Alex Zucker

Zucker was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey. From ages 4 to 17, he lived in East Lansing, Michigan. He attended college at University of Massachusetts Amherst, obtaining a Bachelor of Science in Zoology in 1986. In 1990, he received a master's in international affairs from the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University, with a certificate from the Institute on East Central Europe.{{Cite web |url=http://www.columbia.edu/cu/ece/about/mission.html |title=Institute on East Central Europe at Columbia University |access-date=2009-09-18 |archive-date=2017-04-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170420003141/http://www.columbia.edu/cu/ece/about/mission.html |url-status=dead }}

During his years in Prague (1990–95), he worked as editor-translator for the English-language section of the Czech News Agency,{{Cite web |url=http://www.ctk.eu/services/news/english/ |title=ČTK English-language news service |access-date=2009-09-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090531142657/http://www.ctk.eu/services/news/english/ |archive-date=2009-05-31 |url-status=dead }} copy editor–translator for the English-language newspaper Prognosis,[http://www.think.cz/issue/50/1.html Alexander Zaitchik: "Let the Kazoos Sound: A Decade of English Press in Prague," Think magazine, no. 50, Nov/Dec 2001] and freelance translator for a variety of Czech and English-language cultural reviews and literary magazines, including Raut,{{Cite web |url=http://bigmag.cz/?page=casopis&id=4&lang=en |title=Bigmag–Raut |access-date=2019-01-06 }} Trafika, Yazzyk, and Zlatý řez.{{Cite web |url=http://bigmag.cz/?page=casopis&id=69&lang=en |title=Bigmag–Zlatý řez |access-date=2019-01-06 }}

From 1996 to 2000, he copyedited for Swing,{{cite web |url=https://www.dukechronicle.com/article/1998/11/swing-magazine-ceases-publication |title=Swing Magazine Ceases Publication |date=November 20, 1998 |last=Rubin |first=Richard |newspaper=Duke Chronicle}} Condé Nast Traveler, Interview (magazine), and Vanity Fair (magazine), as well as for Aperture publishing house{{Cite web |url=http://www.aperture.org/books/books-new |title=Aperture Foundation |access-date=2009-09-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090925052831/http://www.aperture.org/books/books-new |archive-date=2009-09-25 |url-status=dead }} and Bookforum.

From 2002 to 2004, Zucker taught Czech at the NYU School of Continuing and Professional Studies.

In 2010, Zucker won the National Translation Award for his translation of Petra Hůlová's début novel of 2002, All This Belongs to Me.[http://www.utdallas.edu/news/2010/10/26-6551_ALTA-Honors-Translations-of-Czech-Chinese-Works_article.html "ALTA Honors Translations of Czech, Chinese Works," Oct. 26, 2010]

In 2011, he received a Creative Writing Fellowship{{Cite web |url=http://www.nea.gov/features/writers/writersCMS/index.php?year=2012a |title=NEA Writers' Corner: 2012a Literature Fellowships: Translation Projects |access-date=2012-07-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120916064834/http://www.nea.gov/features/writers/writersCMS/index.php?year=2012a |archive-date=2012-09-16 |url-status=dead }} from the National Endowment for the Arts to support his translation of the 1931 Czech classic Marketa Lazarová, by Vladislav Vančura.

