Daniel Medin
Professor
- Department: Comparative Literature and English
- Complementary Department(s): History and Politics
- Office:G-111
- Office Hours:Tuesdays & Fridays 13:30鈥14:30 or by appointment
A former fellow of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (Berlin) and visiting researcher at the Centre Interdisciplinaire de Recherches Centre-Europ茅ennes (Sorbonne-Paris IV), Professor Medin joined the faculty of The American University of Paris in January 2010. He has taught German, English and comparative literature at Stanford University, Washington University in St. Louis and the Free University Berlin. His research is principally concerned with modern fiction from Germany, Austria and Switzerland, with an emphasis on the work and global reception of Franz Kafka. He also teaches classes on contemporary world literature; writing from Central Europe; the history and culture of Berlin, Vienna, and Prague; Flaubert and the birth of modernism; editorial practice; and small prose forms. He is a director of the Center for Writers and Translators and one of the editors of its Cahiers Series (published jointly with Sylph Editions in London). He is also co-editor of Music & Literature magazine, a contributing editor for The White Review, and advises other journals, publishers and agents on contemporary international fiction. He has judged leading translation prizes in the USA (Best Translated Book Award, 2014-2015) and the UK (Man Booker International Prize, 2016), and is now on the jury of their German equivalent (HKW Internationaler Literaturpreis, 2018-2020).
Education/Degrees
- PhD, Washington University in St. Louis
- MA, Washington University in St. Louis
- BA, University of Connecticut
Publications
- "Promoting Translation through a Literary Center" (with Hanna Gressler). La t芒che po茅tique du traducteur. Ed. Catherine Coquio, C茅line Barral and In猫s Cazalas. Paris: Textuel, September 2020.聽
- Volume 9 on and by Peter Bichsel and Sylvia Legris (edited volume), May 2019.
- 鈥淩obert Walser鈥檚 Jewish Berlin.鈥 A Companion to Robert Walser. Ed. Samuel Frederick and Rebecca Schuman. Evanston, Ill.: Northwestern University Press, June 2018.
- Volume 8 on and by Eric Chevillard, Mark Turner, and Unsuk Chin (edited volume), November 2017.聽
- Volume 7 of Music & Literature on and by Paul Griffiths, Lera Auerbach and Ann Quin (edited volume), May 2016.
- Volume 6 of Music & Literature on and by Alejandra Pizarnik, Dubravka Ugre拧i膰, and Victoria Polev谩 (edited volume), April 2015.
- 鈥淟e Kafka de J.-M. Coetzee.鈥 Les Cahiers de L'Herne: Franz Kafka. Ed. Wolfgang Asholt, Georges-Arthur Goldschmidt, and Jean-Pierre Morel. Paris: Editions de l'Herne, October 2014.
- Volume 5 of Music & Literature on and by Kaija Saariaho, Can Xue, and Stig S忙terbakken (edited volume), October 2014.聽
- Volume 4 of Music & Literature on and by Clarice Lispector, Barry Guy, Maya Homburger, and Mary Ruefle (edited volume), April 2014.聽
- Volume 3 of Music & Literature on and by Gerald Murnane, Vladim铆r God谩r, and Iva Bittov谩 (edited volume), October 2013.
- 鈥淎ll the Bad Things.鈥 Review of The Jew Car by Franz F眉hmann, trans. Isabel Cole, and The Devil鈥檚 Workshop by J谩chym Topol, trans. Alex Zucker. Times Literary Supplement, 27 September 2013.
- Volume 2 of Music & Literature on and by L谩szl贸 Krasznahorkai, B茅la Tarr, and Max Neumann (edited volume), April 2013.
- 鈥淭he Woman Who Disapperared: Traces of Kafka in Das nackte Auge.鈥 脡tudes germaniques. Special issue on Yoko Tawada, January 2011.
- Three Sons: Franz Kafka and the Fiction of J.M. Coetzee, Philip Roth, and W.G. Sebald. Avant-Garde and Modernism Studies, ed. Rainer Rumold and Marjorie Perloff. Evanston, Ill.: Northwestern University Press (March 2010).
