What exactly is “literary merit”? And how is it defined? More importantly, who defines it?
These thoughts have been swimming around my head for months now, in part after the ALTA Conference in Pasadena, where I found the divisions/strata/hierarchy of profs versus poetry translators versus literary translators versus pulp fiction translators versus commercial translators almost more than I could bear. (Not to mention the “old” members versus the ”new” members hierarchy… I’ll save that for another day!)
I haven’t written about the conference in part because the incredible plenary speakers (Ilan Stavans and John Nathan), the wonderful readings and presentations, even my own well-received workshop on Defining and Capturing Style with Lisa Dillman and panel presentation on The Translator in Fiction, were soured by the less than convivial, judgment filled derision I felt floating around.
Now, let me freely admit that I’m quite sensitive and have been feeling that my own literary trajectory has changed course without really noticing it, so the perception of the conference may be entirely mine alone. Still, that doesn’t obviate the valid questions: What is literary merit and who has the right to judge it?
I’ve been pondering this again because of a particular assignment: I’ve been asked to provide my opinion on whether a Spanish work displays enough literary merit to be considered for a writing grant. I thought the samples were incredible and will tell the panel the author clearly deserves consideration. But what is it that makes them incredible? Here are some of the characteristics I’ve chosen to represent literary merit:
* Voice. Is the author’s voice distinctive enough to be recognizable across the samples?
* Style. What elements of style make the writing come alive?
* Language. How is language used to enhance the story?
* Content. Is the story itself believable/compelling/well-crafted?
I guess I think literary merit means a work is fresh not formulaic. That might be it in a nutshell. What do you think? How might you define literary merit?
