Jamie Bulloch

Jamie Bulloch (born 6 September 1969) is a British historian and translator of German literature, with over sixty published titles to his name. He is also twice winner of the Schlegel-Tieck prize.

Life and work Bulloch was born at East Dulwich Hospital, London, in 1969 and grew up in Tooting. He first attended Rosemead School, then Whitgift School, where he opened the bowling for the 1st XI. In 1981 he performed with the Children's Music Theatre (now National Youth Music Theatre) at the Edinburgh Fringe in a production directed by Jeremy James Taylor, which was also filmed for Granada Television the same year. He returned to the Fringe in 1983 and 1989, appearing latterly in Silver, written by Jonathan Smith and directed by Anthony Seldon.

After taking a first in Modern Languages at Bristol University, he obtained an MA with distinction in Central European History at the School of Slavonic and East European Studies (SSEES). He took a couple of years out from studying to teach French and German at St Dunstan's College in London, then resumed with a PhD in interwar Austrian history in which he was supervised by Martyn Rady. He taught German language and Central European History at SSEES, UCL, King's College London and Warwick University, and he is the author of a book on Karl Renner in the 'Makers of the Modern World' series.

Recent translations include Organ Speak by Giulia Enders, Lázár by Nelio Biedermann and The Buried City by the Director of Pompeii (Hodder Press). His best known work is Look Who's Back by Timur Vermes (MacLehose Press), which was longlisted for the 2016 IMPAC award and 2015 Independent Foreign Fiction Prize. His translation of Portrait of the Mother as a Young Woman was praised by the Times Literary Supplement. He and his wife, Katharina Bielenberg, jointly translated Daniel Glattauer's hit novel, Love Virtually, and its sequel, Every Seventh Wave, both of which were adapted into radio plays starring David Tennant and Emilia Fox. His translation of Hinterland by Arno Geiger won the 2023 Schlegel-Tieck prize, his second award following The Mussel Feast in 2014. He has been shortlisted on three further occasions, and runner-up twice. In 2021 he had two books on the shortlist for the Schlegel-Tieck Prize. Eight of his translations have been nominated for the Dublin Literary Award. Zen and the Art of Murder was shortlisted for the 2018 Crime Writers Association International Dagger. Another of Bulloch's translations is the 2017 German Book Prize winner, The Capital by Robert Menasse (MacLehose Press). Since 2013 Jamie has been a member of the New Books in German committee.

Personal life Jamie and Katharina live in London and have three daughters. His father was the British actor Jeremy Bulloch, best known for his portrayal of Boba Fett in the Star Wars films. His brother Robbie portrayed Matthew of Wickham in Robin of Sherwood. His aunt Sally Bulloch was a child actress and had roles in several films including The Pure Hell of St Trinians. She later became the Executive Manager at The Athenaeum Hotel on Piccadilly. Organ Speak: What It Really Means to Listen to Our Bodies, Giulia Enders (HarperOne; New River Books, 2026) My Third Life, Daniela Krien (MacLehose Press, 2026)

∗Jointly translated with Katharina Bielenberg

Awards and nominations

2023: Winner of the Schlegel-Tieck Prize (Hinterland) 2021: Two books shortlisted for the Schlegel-Tieck Prize (The Hungry and the Fat and The Day My Grandfather Was a Hero) 2020: Runner-up in the Schlegel-Tieck Prize (You Would Have Missed Me) 2020: Shortlisted for the Oxford-Weidenfeld Prize (You Would Have Missed Me) 2018: Shortlisted for the Crime Writers' Association International Dagger (Zen and the Art of Murder) 2014: Winner of the Schlegel-Tieck Prize (The Mussel Feast) 2014: Runner-up in the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize (The Mussel Feast) 2013: Runner-up in the Schlegel-Tieck Prize (Sea of Ink)