Isabel Stainsby

Isabel Stainsby was born in Oxford and studied languages and literature in Cambridge, Bristol, and Olomouc, Czech Republic. She translates into English from Czech, Slovak, German, and occasionally French, and has worked in translation since 2010. Her literary translations range from science fiction to academic texts. Isabel lives in Glasgow with her husband. Her books-to-be-read list is likely to outlive her.

photo by David Pritchard

Book-length Translations

Patchwork in White
by Jana Bodnárová
Seagull Books
Forthcoming Autumn 2026
Unicorns
by Barbora Hrínová
Seagull Books, 2026

Translation Anthologies

translator of the short story
“In the Beautiful City”
by Barbora Hrínová