Hutchins receives National Translation Award

Posted Nov. 9, 2015 at 1:31 p.m.

BOONE—William M. Hutchins, a professor in Appalachian State University’s Department of Philosophy and Religion, has received the National Translation Award from the American Literary Translators Association in the prose category. The award recognizes his Arabic to English translation of “The New Waw: Saharan Oasis” by Ibrahim al-Koni.

“William M. Hutchins’ translation of ‘New Waw: Saharan Oasis’ masterfully channels the poetic rhythms of Ibrahim al-Koni’s tale of a group of Tuareg, struggling with their evolution from a nomadic tribe to a settled community and the tensions that inevitably arise,” said NTA judges Jason Grunebaum, Anne Magnan-Park and Pamela Carmell. “Legends, fables, prophecies and tribal laws, expressed in lyrical, metaphorical language, give a glimpse into the group’s traditions and the Tuareg mythical paradise oasis, Waw.”

Hutchins’ work was supported by a National Endowment of the Arts Literature Translation Fellowship, one of two he has received during his career.

Hutchins is known for his translation of the Cairo Trilogy by Egyptian Nobel Prize-winner Naguib Mahfouz. This trio of novels is widely regarded as one of the finest works of fiction in Arabic literature, and Hutchins’ translation is the principal version available in English.

In addition, he has translated a variety of Arabic authors, including Tawfiq al-Hakim, Ibrahim Abd al-Qadir al-Mazini, Muhammad Salmawy, Nawal El-Saadawi, Ibrahim al-Koni, and others.

Hutchins was co-winner of the Saif Ghobash Banipal Prize for Arabic Literary Translation in 2013 for his work on Wajdi al-Ahdal’s “A Land Without Jasmine.”

About Appalachian State University

As the premier public undergraduate institution in the state of North Carolina, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives as global citizens who understand and engage their responsibilities in creating a sustainable future for all. The Appalachian Experience promotes a spirit of inclusion that brings people together in inspiring ways to acquire and create knowledge, to grow holistically, to act with passion and determination, and to embrace diversity and difference. Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Appalachian is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System. Appalachian enrolls more than 19,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and graduate majors.