Polly Barton (author)

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Polly Barton
Born
London, England
Alma mater University of Cambridge;
SOAS University of London
Occupation(s)Translator and writer
Awards English PEN Translates award, 2020

Polly Barton is a British writer and translator of Japanese to English. She is the author of two non-fiction books, Fifty Sounds and Porn: An Oral History, and has translated numerous titles of Japanese literature and non-fiction. [1] Her translations have been featured in Granta , Catapult, and The White Review, and in 2019 she won the Fitzcarraldo Editions Essay Prize for her non-fiction debut, Fifty Sounds. [2] [3]

Contents

Life and career

Born and raised in west London, England, Barton studied philosophy at the University of Cambridge. [4] She travelled to Japan to teach English as part of the JET Program. [5] She also holds an MA degree in the Theory and Practice of Translation from SOAS University of London. [4]

In 2025, Barton founded the festival Translated By, Bristol, which celebrates translation and translated literature. [6]

Bibliography

As translator:

Awards and honours

References

  1. "Polly Barton". www.torch.ox.ac.uk. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
  2. "Falling Straight Into Sound: An Interview with Polly Barton". CJLC. 4 April 2022. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
  3. "Polly Barton". Fitzcarraldo Editions. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
  4. 1 2 "Literary translation and creativity". chase.ac.uk. Consortium for the Humanities & the Arts South-East England. 12 May 2022. Retrieved 29 May 2025.
  5. "Polly Barton author information". BookBrowse.com. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
  6. "Programme". translatedbybristol.com. Translated By, Bristol. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
  7. "Nineteen PEN Translates awards go to titles from fifteen countries and thirteen languages". English PEN. 10 June 2020. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
  8. Mill, Chris (6 April 2022). "RSL Ondaatje Prize 2022 Longlist Announced". Royal Society of Literature . Retrieved 26 May 2023.
  9. "Edward Stanford Travel Writing Awards 2022". Travel Writing World. 1 February 2022. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
  10. Marshall, Alex (25 February 2025). "To the Point: Short Novels Dominate International Booker Prize Nominees". The New York Times. Retrieved 28 February 2025.