The Library of Glissant Studies is a collective project which would not be possible without the help and support of dozen of dedicated individuals and institutions across the world. Our team aim at developing researches in the field of Glissant Studies by indexing information, and facilitating collaborations between scholars, students, and universities.
Beate Thill was born on March 6, 1952 in Baden-Baden, in a Franco-German family. She studied English Literature and Geography at the University of Freiburg (in Brisgau). After a year spent teaching in England, she graduated from the University of Friborg (Switzerland). Instead of starting a professorship in Bremen (Germany) in 1979, she decided to work in the editorial board of a third-worldist magazine in Friborg. Since 1983, she has been a literary translator of English and French, with a specialization in Caribbean and African Francophone literatures, She focuses especially on the works of Édouard Glissant, Assia Djebar, J.M.G. Clézio, Abdelwahab Meddeb, and Tchicaya U Tam'si. After 2013, she also translated the works of authors Dany Laferrière and Patrick Chamoiseau. Following her translation of The Commander's Box in 1983, she met with Édouard Glissant during his first visit to Germany. As her other translations progressed, her collaboration with Glissant became more and more intensive. She introduced Glissant's thought and literature in Germany, she was his mediator, serving as an interpreter during his regular reading tours in Germany. As early as the 1980s, Glissant invited her to attend events in Paris, as well as several symposia organized in Europe to showcase her work. This collaboration lasted until June 2010, date of Glissant's last visit of to Heidelberg. Beate Thill also works as a translator for festivals, authors's reading tours, radio shows, and she also focuses on Translation Studies. She is a member of the German PEN Club.