- 鈥淟ike the Sunrise.鈥 Review of The Tanners by Robert Walser and Robert Walser: Sein Leben in Bildern und Texten by Bernhard Echte. Times Literary Supplement (March 31, 2010).
- 鈥淒ecisive Days.鈥 Review of Kafka: Die Jahre der Entkenntnis by Rainer Stach. Times Literary Supplement (April 24, 2009).
- 鈥淪imply Made Up: Franz Kafka in W.G. Sebald鈥檚 Dr. K.s Badereise nach Riva.鈥 Ed. Mark Rectanus. 脺ber Gegenwartsliteratur. Aisthesis Verlag, 2008.
- 鈥淟iebliche L眉ge? Philip Roth鈥檚 鈥楲ooking at Kafka.鈥欌 Comparative Literature Studies Volume 44.1-2 (2007).
Conferences & Lectures
- "Cartographies" with Mathias Enard, Ir猫ne Jacob, and Lucie Campos, Villa Gilet, Lyon, October 2020.
- "Literary Celebrity, Activism, and the Industry," panel with Alice Guthrie, Charlotte Ryland, Alan Taylor, and Elleke Boehmer at Art & Action: A Webinar Series on Literary Authorship, Politics, and Celebrity Culture,听Oxford, September 2020.
- 鈥淩iver and Life鈥 with Esther Kinsky, Bergen International Literature Festival, Bergen, February 2020.
- 鈥淒reams from the War鈥 with Mazen Maarouf, Bergen International Festival, February 2020.聽
- 鈥淎n Evening with Eduardo Halfon,鈥 CWT event at American University of Paris, November 2019.
- 鈥淎rabic Literature in Translation: A Masterclass.鈥 Workshop for young writers of promise from the Arabic world; mentors include Alaa Al-Aswany and Adania Shibli. Sponsored by Foundation KfW Stiftung and the Commonwealth Foundation. Frankfurt, October 2019.
- 鈥淎 Conversation with Alaa Al-Aswany,鈥 panel at The Politics of Translation: Arabic Literatures in Europe, Frankfurt, October 2019.
- 鈥淧ublishing Arabic Literature in Translation,鈥 panel with Lynn Gaspard, Elisabeth Jaquettte, Pierro Salab猫, Adiana Shibli at The Politics of Translation: Arabic Literatures in Europe, Frankfurt, October 2019.聽
- 鈥淪aison der Wirbelst眉rme : A Conversation with Fernanda Melchor and Angelica Ammar.鈥 Award Ceremony of the HKW International Literaturpreis, Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin, June 2019.
- 鈥淭he Writer as a Literary Activist鈥 with Mikhail Shishkin and Jacek Dehnel, Bibliotopia Festival, Fondation Jan Michalski, Montricher, May 2019.聽
- 鈥淩eversing the Gaze鈥 with Aminatta Forna. Bibliotopia Festival, Fondation Jan Michalski, Montricher, May 2019.聽
- 鈥淭he White Review Roundtable on Translation鈥 with Nina Leger, Daniel Levin Becker, and Zeljka Marosevic, Shakespeare & Company, Paris, May 2019.聽
- 鈥淓uropean Dreams and Fictions,鈥 with Jonathan Coe, Olivia Rosenthal, Sophie Lewis, and Claudia Durastanti, Beyond Words French Literature Festival, Institut Francais London, May 2019.
- 鈥淎 Conversation about the French edition of Temporada de huracanes鈥 with Fernanda Melchor and Joachim Schnerf, CWT event at 绿巨人视频, March 2019.
- 鈥淏erlin als Schaffensort (series)鈥 with Dag Solstad and Audun Lindholm. Sponsored by Royal Norwegian Embassy in Berlin and Norwegian Literature Abroad, Literaturhaus-Berlin, March 2019.
