Walter van der Star (1954-2021)

Walter van der Star was a Dutch translator and sometimes bookseller living in Amsterdam. His translations include works by Georges Bataille, Gilles Deleuze, Jacques Derrida, Michel Foucault, Susan Neiman, and Jacques Rancière, as well as essays and catalogue texts for art monographs, museums and art institutions.

On his passing, colleague Rokus Hofstede wrote about him: “I knew him as a one-man, although he often translated with others; he did not seek recognition, he did not receive any work grants from the Foundation for Literature, he lived by the grace of heavenly dew and shag from Van Nelle. In the meantime he has compiled an impressive philosophical oeuvre, from French and English, the languages he had learned to speak from childhood during a restless youth in the States and the South of France.”

Sabzian has published Walter van der Stars translations of ‘De tussenruimtes van de cinema’ by Jacques Rancière, ‘Bonjour Cinéma’ by Jean Epstein and ‘Voorwoord voor Volharden’ by Serge Toubiana. Visit his page and read his work here.