Margaret Elisabeth Jull Costa OBE (born 2 May 1949) is a British translator of Portuguese- and Spanish-language fiction and poetry, including the works of Eça de Queiroz, Fernando Pessoa, Javier Marías, Bernardo Atxaga, José Régio and Nobel Prize winner José Saramago.
In recent years she has been noted for her work in translating the novels of José Saramago for which she won a number of awards. Her translations include All the Names, and Death at Intervals, about a country where death ceases to exist, was published in 2008.
As part of its 'Europe 1992–2004' programme, the UK publishers Dedalus embarked on a series of new translations by Jull Costa of some of the major classics of Portuguese literature. These include seven works by Eça de Queiroz: Cousin Bazilio (1878, translation published 2003, funded by the Arts Council of England), The Tragedy of the Street of Flowers, The Mandarin (and Other Stories), The Relic, The Crime of Father Amaro, The Maias and The City and the Mountains (2008).
In 2006, she published the translation of the first part of Javier Marías's trilogy, Your Face Tomorrow 1: Fever and Spear. The second part, 2: Dance and Dream, was published in 2006, while the concluding part, 3: Poison, Shadow and Farewell, appeared in November 2009. This last volume won her the 2010 Premio Valle-Inclan.
Her English translation of The Accordionist's Son by the Basque author Bernardo Atxaga was published by Harvill Secker (2007) while her previous translations of Atxaga's work include The Lone Man (1996) and The Lone Woman (1999).
Her translation of The Maias by Eça de Queiroz was published by Dedalus Books in 2007, the original book was described by José Saramago as "the greatest book by Portugal's greatest novelist".
In 2008, as first of a new Dedalus Euro Shorts series, Jull Costa made the first-ever English translation of Helena, or The Sea in Summer, Julián Ayesta's enduring, pointillist novel, first published in Spain in 1952 as Hélena o el mar del verano, and for which he is most remembered. Her biographical introduction to the book provides English-language readers with a brief but essential portrait of Ayesta (1919–1996), author, Spanish diplomat and outspoken critic of the Franco regime.
Alberto Barrera Tyszka – CrimesAlberto Barrera Tyszka – The SicknessAlvaro Pombo – The Hero of the Big HouseAngela Vallvey – Happy CreaturesAngela Vallvey – Hunting the Last Wild ManAntónio Lobo Antunes – The Land at the End of the WorldAntonio Tabucchi – Requiem: A HallucinationArturo Perez-Reverte – The Flanders PanelArturo Perez-Reverte – The Club DumasArturo Perez-Reverte – The Fencing MasterBenito Perez Galdos – TristanaBernardo Atxaga – ObabakoakBernardo Atxaga – The Lone ManBernardo Atxaga – The Lone WomanBernardo Atxaga – The Adventures of SholaBernardo Atxaga – Shola and the LionsBernardo Atxaga – The Accordionist's SonCarmen Martin Gaite – Variable CloudCarmen Martin Gaite – The Farewell AngelDiogo Mainardi – The Fall: A Father's Memoir in 424 StepsFernando Pessoa – The Book of DisquietHelen Constantine (editor) – Madrid TalesJavier Garcia Sanchez – The OthersJavier Marías – All SoulsJavier Marías – The Man of FeelingJavier Marías – When I Was MortalJavier Marias – Tomorrow in the Battle Think On MeJavier Marías – A Heart So WhiteJavier Marías – The InfatuationsJavier Marías - Thus the Bad BeginsJavier Marías – Your Face Tomorrow: Fever and SpearJavier Marías – Your Face Tomorrow: Dance and DreamJavier Marías – Your Face Tomorrow: Poison, Shadow, and FarewellJavier Marías – While the Women Are SleepingJavier Marías – Written LivesJesús Carrasco – Out in the OpenJorge de Sena – The Prodigious PhysicianJosé Maria de Eça de Queirós – The MaiasJosé Maria de Eça de Queirós – The City and the MountainsJosé Maria de Eça de Queirós – The Crime of Father AmaroJosé Maria de Eça de