Lucia Graves (born 21 July 1943) is an English writer and translator. Born in

Devon Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...

, England, she is the daughter of writer

Robert Graves Captain Robert von Ranke Graves (24 July 1895 – 7 December 1985) was an English poet, soldier, historical novelist and critic. His father was Alfred Perceval Graves, a celebrated Irish poet and figure in the Gaelic revival; they were b ...

and his second wife, Beryl Pritchard (1915–2003).

Biography

Graves is a translator working in English and Spanish/Catalan. Her translations include the worldwide bestsellers '' The Shadow of the Wind'', ''

The Angel's Game ''The Angel's Game'' (:es:El juego del ángel, ''El juego del ángel'', 2008) is a prequel to 2001's ''The Shadow of the Wind,'' by Spanish author Carlos Ruiz Zafón. The novel marks a return to The Cemetery of Forgotten Books in Barcelona's El ...

'', '' The Prisoner of Heaven'', and "The Labyrinth of the Spirits", by

Carlos Ruiz Zafón Carlos Ruiz Zafón (; 25 September 1964 – 19 June 2020) was a Spanish novelist known for his 2001 novel ''La sombra del viento'' ('' The Shadow of the Wind''). The novel sold 15 million copies and was winner of numerous awards; it was included ...

, and ''The Columbus Papers''. She has translated over 30 volumes. She has also published a novel, ''The Memory House'', and a memoir entitled ''A Woman Unknown''. These were both originally written in English, but Graves herself did the translations into Spanish. She said "I find self-translation a rather strange, slightly uncomfortable experience; the line between author and translator becomes blurred". She grew up on

Mallorca Mallorca, or Majorca, is the largest of the Balearic Islands, which are part of Spain, and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, seventh largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. The capital of the island, Palma, Majorca, Palma, i ...

from the age of three, speaking English at home, Catalan with locals, and Spanish at school. "I slipped in and out of my three languages as one enters and exits different-coloured rooms in a house," she writes in her memoir. As a teenager she attended the International School of Geneva, Switzerland, and subsequently university at Oxford. In 1967 she married a Catalan musician and settled in Spain, living mainly in Barcelona. They had three daughters. Her professional translation work began in 1971 with her father's novel '' Seven Days in New Crete''. In 1991 she moved from Spain to London, where she currently lives with her second husband. There she has continued to do translation, mostly into English, and also wrote her memoir and novel.

Awards and honors

*2012 Science Fiction & Fantasy Translation Awards, finalist, translation of ''Midnight Palace'' by

Sources

External links

Lucia Graves
at Florin.com 1943 births Living people Catalan–English translators Spanish–English translators 21st-century English translators British expatriates in Spain English women novelists People from Mallorca 20th-century English translators 20th-century English women writers 20th-century English writers 21st-century English women writers English women non-fiction writers Graves family People from Devon {{UK-translator-stub