I translate into English from Arabic, German and Russian. I have translated or co-translated over 30 books, including graphic novels, fiction and nonfiction for adults and young people. My published and forthcoming translations are listed below by genre.
Children’s and Young Adult
- Meret Wälti, Lia Wälti, Mireille Lachausse, Lia’s Football Journey: Chasing the Dream (Kaleio, 2025)
- Christina Wolff, The Ghosts of Pandora Pickwick (forthcoming from Arctis, 2025)
- Anna Anisimova and Yulia Sidneva, The Invisible Elephant (Restless Books, 2023)
- Katja Frixe, The Magical Bookshop, illustrated by Florentine Prechtel (OneWorld, 2021)
- Roman Belyaev, How Do Bridges Work? (B Small, 2020)
- Yulia Yakovleva, The Raven’s Children (Puffin, Penguin Random House, 2018) ~ The Times’ Children’s book of the week, July 2018 ~ BookTrust In Other Words honour title, 2017 ~ IBBY honour list 2022
- Gulnar Hajo, Nour’s Escape (Darf Publishers, 2019)
- Abir Ali and Gulnar Hajo, The Dot (Darf Publishers, 2019)
- Ahlam Bsharat, Trees for the Absentees (co-translation with Sue Copeland, Neem Tree Press, 2019) ~ Shortlisted for the GLLI Translated YA Prize and for the Saif Ghobash Banipal Prize (crossover YA/adult literary fiction)
- Kathrin Rohmann, Apple Cake and Baklava (Darf Publishers, 2018)
- Thomas Bärnthaler, Now Make This (co-translation with Jessica West, Phaidon, 2018)
See here to buy the above children’s books I’ve translated.
Adult fiction
Novels
- Jackie Thomae, Brothers (DAS Editions, 2024)
- Alida Bremer, Split (Amazon Crossing, 2024)
- Yulia Yakovleva, Death of the Red Rider (Pushkin Vertigo, 2023)
- Irena Brežná, The Thankless Foreigner (Seagull Books, 2022)
- Yulia Yakovleva, Punishment of a Hunter (Pushkin Vertigo, 2021)
- Ahlam Bsharat, Trees for the Absentees (co-translation with Sue Copeland, Neem Tree Press, 2019) ~ Shortlisted for the GLLI Translated YA Prize 2020 and for the Saif Ghobash Banipal Prize 2020 (crossover YA/adult literary fiction)
- Hanna Winter, Sacrifice (Manilla Books, 2016)
- Fadi Zaghmout, The Bride of Amman (Signal 8 Press, 2015)
Short stories
- Eman Abdel Rahim, ‘Two Sisters’ in The Book of Cairo, ed. Raph Cormack (Comma Press, 2019)
- Basma Abdel Aziz, ‘Bottled-Up Messages’ in Sunspot Jungle: The Ever Expanding Universe of Fantasy and Science Fiction, ed. Bill Campbell (Rosarium Publishing, 2019)
- Rania Mamoun, ‘Bird of Paradise’ in Banthology: Stories from Unwanted Nations, ed. Sarah Cleave (Comma Press, 2018), also published as Banthology: Stories from Banned Nations, ed. Sarah Cleave and Deep Vellum, 2018)
- Basma Abdel Aziz, ‘Bottled Up’ in Index on Censorship: Does anonymity need to be defended? (Index on Censorship, Autumn 2016)
- Anis Arafai, ‘Minouche’ in The Common, Issue 11 Tajdeed: Contemporary Arabic Fiction, 2016
Extracts and sample chapters
- Abbad Yahya, Crime in Ramallah (extract in Words Without Borders, Divided Countries issue, July 2017)
- Habib Abdulrab Sarori, excerpt of The Daughter of Suslov (Banipal 52, 2015)
- Mustafa Khalife, two excerpts of The Shell (The Massachusetts Review: Mediterranean edition, December 2014)
- Laila al-Othman, The Abaya of al-Kadhim (Banipal 47, 2013)
- Ezzedine Choukri Fishere, excerpt of Abu Omar the Egyptian (First Lines journal vol 2, 2013, available on request)
- Ibrahim Eissa, excerpt of Our Master (The Televangelist) (Banipal 46, 2013, and the International Prize for Arabic Fiction shortlisted authors brochure 2013)
- Mohammed Hasan Alwan, excerpt of The Beaver (Banipal; co-translation, BCLT summer school 2012)
- Nino Haratischwilli, excerpt of My Gentle Twin (New Books in German, co-translation, BCLT summer school 2013)
- Irena Brežná, excerpt of The Thankless Stranger (New Books in German, 2012), also published as The Thankless Foreigner by Seagull Books in 2023
- Ursula Timea Rossel, Take Silver and Garlic, Add Soil and Salt (extract in New Books in German, 2012)
See here to buy the novels and other fiction I’ve translated.
