“On self-surrender, pain, and the translation of Birgitta Trotzig” followed by a new English translation of Birgitta Trotzig’s novel A Tale from the Coast, 1961

This thesis consists of two parts: 1) a critical study of the act of translation as an ethical and spiritual endeavor, and 2) the first English translation of the opening chapters of Birgitta Trotzig’s novel A Tale from the Coast (1961). Set on the Swedish coast of Skåne in the late 15th century, Trotzig’s novel is a high modernist experiment that explores human suffering, the quest for spiritual meaning, and mortality. In an essay on the process of translation, the author grapples with what it means to surrender the self to another’s vision. Drawing on the thought of Simone Weil and Trotzig’s own concept of spiritual surrender, the study examines the relationship between translation, surrender, and selfhood, especially in the context of today’s rising authoritarianism. An argument is made that Trotzig’s literature demands a radical openness to suffering and loss, challenging the self-protective habits of modern readers and translators alike. This work offers not only a first English rendering of a landmark text, but also a meditation on how Trotzig’s literature may open new horizons for political subjects during dark times, through her rare model of fidelity, faith, and heightened spiritual attention.