author
Alexander Teixeira de Mattos
1865–1921
Best known as a gifted translator, he helped bring major European writers to English-speaking readers at the turn of the 20th century. His career also ranged through journalism, literary criticism, and publishing, giving him a wide view of the literary world.
1 Audiobook
The Life of the Weevil
by Jean-Henri Fabre, Alexander Teixeira de Mattos
About the author
Born in Amsterdam in 1865, he later built his career in England and became known as a Dutch-English man of letters. He worked as a journalist, literary critic, publisher, and above all as a translator, a role in which he earned his lasting reputation.
He is especially remembered for introducing English readers to important continental authors. His translations included work by figures such as Maurice Maeterlinck, Émile Zola, and Jean-Henri Fabre, helping broaden the reach of European literature in English.
He died in 1921, but his name remains closely tied to the great age of literary translation, when translators played a major part in shaping what readers could discover from beyond their own language.