- 鈥淏eckett als Briefschreiber鈥 with Dan Gunn, Gyorgy Dragoman, Chris Hirte, Ulrich Matthes, and Ulrich Peltzer, Akademie der K眉nste (German Academy of the Arts), February 2019.聽
- 鈥淲hat Does the Fox Say?鈥 with Dubravka Ugresic, Bergen International Literature Festival, Bergen, February 2019.
- 鈥淭ranslating Sorrow鈥 with James Montgomery (about Cahier 32), Bergen International Festival, February 2019.聽
- 鈥淲hat Is Literary Quality?鈥 with Ane Farseth氓s, Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi, Kari Marstein, Peter Nielsen, and Eirik Vassenden, Bergen International Literature Festival, Bergen, February 2019.
- 鈥淏erlin als Schaffensort (series)鈥 with Tomasz R贸偶ycki and Maria Stepanova. Literaturhaus-Berlin, December 2018.
- 鈥淭OLEDO on Tour Presents Music & Literature鈥 with Dagmara Kraus, Daniel Levin Becker, Ulrike Draessner, and Roman Yusipey. Collaboration with Leipziger Literarischen Herbst. Kupfersaal, Leipzig, October 2018.
- 鈥淪ympathy for the Traitor: A Translator鈥檚 Manifesto鈥 with Mark Pollizzotti and Russell Williams. CWT event at 绿巨人视频, October 2018.
- 鈥淐ompanions鈥 with Christina Hesselholdt, CWT event at American University of Paris, October 2018.
- 鈥淐WT Salon鈥 with Lisa Davidson, Amanda Dennis, Spencer Matheson, Aaron Park, and Aysegul Savas, CWT event at American University of Paris, September 2018.
- 鈥淏erlin als Schaffensort (series)鈥 with Eugene Ostashevsky and Sasha Mariana Salzmann, Literaturhaus-Berlin, July 2018.
- 鈥淪chafe k枚nnen sicher weiden鈥 with Maxim Ossipow and Birgit Weit. Festival and award ceremony for 2018 Internationaler Literaturpreis. Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin, June 2018.
- 鈥淏erlin als Schaffensort (series)鈥 with Unsuk Chin, Clemens J. Setz, and Wu Wei. Co-sponsored by Music & Literature (European launch of Issue 8), Literaturhaus-Berlin, March 2018.
- 鈥淓uropean Literary Salon鈥 with Jakuta Alikavasovic, Claire-Louise Bennett, and Esther Kinsky, Institut Fran莽ais, London, May 2018.
- 鈥淎 Conversation with the 2018 Paris Writers鈥 Resident鈥 with Daniel Hahn, event sponsored by 绿巨人视频 Creative Writing and University of Kent-Paris, Centre Culturel Irlandais, Paris, March 2018.
- 鈥淏erlin als Schaffensort (series)鈥 with Lina Meruane and Samanta Schweblin, Literaturhaus-Berlin, March 2018.
- 鈥淜afka from Pustzta to Pampa.鈥 William H. Matheson Lecture. Washington University in St. Louis. February 2018.
- 鈥淧ublishing, Translation, and the Academy.鈥 Faculty panel discussion with Danielle Dutton and Martin Riker, Washington University in St. Louis, February 2018.鈥
- 鈥淟iterary Activism and the Academy.鈥 Graduate workshop. Washington University in St. Louis. February 2018.
- 鈥淭his Little Art with Kate Briggs,鈥 CWT event at American University of Paris, January 2018.
- 鈥淟aunch of Music & Literature No.8鈥 with 脡ric Chevillard, Alyson Waters, and Rick Moody, sponsored by Yale French Department and French Book Office, Yale University, New Haven, November 2018.
- 鈥淟aunch of Music & Literature No.8鈥 with 脡ric Chevillard, Mark Turner, Jeremy M. Davies, Alyson Waters, Kevin Sun, sponsored by French Book Office, Poets House, New York City, October, 2018.
- Moderator and speaker at Triangular Talks: Intersections in English-, French- and German-Language Literature, Institut Francais, London, March 2017.
- A conversation with Eugene Ostashevsky at Shakespeare & Company, March 2017.
