Below The Spruce

It seems the Guardian has posted this article covering some of the tempestuous history of the independent publisher Dedalus Books, which has primarily focused on making foreign language texts available in English. In the past Dedalus has centered on European works, but is recently branching off into those from Africa. Quite interesting. I remember in university, one of the texts for a Medieval culture course I took was called The Dedalus Book of Medieval Literature: The Grin of the Gargoyle, an excellent collection that contained less known poems and stories from all over Europe during the Middle Ages. One of the more memorable of which was a poem by Dafydd ap Gwilym entitled “Cywydd y gal” in the Welsh. Some dirty, dirty poets back in the day.

In any event, the trials and tribulations of the independent book publisher are well enough known in today’s market climate. These guys seem to be fighting through it, however

Tagged: anthologies, Dafydd ap Gwilym, dedalus books, guardian, independant, medieval literature, publishers, translation