Agency
About us
The Mertin Witt Literary Agency has been promoting literature in the Portuguese and Spanish languages worldwide since 1982, with an emphasis on adult fiction. Recently we have added some handpicked authors of other languages as well. We represent our authors both in their home countries and abroad. Among others, we established internationally the work by Luis Sepúlveda, whose novel “The Story of a Seagull and the Cat Who Taught Her to Fly” sold 5 million copies, and by José Saramago, who went on to win the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1998. The agency attends many important international book fairs and literary festivals every year. You can write to us in English, Portuguese, Spanish, French or German. We have been voted International Literary Agent of the Year 2015 by The London Book Fair, in partnership with the UK Publishers Association.
Seit 1982 engagiert sich die Literarische Agentur Mertin Witt für die internationale Verbreitung portugiesisch- und spanischsprachiger Literatur mit dem Schwerpunkt Belletristik. Inzwischen zählen außerdem einige handverlesene Autoren anderer Sprachen zu unserem Katalog. Wir vertreten unsere Autoren in ihren Heimatländern und international. Unter anderem haben wir dazu beigetragen, das Werk von Luis Sepúlveda, dessen Roman “Wie Kater Zorbas der kleinen Möwe das Fliegen beibrachte” 5 Millionen Exemplare verkauft hat, international zu etablieren, und dem Werk von José Saramago weltweit zu höchster Anerkennung zu verhelfen, für das der Autor 1998 den Nobelpreis für Literatur erhalten sollte. Die Agentur ist jedes Jahr auf einer Vielzahl wichtiger internationaler Buchmessen und Literaturfestivals vertreten. Sie können uns in deutscher, englischer, portugiesischer, spanischer und französischer Sprache schreiben. Im Jahr 2015 hat die Agentur Mertin Witt den International Literary Agent Award gewonnen, der von der Londoner Buchmesse und der UK Publishers Association vergeben wird.
Nascida em 1982, a Agência Literária Mertin Witt dedica-se à divulgação das literaturas em português e em espanhol, há algum tempo aceitando também a representação de autores de outras línguas, e focando-se sobretudo em obras de ficção. Representa os seus autores tanto nos seus países de origem como internacionalmente. Entre outros, a estabelecemos nos mercados editoriais internacionais a obra de Luis Sepúlveda, cujo romance “A história da gaivota e do gato que a ensinou a voar” vendeu 5 milhões de exemplares em todo o mundo, bem como a de José Saramago, Prémio Nobel de Literatura em 1998. Estamos presentes, anualmente, nas mais importantes feiras do livro e festivais de literatura internacionais. Podem escrever-nos em português, espanhol, inglês, francês e alemão. Em 2015 a agência Mertin Witt ganhou o Prémio de Melhor Agente do Ano, atribuído pela Feira do Livro de Londres e pela a UK Publishers Association.
Desde 1982, la Agencia Literaria Mertin Witt se ha dedicado a la divulgación de la literatura en portugués y español, haciendo especial hincapié en la narrativa para adultos. Desde hace algún tiempo hemos aceptado también la representación de algunos autores de otras lenguas. Representamos a los autores en sus países de origen e internacionalmente. Entre otras, hemos establecido en los mercados editoriales internacionales la obra de Luis Sepúlveda, cuya novela “La historia de una gaviota y del gató que le eseñó a volar” ha vendido en todo el mundo 5 millones de ejemplares, y la de José Saramago, a quien en 1998 le fue otorgado el Premio Nobel de Literatura. La agencia participa anualmente en las feria del libro y los festivales de literatura internacionales más importantes. Nos pueden escribir en español, portugués, inglés, francés y alemán. En 2015, la Agencia Literaria Mertin Witt recibió el premio al mejor agente del año, entregado por la Feria del libro de Londres e la asociación de editores británicos.
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Partners and Participations
Links
Grants for Translation and Publication
ARGENTINA
Programa – SUR de apoyo a las traducciones
www.programa-sur.mrecic.gov.ar
BRAZIL
Brazilian National Library
Fundação Biblioteca Nacional – Ministério da Cultura
https://www.gov.br/bn/pt-br/atuacao/cooperacao-e-difusao/apoio-a-traducao/portugues/editais-e-regulamentos/regulamento-do-programa-de-apoio-a-traducao-pdf
Please note the new application deadlines for translations grants.
CHILE
DIRAC
División de las Culturas, las Artes, el Patrimonio y Diplomacia Pública
Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores de Chile
Translation Grant Program 2025/Programa de Apoyo a la Traducción para Editoriales Extranjeras 2025
Deadline: 27 September 2024
https://www.dirac.gob.cl
COLOMBIA
Reading Colombia, co-financing program for the translation and promotion of Colombian literary and scientific works in foreign languages
www.camlibro.com.co
GERMANY
Society for the Promotion of Asian, African and Latinamerican Literature.
Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Literatur aus Asien, Afrika und Lateinamerika.
www.litprom.de
MEXICO
Grants for the Translation of Mexican Books
Programa de Apoyo a la Traducción de Obras Mexicanas a Lenguas Extranjeras (ProTrad)
fonca.cultura.gob.mx/convocatorias/abiertas/
PORTUGAL
Portuguese Book Institute
Direcção Geral do Livro e das Bibliotecas – DGLB
(formerly: Instituto Português do Livro e das Bibliotecas – IPLB)
www.livro.dglab.gov.pt
Translation funding
http://livro.dglab.gov.pt/sites/DGLB/Portugues/divulgacaoEstrangeiro/apoioTraducaoeEdicao.aspx
http://livro.dglab.gov.pt/sites/DGLB/English/BookDepartment/PromotionAbroad.aspx
Support for publishing in Brazil
http://livro.dglab.gov.pt/sites/DGLB/Portugues/divulgacaoEstrangeiro/EdicaoBrasil/.aspx
Support for illustrations and Comics
http://livro.dglab.gov.pt/sites/DGLB/DesenhadaIlustracao.aspx
http://livro.dglab.gov.pt/sites/DGLB/PictureBooksGrants.aspx
Camões Institute
Camões Instituto da Cooperação e da Língua
https://www.instituto-camoes.pt/
SPAIN
Grants for the Translation of books written in Spanish language (also by non-Spanish authors) or in any co- official language of Spain:
Subvenciones en régimen de concurrencia competitiva para el fomento de la traducción a lenguas extranjeras
www.mcu.es
www.mcu.es/TraduccionLenguaExtranjera_triptico.pdf
Direct link to translation grants for works written in Euskera (Basque language):
Enlace directo a las ayudas a la traducción de obras escritas en euskera:
https://eizie.eus/en/resources/etxepare-basque-institute-grants-and-prizes?set_language=en
URUGUAY
Translation funding
Programa IDA: Programa de traducción y apoyo a la exportación editorial
https://www.uruguayxxi.gub.uy/es/quiero-exportar/herramientas/programa-ida/
Press
Rights & Licences workshop for the Frankfurt Book Fair Invitation Programme 2024
// For the seventh time in a row, Nicole Witt held a full-day workshop on Rights & Licences for the 16 participants of the Frankfurt Book Fair Invitation Programme (on Sunday before the book fair started). The visitors were publishers from 16 countries across three continents. The workshop helped the participants [...]
CONTEC Chile 2024
// Nicole Witt ha sido invitada a participar como conferenciante en CONTEC Chile 2024, que se celebrará entre el 9 y el 11 de julio en el Centro Cultural La Moneda de Santiago de Chile. CONTEC es una marca de la Frankfurter Buchmesse que crea un espacio para reflexionar sobre los [...]
International Stage at the Frankfurt Book Fair
// On October 21, the International Stage of the Frankfurter Buchmesse presented "Almeida and Mairal: Two of the most emblematic authors on Argentina’s contemporary literary scene", a round table with María Eugenia Almeida and Sebastián Martínez Daniell. The discussion was led by Nicole Witt and focused on the contemporary Argentine literature and the [...]
Rights & Licences workshop for the Frankfurt Book Fair Invitation Programme 2023
// Rights & Licences workshop for the Frankfurt Book Fair Invitation Programme 2023 (14th October 2023) For the sixth time in a row and for the thrid time in attendance since the pandemic, Nicole Witt, assisted by Carolin Janitschke, held a full-day workshop on Rights & Licences for the 17 [...]
75° Anniverary of the Frankfurt Book Fair – discover 75 different stories about Frankfurter Buchmesse: Nicole Witt about MertinWitt at FBF since 1982:
// https://www.buchmesse.de/en/75-stories-34
Evolution of the Translator (LBF 2023)
At this year´s London Book Fair 2023, Nicole Witt has been invited to contribute to the panel "Evolution of the Translator". The panel will take place in the Literary Translation Centre on Wednesday 19th April 2023, from 11:05 until 11:50 am. How has the role of the translator evolved over the [...]
Africa and the World: A mini series of digital exchange
// Africa and the World: A mini series of digital exchange N°3, organized by the Frankfurt Book Fair and the Federal Foreign Office, took place on 16 February 2023 at 17:30 CAT (Central African Time, UTC +2). The event's subject was: How to brush up your international business at book [...]
Brazil: Books to turn the page. A report by Bernardo Gutiérrez
// Nicole Witt interviewed by Bernardo Gutiérrez for El Periódico de España. // Brazilian fiction has hardened. Both new voices (Tatiana Salem Levy, Itamar Vieira Junior, Geovani Martins, Morgana Kretzmann) and established names (Chico Buarque, Paulo Lins, Patrícia Melo) deal bluntly with the racism, classism, machismo, violence and hatred that [...]