Adult nonfiction
Books
- Carlo Masala, If Russia Wins: A Scenario (co-translation with Olena Ebel, Atlantic Books, 2025)
- Wassily Kandinsky, Concerning the Spiritual in Art (Penguin Classics, 2024)
- Hanna Harms, Milk But No Honey (The History Press, 2024)
- Ijoma Mangold, The German Crocodile (DAS Editions, 2021)
- David Nelles and Christian Serrer, Small Gases, Big Effect: This Is Climate Change (Particular Books, 2021)
- Ute Daenschel and Kerstin Lücker, A History of the World with the Women Put Back In (co-translation with Jessica West, The History Press, 2019) ~ crossover YA/adult literary fiction
- Heike Faller and Valerio Vidali, Hundred: What You Learn in a Lifetime (co-translation with Günther Krumminga, Particular Books, 2019)
- Peter Wohlleben, Walks in the Wild (Rider Books, 2019)
- Peter Wohlleben, The Weather Detective: Rediscovering Nature’s Secret Signs (translated with help from Jessica West, Rider Books and Dutton Books, June 2018)
- Ulrich Raulff, Farewell to the Horse: The Final Century of Our Relationship (Allen Lane, Penguin Random House, 2017) * THE SUNDAY TIMES HISTORY BOOK OF THE YEAR 2017 * BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week, May 2017 * Shortlisted for 2019 Helen & Kurt Wolff Translator’s Prize
- Olzhas Suleimenov, The Prehistory of the Turkic Speaking Peoples (co-translation with Ian Appleby; TEAS Press, 2016)
- Samar Yazbek, The Crossing: My Journey to the Shattered Heart of Syria (co-translation with Nashwa Gowanlock; Rider Books, 2015) * One of The Independent’s 7 Best Translated Books by Women * ‘Powerful and moving … one of the first political classics of the 21st century’ (Observer)
- Dimitry Morozov, Kitezh: a Community Approach to Raising Children in Russia (co-translation with Laura Casiraghi and Emily Justice; Eland, 2008)
Articles and essays
- ‘Watching the Fall of the Berlin Wall’: short texts by Thomas Brussig, Kathrin Schmidt and David Wagner (The Guardian Review, Nov 2019)
- Samar Yazbek, ‘Divisions or unity? Art and the reality behind the stereotype’ – in Life is Elsewhere: Journeys Through World Literature (Pushkin Press, November 2015)
- Samar Yazbek, ‘The turmoil of today’s world: leading writers respond to the refugee crisis’ (The Guardian, 12 September 2015)
- Khalid al-Maaly, ‘Interview with poet and publisher Khalid al-Maaly’ (in Art and Thought/Fikrun wa Fann magazine 2015, vol. 103 ‘On Literature‘, page 62, print edition only)
- Ziad Abdullah, ‘Edward Said: The late author was just in time’, The New Arab, 3 January 2015
- Sascha Feuchert and Charlotte Knobloch, ‘Should Hitler’s Mein Kampf be republished?’ Index on Censorship 3/2014, and Eurozine 2014
- Thomas Rothschild, ‘The new divide‘ – Index on Censorship, 2014
- Samar Yazbek, ‘The novelist vs. the revolutionary: my own Syrian debate‘ – The Washington Post, Sept 2013
- Samar Yazbek, ‘I write with blind eyes and forty fingers‘ (Index on Censorship, 2013)
- Judith Nahrwold, A letter from Istanbul (1), (2) and (3) (Everyday Rebellion, 2013)
Plays and film scripts
- Lucien Bourjeily, For Your Eyes Only, Sir/Knife Edge (extract in Index on Censorship, spring 2015, vol. 44)
- Mudar al Haggi, When Farah Cries (co-translation from Arabic with Nashwa Gowanlock), in: Another Europe: the Book, published by the European Cultural Foundation
- Ilya Chlaki, In the Park (co-translation from Russian with Francisca Everduim) – performed by [Foreign Affairs] theatre company, London, August 2014
- Lucien Bourjeily, Will it pass or not? (extracts, Index on Censorship, December 2013 vol. 42, 4 pp. 134-148)
- Casting, a screenplay by Palestinian directors Tarzan and Arab (translation from Arabic)
- A Farewell to Arms: From Belfast to the Balkans, documentary by Armenian director Levon Kalantar (translation from Russian)
- Jamila Jad, a documentary about Palestinian refugees in Lebanon by Global Lives Project (English subtitles from Arabic)
See here to buy the non-fiction books I’ve translated.
Ruth Ahmedzai Kemp 