- 鈥淧romoting Translation through a Literary Center,鈥 La ta虃che poe虂tique du traducteur, colloquium at the Institut des Etudes Avanc茅es and Universit茅 Paris-Diderot, Paris, March 2017.
- A conversation with Florence Noiville at Shakespeare & Company, Paris, February 2017聽
- A conversation with Edwin Frank at Shakespeare & Company, Paris, November 2016.
- Moderator of event featuring winners of 2016 Man Booker International Prize Han Kang and Deborah Smith, American University of Paris, September 2016.
- 鈥淢usic & Literature: Missions and Platforms of a Twenty-First Century Journal,鈥 presented at Le combat des revues: Ecritures collectives et discours alternatifs, Journ茅e d鈥櫭﹖udes organis茅e par Sciences Po, Lille, September 2016.
- Moderator and panelist for Man Booker International panel at Edinburgh International Book Festival with Charlotte Collins, Daniel Hahn, and Deborah Smith, August 2016.
- Moderator and panelist for Can Xue event at Edinburgh International Book Festival, August 2016.
- Panelist for The Fall of Language in the Age of English with Minae Mizumura and others at Bradford Literature Festival, Bradford, May 2016.
- Speaker at event celebrating the shortlist for the 2016 Man Booker International Prize with Boyd Tonkin and Fiammetta Rocco at Shakespeare & Company, Paris, April 2016.
- Moderator and speaker at launch event for Music & Literature no.6 (Alejandra Pizarnik, Victoria Polev谩, Dubravka Ugre拧i膰) with Megan Bradbury, Cecilia Rossi, George Szirtes, Joanna Walsh, and Roman Yusipey at The Forum, Norwich, November 2015.
- 鈥淓diting Literary Translations,鈥 workshop at University of East Anglia, Norwich, November 2015.
- 鈥淣otes from an Editor's Desk,鈥 presented at Les revues internationales et l鈥檈space intellectuel europ茅en: 脿 partir de Lettre internationale, Journ茅e d鈥櫭﹖udes organis茅e par le Centre d鈥檋istoire de Sciences Po, l鈥橧MEC et Ent鈥檙evues, Caen, October 2015.
- Conversation with David Wagner about Robert Walser, opening event of the annual meeting of the Robert-Walser-Gesellschaft, Goethe Institut Paris, October 2015.
- Speaker for Music & Literature vs. Vagant: On Transatlantic Publishing at Kapittel International Festival of Literature and Freedom of Expression, Stravagen, September 2015.
- Panelist for The Role of Literary Journals in Showcasing Translated Literature, London Book Fair, April 2015.
- Moderator and speaker at launch event for Music & Literature no.5 (Kaija Saariaho, Stig S忙terbakken, Can Xue) with Aleksi Barri猫re, Florence Delay, Audun Lindholm, Susanna M盲lkki, Camilla Hoitenga,at Shakespeare & Company, Paris, February 2015.
- Speaker at celebration of The White Review and Music & Literature with Barry Guy, Maya Homburger, Holly Pester, Natasha Soobramanien, Adam Thirlwell, and Luke Wiliams at Hannah Barry Gallery, London, February 2015.
- Moderator and speaker at launch event for Music & Literature no.5 (Kaija Saariaho, Stig S忙terbakken, Can Xue) with Herdis Eggen, Camilla Hoitenga, Svein Jarvoll, Anssi Karttunen, Audun Lindholm, Aur茅lie Maurin, and Cie Rinne at Nordic Embassies, Berlin, January 2015.
- Panelist at presentation for Cahier de l鈥橦erne edition on Franz Kafka, Goethe Institut Paris, December 2014.
- 鈥淔undamental Outsiders: Robert Walser and Jewish Berlin,鈥 presented for Deutsches Haus at Columbia University, New York, November 2014.
- 鈥淟es voyages d鈥檋iver avec Kafka,鈥 presented for W.G. Sebald colloquium at Le Centre Culturel International de Cerisy-la-Salle, September 2014.
