Catching Fire

In Catching Fire, the translation of Diamela Eltit's Never Did the Fire unfolds in real time as a conversation between works of art, illuminating both in the process. The problems and pleasures of conveying literature into another language — for example, what happens when you encounter a pun or a double entendre — are met by translator Daniel Hahn's humor, deftness, and deep appreciation for what sets Eltit's work apart, and by his evolving understanding of what this particular novel is trying to do.