This seminar explores the theoretical, practical, and institutional dimensions of literary translation in the 21st century. It takes seriously the notion that literary works can both produce and challenge translation theory, and so we will read fictive works alongside contemporary theory that foregrounds diverse literary histories and cultures. Rather than attempt a survey of key texts, the course modules tackle recurrent questions in theorizing and practicing translation. To whom does a translation belong, and to what degree should the translator be visible in a work? How have theorists and creative writers challenged or buttressed the belief in literary originals, and how has the notion of textual “fidelity” informed public and scholarly debates on translation? Can the decision to not translate a work be a moral one, and how does the power differential between two linguistic cultures influence the ethics of translation? These are some of the questions this course will address, and which will form the backbone of our discussions and written work across the semester.