Three Faculty Members Honored by Modern Language Association
Three faculty members from the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) have garnered recognition from the Modern Language Association (MLA) for their significant contributions to the field of literature. The awards highlight their scholarly work and innovative publications.
Priyasha Mukhopadhyay, an Assistant Professor of English, received the Aldo and Jeanne Scaglione Prize for South Asian Studies for her book *Required Reading: The Life of Everyday Texts in the British Empire*, published by Princeton University Press in 2024. This book delves into how everyday forms of writing, such as manuals, petitions, almanacs, and magazines, influenced the perceptions of colonial subjects regarding their roles within the empire. The prize, now in its third year, is awarded annually for outstanding scholarly work focusing on South Asian or South Asian diaspora literary or linguistic studies.
In another notable achievement, Naomi Levine, also an Assistant Professor of English, was shortlisted for the MLA Prize for a First Book for her work *The Burden of Rhyme: Victorian Poetry, Formalism, and the Feeling of Literary History*, slated for release by University of Chicago Press in 2024. This prestigious award, established in 1993, recognizes the first book-length publication by an MLA member that constitutes a literary or linguistic study, a critical edition, or a critical biography. Levine’s book investigates nineteenth-century perspectives on the origins of rhyme and their implications for Victorian poetry and literary studies.
Additionally, Alex Gil, a Senior Lecturer II and Associate Research Faculty of Digital Humanities in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese, received an honorable mention for the Lois Roth Award for Translation of a Literary Work. His translation of Aimé Césaire’s *… And the Dogs Were Silent / … Et les chiens se taisaient*, published by Duke University Press in 2024, was praised for its scholarly value. The committee noted that Gil’s translation serves as a vital resource for those studying colonialism, postcolonialism, and the legacy of the Haitian and French Revolutions in relation to the concept of equality.
The Lois Roth Award ultimately went to Paul Reitter, ASC Distinguished Professor of Germanic Languages and Literatures at Ohio State University, for his translation of Karl Marx’s *Capital, Volume 1*, also published by Princeton University Press in 2024. Reitter’s translation was co-edited by Paul North, Maurice Natanson Professor of Germanic Languages and Literatures at Yale University.
These recognitions reflect the ongoing commitment of FAS faculty to advancing literary scholarship and their contributions to understanding complex cultural and historical narratives through their work.