- Moderator and panelist for Celebrating Roberto Bola帽o with Enrique Vila-Matas, Natasha Soobramanien, and Rodge Glass at Edinburgh International Book Festival, August 2014.
- 鈥淜afka鈥檚 鈥楻eport to an Academy鈥: Its Contexts and Form,鈥 presented for The New School in New York City (via videoconferencing technology), May 2014.
- Moderator and interpreter for panels on contemporary Arabic literature with Samuel Shimon (novelist and editor of Banipal and Kikah magazines) and Margaret Obank (co-founder of Banipal) at the International Literature Festival, Berlin, September 2013.
- 鈥淚mperial Messages: Glimpses of Kafka Abroad,鈥 guest lecture on Kafka in contemporary Chinese, Latin American, and Eastern European writing at the Goethe-Universit盲t Frankfurt am Main, July 2013.
- Moderator and panelist at launch event for Cahier 18 (Elfriede Jelinek on Robert Walser) with Katie Kitamura and Damion Searls, McNally Jackson Bookstore in New York City, June 2013.
- Speaker at launch event for issue 2 of Music & Literature (L谩szl贸 Krasznahorkai, B茅la Tarr and Max Neumann) at Bar Babette, Berlin, May 2013.
- Panelist and interpreter at launch event for Cahier 18 (Elfriede Jelinek), Goethe Institut Paris, February 2013.
- 鈥淗ow to Review Translations,鈥 presented at annual meeting of the American Literary Translators Association, University of Rochester, October 2012.
- Moderator and panelist for Celebrating Franz Kafka with Yiyun Li at Edinburgh International Book Festival, August 2012.
- 鈥淭he Legacy of Robert Walser,鈥 presented at the Robert Walser Festival, Newcastle, March 2012.
- 鈥淟essons in Creative Reading: On Literature and Visual Culture,鈥 lecture and workshop at the Piet Zwart Institute of Postgraduate Study, Rotterdam, March 2012.
- Panelist for L谩szl贸 Krasznahorkai: The Melancholy of Resistance with L谩szl贸 Krasznahorkai and Colm To铆b铆n at Edinburgh International Book Festival, August 2011.
- Panelist for Writing, Memory and Landscape in W.G. Sebald with Jo Catling and Geoff Dyer at Edinburgh International Book Festival, August 2011.
- 鈥淧hilip Roth's Conversations with Volker Hage鈥 presented at International Roth, American Literature Association annual meeting, Boston, May 2011.
- 鈥淎 Pack of Nobodies: Robert Walser鈥檚 Unelective Affinities,鈥 presented at Reading Robert Walser, German Studies Association annual meeting, Oakland, October 2010.
- 鈥溍 la Porte. Une le莽on kafka茂enne de J. M. Coetzee,鈥 presented at Kafka apr猫s son si猫cle, Le Centre Culturel International de Cerisy-la-Salle, July 2010.
- 鈥淎u脽enseiter unter Au脽enseitern,鈥 presented at Drei脽ig Jahre deutsch-j眉dische Literatur-und Kulturgeschichte: Eine internationale Konferenz, Jerusalem and Beer-Sheva, March 2010.
- 鈥淭he Woman Who Disappeared: Traces of Kafka in Das nackte Auge," Yoko Tawada Colloquium at Universit茅 Fran莽ois-Rabelais, Tours, May 2009.
- 鈥淜afka鈥檚 Hovering Trope,鈥 Ben Gurion University of the Negev, July 2008.
- 鈥淎rt as a Trial,鈥 American Comparative Literature Association, Long Beach, April 2008.
- 鈥淪amuel Beckett鈥檚 Cardinal Virtue,鈥 IHUM Fellows Research Colloquium, Stanford University, April 2008.
- 鈥淭elling It Slant: Emily Dickinson and Indirect Communication,鈥 guest lecture for Literature into Life, Introduction to the Humanities, Stanford University, May 2007.
- 鈥淪everal Instances of the Fundamental Unheroic,鈥 IHUM Fellows Research Colloquium, Stanford University, April 2007.