Meet the Winners of the 2024 Albertine Translation Prize
Books & Ideas
The Albertine Translation Prize Ceremony - January 2025. (c) Kimberly Corliss
Villa Albertine is pleased to announce Eve Hill-Agnus and Gregory Elliott as the winners of the Albertine Translation Prize, honoring translators and American publishers of English translations of contemporary French works.
Representing emerging trends across a variety of genres, including fiction, non-fiction, and comics, the Albertine Translation Fund helps cover publishing and translation costs for U.S. publishers of works translated from French to English.
In total, the Albertine Translation committee selected 18 works in 2024 that reflect the diversity and richness of French publishing, including fiction, essays, poetry, comics, and children’s books. Each will receive grants from the Albertine Translation Fund, providing $2,000 for publication costs and covering half of the cost of translation, up to $5,000. Among the selected grantees, the committee chooses two titles to name prize winners, one in fiction and one in non-fiction. The complete list of titles supported by the Albertine Translation Fund in 2024 are available here (session 1) and here (session 2).
The Prize considers the quality of the original French language work as well as the English translation. A committee of independent professional experts (academics, translators, and publishers) selects winners from among the projects supported by the Albertine Translation program. Winning works epitomize the many facets of a vibrant French and Francophone literary scene.
During a ceremony held at Villa Albertine’s New York headquarters on January 28, 2025, the Albertine Translation Committee awarded the 2024 Albertine Translation Prize in fiction to Eve Hill-Agnus for her translation of Ultramarins by Mariette Navarro, and in non-fiction to Gregory Elliott for Pourquoi la guerre?, by Frédéric Gros. In addition to the award, each translator received $5,000 for their work.
Opening remarks were delivered by Julie Crampe, Vice President of Marketing and Communications, on behalf of the Prize’s sponsor, Van Cleef & Arpels, followed by a roundtable discussion on current trends in French-to-English translation, hosted by Ed Nawotka of Publishers Weekly and featuring Alessandra Benedicty-Kokken, Grey Anderson, Eve Hill-Agnus, and Catherine Francis Fisher.
Learn more about the winners of the Albertine Translation Prize below.
About the Winners
Eve Hill-Agnus is a Franco-American writer, editor, and translator based in Paris, France. She earned her BA and MA from Stanford University (Palo Alto, CA). Formerly an award-winning dining critic and magazine staff writer, she now contributes art criticism to Patron, D Magazine, and other publications with a particular focus on women artists and equity. She frequently also writes and translates gallery texts. She is Communications Manager for the 100 W – Corsicana Artist and Writer Residency based in Corsicana, TX.
Eve’s English translation of Ultramarins by Mariette Navarro will be published in the US by Deep Vellum.
Gregory Elliott was educated at Balliol College, Oxford, where he completed his DPhil on Louis Althusser in 1985. An independent translator and writer, his books include Perry Anderson: The Merciless Laboratory of History (1998). His translations include Luc Boltanski and Eve Chiapello’s The New Spirit of Capitalism (2006) and Luigi Pintor’s Memories from the Twentieth Century (2013).
Gregory’s translation of Pourquoi la guerre? by Frédéric Gros will be published in the US by Verso.
The Albertine Translation Prize is made possible through the generous support of Van Cleef and Arpels, The Florence Gould Foundation, Albertine Foundation, and the Institut Français.
In partnership with
Van Cleef & Arpels
Founded at Paris’ 22 Place Vendôme in 1906, Van Cleef & Arpels came into being following Estelle Arpels’ marriage to Alfred Van Cleef in 1895. With a blend of inventiveness and poetry, Van Cleef & Arpels perpetuates a highly distinctive style. Its selection of exceptional gems that instill an emotion, and the savoir-faire of its craftsmen, have given birth to enchanting jewelry and watchmaking collections. Whether inspired by nature, couture, dance or imaginary worlds, the Maison opens the gate to a timeless universe of beauty and harmony. Van Cleef & Arpels’ constant commitment to creation also finds expression in its various activities as a partner and patron in the cultural field. Reflecting the Maison’s attachment to values of transmission and sharing, these initiatives take place in sectors that it holds dear: they include heritage protection, fine and decorative arts, design, dance and poetry.
Florence Gould Foundation
The Florence Gould Foundation is devoted to French-American exchange and friendship. It has provided critical and longstanding support to enable the Cultural Services of the French Embassy and its partner FACE Foundation to foster French-American exchange across disciplines and make the very best of French and francophone culture accessible to diverse communities across the United States. The Florence Gould Writers’ Residency at Villa Albertine will create exceptional and enduring opportunities for literary creation for the most promising and innovative French and Francophone authors.
Albertine Foundation
Previously known as FACE Foundation, Albertine Foundation is an American nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting French-American relations through innovative cultural and educational projects. In close partnership with the Cultural Services of the French Embassy in the United States and its arts institution Villa Albertine, Albertine Foundation promotes artistic, literary, and educational exchange and collaboration between creative professionals from both countries thanks to corporate, foundation, and individual support.
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Institut français
The Institut français is responsible for France’s international cultural program. Supervised by both the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs and by the Ministry of Culture, it promotes French culture abroad through cultural exchange initiatives. Operating in a space where the arts, intellectual exchange, cultural and social innovation, and linguistic partnerships interact and intersect, it is also responsible for promoting the French language and the sharing of works, artists, and ideas all over the world. The Institut français is one of Villa Albertine’s main French partners.