Miguel Sáenz Sagaseta de Ilúrdoz was born in Larache, Morocco, in 1932, and graduated in Law and German Philology at the Complutense University of Madrid. There he also earned a doctorate degree in law with a thesis on aviation law, one of his specialties, which he was able to develop thanks to his time in the Ejército del Aire (Spanish Air Force). His translation work, which he developed parallel to his military and law activities, spans works by Alfred Döblin, Franz Kafka, W. G. Sebald, Salman Rushdie and others—besides Bernhard and Grass.
On giving his inaugural speech, Sáenz will take up the chair marked with the letter b as a full member of the Royal Academy, where he will be in the company of fellow translators Javier Marías and Pere Gimferrer (who, in addition to their own outstanding literary production, are responsible for translations of works by Laurence Sterne and Samuel Beckett, respectively). In his first comments after being elected, Sáenz expressed his hope that his participation will “serve to renew the essential and yet so seldom recognized value” of literary translation. May it indeed be that way!
To read the original Spanish post go to: