Metaglossia: The Translation World

English has a rich vocabulary for rhyme, but names are unstable: in what follows, therefore, alternative names are sometimes provided in parenthesis. F

....Ngugi was arrested and imprisoned without charge at Kamiti Maximum Security Prison at the end of the year, December 31, 1977. An account of those experiences is to be found in his memoir, Detained: A Writer’s Prison Diary (1982). It was at Kamiti Maximum Prison that Ngugi made the decision to abandon English as his primary language of creative writing and committed himself to writing in Gikuyu, his mother tongue. In prison, and following that decision, he wrote, on toilet paper, the novel, Caitani Mutharabaini (1981) translated into English as Devil on the Cross, (1982)....

Ngugi has continued to write prolifically, publishing, in 2006, what some have described as his crowning achievement, Wizard of the Crow, an English translation of the Gikuyu language novel, Murogi wa Kagogo. Ngugi’s books have been translated into more than thirty languages and they continue to be the subject of books, critical monographs, and dissertations.

Paralleling his academic and literary life has been his role in the production of literature, providing, as an editor, a platform for other people’s voices. He has edited the following literary journals: Penpoint (1963-64); Zuka (1965 -1970); Ghala (guest editor for one issue, 1964?); and Mutiiri (1992-)...

Recently reissued Basti by Pakistani Intizar Husain, arguably 'the finest novel on Partition,' underscores the numerous difficulties of literary translation.

Translating Slavery, Translating Freedom
4:00-6:00pm, Wednesday, November 28, 2012
The Gallery, Hatcher Graduate Library
University of Michigan

The panel will feature:
Françoise Massardier-Kenney: Translating Slavery
Martha Jones: Emancipation’s Many Legalities
Jean Hébrard: Translating Freedom in the Atlantic World
Christi Merrill will moderate.

This panel during the Fall 2012 LSA Translation Theme Semester coincides with the Proclaiming Emancipation exhibit in the Gallery of Hatcher Graduate Library, and will include light refreshments.

Abstract

Over the centuries, translation as a phenomenon has been addressed in several fields of study: literary studies, cultural studies, linguistics, etc. In the last quarter of the 20th century scholars’ continuous attempt and perseverance to establish a discipline gained momentum in 1970s, in which the designation translation studies was suggested and in its turn widely accepted. It is also claimed that its subsequent development as a separate discipline is a success story of the 1980s. Now the subject has developed in many parts of the world, as such that there is a tendency in translation studies to emancipate oneself as a discipline through a drastic separation from the contexts of the other disciplines in question. While this tendency may be historically understandable, one may be led to a loss of contexts which are crucial to an understanding of the phenomena of translation. This paper will address questions that centre round the state of translation studies development as a discipline in its own right and their points of contact with other disciplines, and those that are associated with the notion of translation itself.

The American linguist and philosopher Noam Chomsky arrived in the Gaza strip on Thursday night, received by the Islamic University of Gaza, to take part in 1...

La última novela de la escritora J.K. Rowling, “The Casual Vacancy”, ha sido traducida al idioma chino. La última traducción será presentada hoy en el Edificio de Libros de Beijing, una de las principales librerías de China.

La versión china es publicada por la Casa Editorial de Literatura Popular. De esta manera, la autora de “Harry Potter” hace de su primera novela para adultos y la venden en otro idioma.

El libro encabeza la lista de ventas en Estados Unidos desde que fue publicado el 27 de septiembre. Se rumora que la editorial salamandra lanzará la versión en español para el 2013.

¿Crees que su nuevo libro sea tan exitoso como “Harry Potter”?

An event to celebrate the forthcoming publication of the first English translation of Portuguese writer and Nobel Laureate José Saramago's novel Raised From the Ground will take place in the University of Bristol's School of Modern Languages this Friday.

Award-winning translator and University of Bristol alumna, Margaret Jull Costa (BA Hispanic Studies 1977) will talk about the joys and challenges of translating the novel, and leading scholar of Saramago, Mark Sabine will discuss the political perspectives presented in the novel and will present some of his current work on the book.

First published in 1980, Raised from the Ground follows the changing fortunes of the Mau-Tempo family – poor, landless peasants not unlike the author’s own grandparents. Set in the Alentejo, a southern province of Portugal known for its vast agricultural estates, the novel charts the lives of the Mau-Tempos as national and international events rumble on in the background – the coming of the republic in Portugal, the First and Second World Wars, the trials of rural life under the long dictatorship and an attempt on the dictator Salazar's life.

Saramago's most autobiographical and deeply personal novel, Raised from the Ground is a moving tribute to the men and women among whom he lived as a child, and a fascinating insight into the early work of this literary giant.

Dr Rhian Atkin, Lecturer in Portuguese and Lusophone Studies and scholar of Saramago, who organised the seminar said: "We are delighted to welcome two such distinguished guests to the University, and this is a wonderful opportunity for students to meet and work with an award-winning translator as part of their programme in Modern Languages at Bristol.

"Margaret Jull Costa’s translation of this complex, yet captivating and poetic text is a delight to read, and her perspectives on the challenges of translating an author such as Saramago will be of interest to anyone working in, or reading in, translation. Mark Sabine’s work on Saramago is world-leading and he will be presenting an introduction to some of the ideas and preoccupations in this relatively under-studied novel."

Imprimer
15 octobre 2012 , par ATLF
Après une première session expérimentale de 3 mois au printemps 2012, la CNL-ETL ouvrira ses portes à compter de la mi-janvier 2013 à une première promotion de traducteurs, pour un cursus de deux ans.

