About
Neil Blackadder translates drama and prose from German and French. His translations of plays by Lukas Bärfuss, Ewald Palmetshofer, Rebekka Kricheldorf, and Mishka Lavigne have been produced in London, New York, Chicago, and other cities. His translations have been published in journals and books including Trafika Europe, On the Seawall, The Common, Tupelo Quarterly, Two Lines, TheatreForum, Chelsea, and Everything and Other Performance Texts from Germany. Neil has received grants from the NEA, PEN, and the Howard Foundation, and he’s Translations Editor for Another Chicago Magazine. In Spring 2023, Neil served as Translator in Residence at Princeton University. He lives near Woodstock in New York’s Hudson Valley.
Featured Work
Haven by Mishka Lavigne, translated by Neil Blackadder
Strangers Elsie and Matt are both feeling great voids in their lives. Elsie, a literature professor, is grieving her famous novelist mother’s tragic death. Matt, a city engineer, is trying to regain childhood memories from living in war-torn Yugoslavia. When a sudden sinkhole in front of Elsie’s apartment building swallows a car that happens to contain a copy of Elsie’s mother’s novel, their paths cross, and the two are quickly drawn to each other’s search for fulfillment.
