Michael Henry Heim, 69, Prolific Literary Translator

“What set Mr. Heim apart from many prominent translators was the wide array of languages with which he worked. Conversant with a dozen tongues, he translated from eight of them … He was known in particular for his translations of [Milan] Kundera’s novels,” as well as two major volumes by Günter Grass; he won a top award for his translation of Mann’s Death in Venice.