TRANSLATION

So Distant from My Life by Monique Ilboudo (Tilted Axis Press, 2022)

This novel by Burkinabe author Monique Ilboudo was a fiction pick by The Guardian (UK), on Brittle Paper’s ‘100 Notable African Books of 2022’ list and Open Country Mag’s ’60 Notable Books of 2022’ list and a 2023 finalist for the National Translation Award in Prose (US).

Available in all major online bookstores.

Praise for So Distant From My Life:

'The poet is evident in Ilboudo as well as in translator Yarri Kamara.' World Literature Today (US)

'Halfway through Monique Ilboudo’s astute novella (deftly translated by Yarri Kamara) her male protagonist meditates on how human mobility is defined by perspective and nationality. … This powerful account is a timely reminder of how wealth can open doors.' The Guardian (UK)

'The next generation of migrant literature.' Radio New Zealand.

I translate out of French and Italian into English. My current focus is on Francophone African literary production. I have translations-in-progress not listed here; if you are a publisher looking for Francophone African writing, do get in touch.

Academic Translation

I have a background in social science research as well as in the humanities. The hidden academic in me thoroughly enjoys engaging with scholarly work through translation.

Biomass, Capitalism and Hegemony: A rich and powerful history by Benoit Daviron (Bloomsbury Publishing, 2025).

Ambitious and absolutely riveting work of economic history (my view). From the blurb: 'In his magnum opus, published here in English for the first time, world-renowned critical development scholar Benoit Daviron blends Braudelian history and a food systems approach to show how biomass explains key historical phases of Western capitalist hegemony and the transitions between them.'

Religious Encounters and Social Dynamics in Burkina Faso, Alice Degorce, Ludovic O. Kibora & Katrin Langewiesche (eds.). (Amalion Press. 2024)

An exploration of Burkina Faso’s religious landscape where traditional, Islamic and Christian religions intersect.

Hybrid: Journal of Arts and Human Mediations.

I have been a regular translator for this French interdisciplinary journal from 2023 onwards. Example of an article translated: 'The limits of empathy in literature? The case of rape in Arundhati Roy’s work'