Der neue Bereich unseres Portals macht es sich zum Anliegen, die internationalen Literaturszenen Berlins zu kartographieren, die handelnden Personen und ihre Schauplätze sichtbar und zugänglich zu machen. 
Die Entstehung der Rubrik wurde durch eine Förderung des Hauptstadtkulturfonds ermöglicht. 

Amélie de Maupeou

Translator

Profile

Born: 22.3.1974
Birthplace: Paris
Country of birth: France
Lives in: Berlin, Prenzlauer Berg


Source language: German, English, Italian
Target language: French
Working language: French

Vita

Amélie was born in 1974 in Paris. She had a German mother and a French father, so she grew up bilingual and enjoyed an international environment while studying at the Lycée International of Saint-Germain en Laye. After school she took a sabbatical in Florence and has spent time in Italy regularly ever since. She studied art history at Parix-X Nanterre focussing on contemporary art, resp. Land Art and photography. As part of an Erasmus-programme she came to Berlin in 1997 and stayed for 4 years, taking up a postgraduate course in culture- and media management.After that she moved back to Paris and started working in publishing houses. Firstly as PR manager at Plon-Perrin and Citadelles & Mazenod, then as a reader at L'Esprit des Péninsules and Jean-Claude Gawsewitch Editeur and finally as publisher at Belfond. While working at Jean-Claude Gawsewitch Editeur she re-discovered the book "Die Welle" by Morton Rhue / Todd Strasser which she had devoured as a teenager. To her surprise she found out that it had not been translated into French and made the publishing house buy the rights for France. The book became a great success in France, too. After this experience the moved back to Berlin in 2009 and translated her first book, the very touching Absprung über Feindesland by Monika Siedentopf.Since then she has been translating novels, advertising copies and other publications from German and English into French.  Since 2015 she has commuted between Seoul and Berlin for personal reasons.

6 Questions

What brought you to Berlin? Love? World politics? Or was it a coincidence?

Germany is my second home and during my Erasmus exchange I have discovered Berlin: my adopted home.


What do you love about Berlin?

The mixture of nature and culture, the size of all areas and volumes, the feeling of freedom.


What do you miss in Berlin?

A few more rays of sunlight.


What is your favorite spot in Berlin?

Volkspark Friedrichshain, because there are many memories.


Would you say you are a different person in Berlin? A different translator? And if yes, in what way?

I feel much freer in Berlin than in Paris, but I think I am the same person and the same translator.


Which existing literary work do you wish you had written?

Der kleine Prinz by Saint-Exupéry and Alles ist wahr by Emmanuel Carrère