Poet and translator Thomas Hitoshi Pruiksma first picked up Juan Rulfo’s book, Pedro Páramo, while learning Spanish in Oaxaca, Mexico. The novel–which tells the story of the living and the dead speaking across time–became something he turned to again and again. But when he searched for an English translation, he discovered that while the plot remained, the spirit of the language felt lost. Through memories of his great-grandmother, the mentors that shaped him, and more than 20 years spent translating the novel, Thomas reflects on what it means to carry another person’s voice without distorting it. Even if the work itself may never be published. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.