International Publishers Celebrate Cecilia Manguerra Brainard Translations at Frankfurt Book Fair
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Six international publishers will gather at the Frankfurt Book Fair on October 17, 2025 to celebrate foreign translations of fiction by the award-winning Filipino author Cecilia Manguerra Brainard.
“Celebrating Translations of Cecilia Manguerra Brainard’s Fiction” will also provide a forum for these noted publishers to share their publishing expertise to the audience. The event is one of the many programs presented by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts and National Book Development Board where the Philippines is the Guest of Honour country at the 77th Frankfurt Book Fair 2025.
Cecilia Manguerra Brainard is the author and editor of over 20 books, including her Selected Short Stories and her novels: When the Rainbow Goddess Wept, Magdalena, and The Newspaper Widow. A leading fictionist in the Philippines, many of Brainard’s stories explore historical events in the Philippines, memorializing how the Filipino people have endured its turbulent history with resilience and humanity. Brainard’s work has been translated into 14 languages.
Cecilia’s literary agent who also translated and edited her novel, The Newspaper Widow (for Super založba), will lead the talks. Senja Požar, founder of Ljubljana Book Academy, has nearly 30 years publishing experience, holding roles as editor, editorial director, and editor-in-chief for fiction, non-fiction, textbooks, reference works, education books, and magazines. Since 2016 she advanced international cooperation for Mladinska knjiga and Cankarjeva založba, working on Frankfurt 2023 and Bologna 2024 GOH. She later launched the Academy, became editor-in-chief, represents IRCAI under UNESCO, and since 2020 has been part of Publishers Without Borders.
From Skopje, North Macedonia, Filip Batkoski translated Brainard’s novels, Magdalena and The Newspaper Widow. Batkoski has been working in the publishing industry since 2011 as the manager of Bata Press, a family-run publishing house founded by his father, Nenad Batkoski. Under his leadership, Bata Press has developed into a respected name in Macedonian publishing, known for its dedication to literature and its support of local and international authors. Committed to promoting Macedonian literature and building cross-cultural connections, Filip continues to lead Bata Press with passion and vision.
Publisher Leonardo Garzaro, who hails from Sao Paulo, Brazil, published Brainard’s Selected Short Stories and her novel When the Rainbow Goddess Wept, under the imprint of his publishing house Editor Rua du Sabao. Leonardo Garzoro, who is a writer himself, has published dozens of books, including his recent novel, the Guardian of Names, which was published in four countries and was nominated for the Jabut Award for Literature. He currently writes for two of Brazil’s largest newspapers. He is also a Brazilian literature consultant for the publishers in Argentina, Mexico; Ecuador, and the Turkish agency Introtema.
Cairo-based Mohamed Radi translated Brainard’s three novels into Arabic under the imprint of the Egyptian Office for Publishing and Distribution of Publications. Radi is the Director and Founder of the independent publishing house that has produced more than 1,000 titles by leading Arab authors and writers. It has translated more than 200 titles from various languages. Mohamed is vice-president of the African Publishers Network. He has worked in public service as an elected board member, held several positions as Chairman of the Media Committee of the Egyptian publishers and Secretary-General of the Egyptian Publishers Association.
Dejan Trajkoski, from North Macedonia, is a publisher, writer, poet, and editor. He is the founder and director of the publishing house Prozart Media, the International Literature Festival PRO-ZA Balkan, and the Skopje Fellowship Program—the first publishing fellowship in Eastern Europe (and the only one in the region until 2021), established in 2013. His philosophical novel Infidelity has been translated into nine languages, including English, German, and Turkish. He published translations Cecilia’s When the Rainbow Goddess Wept and her Selected Short Stories.
From Athens, Dimitris Tsoukatos, heads Lemvos Editions which published Cecilia’s novel Magdalena. With a strong background in finance, Dimitris has led the publishing house since 2015 to publish quality works from young Greek writers and it also translates important works of world literature.
Publishers who were unable to attend sent messages.
Dr. Takuya Masuda, who translated Cecilia’s World War II novel When the Rainbow Goddess Wept for Genki Shobou in Tokyo wrote:
“I translated Ms. Brainard’s When the Rainbow Goddess Wept into Japanese because I wanted readers in Japan to read and feel this powerful story of war, memory, and resilience in their own language. In doing so, I hoped to create a bridge between the Philippines and Japan, two countries with intertwined histories, so that readers may reflect not only on the traumas of the past but also on the possibilities of empathy and healing. I believe such reflections are especially important in today’s world. My wish is that my translation will help foster deeper cross-cultural dialogue and understanding, and that Ms. Brainard’s moving narrative will continue to inspire strength and hope in new readers.”
Jale Mammedova from Qanun Publishing House in Azerbaijan who translated Brainard’s When the Rainbow Goddess Wept said:
“The theme of war, sadly, is not unfamiliar to the Azerbaijani people; it is, rather, a wound that lies painfully close to the heart. Having endured two devastating wars in the past thirty-five years, the sensitive hearts of Azerbaijani readers will inevitably be profoundly touched by this novel. No matter how different traditions and ways of life may be, there are times when nations separated by vast distances are bound together by the same unspeakable tragedies – and war is one such force that unites through sorrow. At the same time, the legends and epics woven into the novel also feel strikingly familiar to Azerbaijanis… it is hard to label this novel as purely national; it is, in essence, universal, for the sufferings the author portrays are ones that peoples across the world have inevitably experienced, in different eras and in countless forms.”
The event will be held at the Pilipinas Stage, Philippine Stand, Hall 5.1 A95 & B95, Frankfurt Book Fair, October 17, at 10 a.m. Neni Sta. Romana Cruz, Co-director of the Translation Committee of the National Book Development Board, will give the welcome and closing remarks.
For further information, please contact palhbooks@gmail.com.