• The Opportune Moment, 1855, a novel by Patrik Ouředník (Dalkey Archive Press, 2011).
• Case Closed, a novel by Patrik Ouředník (Dalkey Archive Press, 2010).
• All This Belongs to Me, a novel by Petra Hůlová (Writings from an Unbound Europe, Northwestern University Press, 2009). Winner of the 2010 National Translation Award.
• Minach, a play by Iva Klestilová Volánková, in Czech Plays: Seven New Works, ed. Marcy Arlin, Gwynn MacDonald, and Dr. Daniel Gerould (Martin E. Segal Theatre Center, 2009).[https://english.radio.cz/first-post-89-anthology-czech-plays-english-brought-out-new-york-8419500 "First post-89 anthology of Czech plays in English brought out in New York," News, Český rozhlas, June 16, 2009]
• A Well-paid Walk, subtitles, Dobře placená procházka (1966), dir. Miloš Forman, U.S. premiere, Milos Forman, A Retrospective, Museum of Modern Art, February 14–28, 2008.[http://www.moma.org/visit/calendar/films/587 MoMA: Milos Forman, A Retrospective]
• "The Game," by Ivan Blatný, in The Drug of Art: Selected poems of Ivan Blatný (Ugly Duckling Presse, 2007).[http://www.uglyducklingpresse.org/page-blatny.html The Drug of Art: Selected poems of Ivan Blatný]
• The Unlucky Man in the Yellow Cap, lyrics and translation of Zuzana Justman's adaptation of the original play with music by J. R. Pick,[http://www.unluckyman.com/ The Unlucky Man in the Yellow Cap], FringeNYC festival, August 2006 directed by Marcy Arlin. Other lyrics by Peter Fish (also music), Zuzana Justman, and J. R. Pick.[https://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/10/theater/10cap.html Felicia R. Lee: "Survivor's Play Bears Witness to the Holocaust," New York Times, Aug. 10, 2006]
• City Sister Silver, a novel by Jáchym Topol (Catbird Press, 2000).[http://www.catbirdpress.com/bookpages/sister.htm City Sister Silver at Catbird Press] Selected for inclusion in the 2006 guide 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die.[https://www.nytimes.com/2001/03/04/books/velvet-evolution.html Neil Bermel: "Velvet Evolution," New York Times Book Review, March 4, 2001]
• More Than One Life, a novel by Miloslava Holubová,[http://www.utdallas.edu/~schulte/annotations/H.htm University of Dallas at Texas Annotations, Oct. 5, 2002] translated with Lyn Coffin and Zdenka Brodská (Hydra Books, Northwestern University Press, 1999).
• "The Sightseers" by Michal Viewegh and "Sister" by Jáchym Topol, in Daylight in Nightclub Inferno: Czech Fiction From the Post-Kundera Generation, ed. Elena Lappin{{Cite web |url=http://www.rlf.org.uk/fellowshipscheme/profile.cfm?fellow=219&menu=2 |title=Elena Lappin at the Royal Literary Fund |access-date=2010-04-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100716232623/http://www.rlf.org.uk/fellowshipscheme/profile.cfm?fellow=219&menu=2 |archive-date=2010-07-16 |url-status=dead }} (Catbird Press, 1997).{{usurped|1=[https://archive.today/20120730015003/http://www.ce-review.org/99/6/books6_hayes.html "Book Review: Daylight in Nightclub Inferno: Czech Fiction From the Post-Kundera Generation," Central Europe Review, vol. 1, no. 6, August 1999]}}
• "Kchony Sees the World" by Ladislav Fuks, "Honking Horns" by Jiří Gruša, and "A Trip to the Railway Station" by Jáchym Topol, in This Side of Reality: Modern Czech Writing, ed. Alexandra Büchler[http://www.radio.cz/en/article/66594 "Alexandra Büchler: crossing the frontiers of language," Czech Books, Český rozhlas, May 22, 2005] (Serpent's Tail, 1996).[http://www.transcript-review.org/en/issue/transcript-6--czech-/three-anthologies-of-czech-writing-in-english/this-side-of-reality "Three Anthologies of Czech Writing in English," Transcript 6 ("Iron and Velvet: A Decade of New Czech Writing")]{{Dead link|date=October 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
• "GM" by Gustav Meyrink and "A Trip to the Train Station" by Jáchym Topol, in Prague: A Traveler's Literary Companion, ed. Paul Wilson{{Cite web |url=http://www.abc.net.au/rn/bookshow/stories/2008/2195091.htm |title="Paul Wilson: translating modern Czech writers," The Book Show, ABC Radio National, March 21, 2008 |website=Australian Broadcasting Corporation |access-date=April 26, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101001133551/http://www.abc.net.au/rn/bookshow/stories/2008/2195091.htm |archive-date=October 1, 2010 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }} (Whereabouts Press, 1995).[http://www.whereaboutspress.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=13 Prague: A Traveler's Literary Companion]
• A Trip to the Train Station,{{Cite web |url=http://www.visegradgroup.eu/main.php?folderID=1106 |title="Jáchym Topol: A Trip to the Train Station," Literary Anthology of Visegrad 4 Countries, Budapest, 2007 |access-date=2010-04-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100407183048/http://www.visegradgroup.eu/main.php?folderID=1106 |archive-date=2010-04-07 |url-status=dead }} a novella by Jáchym Topol (Petrov, 1995).

Zucker has also translated lyrics by Filip Topol,[{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r579361|pure_url=yes}} Filip Topol & Agon Orchestra] leader of the Czech rock group Psí vojáci (Dog Soldiers).{{Cite web |url=http://www.psivojaci.cz/ |title=Psí vojáci official Web site |access-date=2007-01-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150601235152/http://www.psivojaci.cz/ |archive-date=2015-06-01 |url-status=dead }}

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Category:American translators

Category:Translators from Czech

Category:Living people

Category:1964 births

Category:University of Massachusetts Amherst College of Natural Sciences alumni

Category:School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University alumni