Queirós – Alves and Co. And Other StoriesJosé Maria de Eça de Queirós – The Mandarin and other storiesJose Maria Eca de Queiroz – Cousin Bazilio: A domestic episodeEca de Queiroz – The Tragedy of the Street of FlowersEca de Queiroz – The Mystery of the Sintra RoadEca de Queiroz – The RelicEca de Queiroz – The Illustrious House of RamiresJose Regio – The Flame-Coloured DressJose Saramago – Death with InterruptionsJose Saramago – The DoubleJose Saramago – SkylightJose Saramago – The Elephant's JourneyJose Saramago – CainJose Saramago – All the NamesJose Saramago – The CaveJosé Saramago – Raised from the GroundJose Saramago – Small MemoriesJose Saramago – The Tale of the Unknown IslandJose Saramago – SeeingJose Saramago – BlindnessJuan Jose Saer – The WitnessJulian Ayesta – Helena, or the Sea in SummerJulio Llamazares – The Yellow RainLidia Jorge – The Painter of BirdsLuis Cardoso – The Crossing: A Story of East TimorLuis Fernando Verissimo – Borges and the Eternal OrangutansLuis Fernando Verissimo – The SpiesLuis Fernando Verissimo – The Club of AngelsLuisa Valenzuela – Bedside MannersLuisa Valenzuela – SymmetriesManuel Rivas – Butterfly's TongueMarcos Giralt Torrente – ParisMario de Sa-Carneiro – Lucio's ConfessionMario De Sa-Carneiro – The Great Shadow And Other StoriesMichel Laub – Diary of the FallPaulo Coelho – Eleven MinutesPaulo Coelho – Like the Flowing River: Stories, 1998–2005Paulo Coelho – The ZahirPaulo Coelho – Manuscript Found in AccraPaulo Coelho – AlephPaulo Coelho – AdulteryPaulo Coelho – BridaPaulo Coelho – Veronika Decides to DiePaulo Coelho – The Witch of PortobelloRafael Chirbes – On the EdgeRafael Sanchez Ferlosio – The Adventures of the Ingenious AlfanhiRafael Sanchez Ferlosio – The River: El JaramaRamon Valle-Inclan – Spring and Summer Sonatas: The Memoirs of the Marquis of BradominRamon Del Valle-Inclan – Autumn & Winter Sonatas: The Memoirs of Marquis of BradominSophia de Mello Breyner Andresen – The Perfect Hour (co-translator: Colin Rorrison)Teolinda Gersao – The Word TreeThe Dedalus Book of Portuguese FantasyThe Dedalus Book of Spanish FantasyAwards and honours
1992 Portuguese Translation Prize winner for translation of The Book of Disquiet by Fernando Pessoa1996 Portuguese Translation Prize runner-up for translation of The Relic by Eça de Queiroz1997 International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award winner for translation of A Heart So White by Javier Marías2000 Oxford Weidenfeld Translation Prize winner for translation of All the Names by Jose Saramago2002 Portuguese Translation Prize runner-up for translation of The Migrant Painter of Birds by Lídia Jorge2006 Oxford-Weidenfeld Translation Prize shortlist for translation of Your Face Tomorrow 1: Fever and Spear by Javier Marías2006 Arts Council, Spanish Embassy and Instituto Cervantes translation prize winner for Your Face Tomorrow 1: Fever and Spear by Javier Marías2008 PEN/Book-of-the-Month Club Translation Prize winner for translation of The Maias by Eça de Queiroz2008 Oxford Weidenfeld Translation Prize winner for translation of The Maias by Eça de Queiroz2010 Times Literary Supplement Translation Prize winner for translation of The Accordionist's Son by Bernardo Atxaga2011 Oxford-Weidenfeld Translation Prize winner for translation of The Elephant's Journey by Jose Saramago2012 Calouste Gulbenkian Prize winner for translation of The Word Tree by Teolinda Gersão2012 Calouste Gulbenkian Prize runner-up for translation of The Land at the End of the World by António Lobo Antunes2013 Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature2014 Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2014 Birthday Honours2015 Jewish Quarterly-Wingate Prize winner for translation of Diary of the Fall2015 Awarded the degree of Doctor of Letters honoris causa by the University of Leeds
