonical authors, the branding of Maori and other “ethnic” voices, the influence of film adaptations and literary prizes in the translation market, and the construction of the “New Zealand exotic” in works written by non-New Zealand authors which, in the absence of more translations from Spain’s literary Antipodes, have dominated the Spanish market in recent years.