Ce cursus s’adresse à des traducteurs professionnels en début de carrière, ayant au moins une traduction à leur actif chez un éditeur commercial. Les traducteurs depuis et vers toutes les langues étrangères sont éligibles.
L’école proposera, en alternance un samedi sur deux, dans les locaux du CNL à Paris, des ateliers de traduction multilingue, ainsi que des modules de formation professionnelle. Ces ateliers seront animés par des traducteurs renommés, ainsi que par des représentants du monde de l’édition (éditeurs, correcteurs, responsables de droits, directeurs commerciaux…). Ils seront complétés par des ateliers d’écriture, ainsi que par des cours consacrés au droit de l’édition et à l’utilisation des outils informatiques dans la pratique professionnelle.
L’École de Traduction Littéraire délivrera une attestation de formation, subordonnée à des conditions d’assiduité, chaque candidat s’engageant à suivre la totalité des cours, sauf cas de force majeure.
Les dossiers de candidature doivent être adressés au CNL avant le 15 novembre 2012
Les candidats retenus seront informés au plus tard le 15 décembre 2012.
Pour plus d’informations, vous pouvez contacter le CNL
Télécharger le dossier de candidature :

Cécile VIGNAU
Pour la neuvième année consécutive, l’association Eizie propose un atelier de traduction du basque vers d’autres langues. Au cœur de l’atelier cette année, l’ouvrage d’Eider Rodriguez, Katu jendea (2010). Trois jours durant, à Pau, et jusqu’à demain, l’écrivaine et ses cinq traducteurs réfléchissent aux problématiques de la retranscription fiable et fidèle de l’œuvre. Le tout mené en partenariat avec le master traduction de l’université de Pau.
La réflexion est menée autour de trois modes de traduction : directe, indirecte et en collaboration. Et pour illustrer le débat, les cinq traducteurs travaillent à ces trois modalités : André Gabatsou se fonde sur la version en castillan, traduite du basque par l’auteure elle-même. Henrike Olosalo et Peter Smaardijk partent directement du basque vers le néerlandais dans un travail en binôme. Joana Pochelu et Gabriele Schwab traduisent du basque, respectivement vers le français et l’allemand.
Processus de traduction
Le séminaire est l’occasion de revenir sur les hésitations, les choix faits, les différentes interprétations, d’échanger sur les problématiques de l’exercice délicat et minutieux du processus de traduction. La confrontation des différents traducteurs permet d’évoquer les particularités des langues et des cultures avec lesquelles ils travaillent, les traductions des formes propres à chaque culture. Pour ce faire, la présence d’Eider Rodriguez apporte des précisions au texte, l’écrivaine gipuzkoar ayant elle-même traduit son récit Katu jendea vers le castillan.
Eizie
A l’initiative de ces journées, Eizie (Euskal Itzultzaile, Zuzentzaile eta Interpreteen Elkartea / Association de traducteurs, correcteurs et interprètes en langue basque), une association qui voit le jour en 1987, fruit d’un noyau de professionnels basques de la traduction, conscients de l’importance de structurer un secteur professionnel en net progrès. Ils œuvrent depuis à la traduction littéraire du basque vers d’autres langues, une manière de faire connaître la production – du moins un échantillon – au-delà du Pays Basque. Pour la première fois et grâce à un accord entre Eizie et le gouvernement de Gasteiz, les ateliers de traduction se déroulent à Pau. Une initiative louable au vu de la présence d’un master traduction au sein de la faculté.
Une lecture multilingue autour de Katu jendea et accompagné d’une interprétation musicale est prévue au château de Pau demain à 15 heures.

Literary Translation as Creative Practice
Otis College of Art and Design's MFA Writing Program promotes translation as literary art.

Otis Books | Seismicity Editions
Translation is a great way to read a literary text because it forces you to exhaust the complexities of meaning through deep reading.
Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) October 15, 2012

“Translation is a great way to read a literary text because it forces you to exhaust the complexities of meaning through deep reading,” says Paul Vangelisti, author of over twenty books of poetry, NEA Translation and Poetry Fellow, and Chair of Otis College of Art and Design’s MFA in Writing. The College has developed a special translation track in response to the increasing need for access to world literary traditions.
Many writers regard the practice of translation as an essential component of their craft, whether to study the work of an author they admire, to make that work available to readers in another language, or simply to inform and invigorate their own writing.
Otis graduate students consider the craft of literary translation both in the strict sense of the term, and as an independent strategy for writing. They examine three distinct types of translation: interlingual, i.e. from one language to another, intratextual, i.e. translation within a given language, and intersemiotic or intermedia translation. Students who choose the translation track will produce a book-length translation of literary prose or poetry as their thesis project.
Otis is uniquely positioned to offer a translation emphasis based on its faculty’s achievements in the field, its curricular focus on international writing, and its commitment to publishing works in translation. Graduate faculty members Guy Bennett, Jen Hofer, and Paul Vangelisti have published numerous works of literary translation, receiving major awards from PEN American Center, the Academy of American Poets, and PEN Center USA.
As the only full-residency MFA writing program in the city of Los Angeles, Otis makes the most of its location in a diverse, complex, multilingual city that has inspired writers ranging from Thomas Pynchon to Octavio Paz, Chester Himes to Thomas Mann. The program is enriched by the eclectic literary resources of L.A. -- its book festivals, reading series, galleries and museums, small presses, legendary writers’ haunts, and independent bookstores.
Biweekly literary events at Otis bring in writers, translators, and editors from around the world to discuss their work with students. Other graduate and undergraduate programs in Fine Arts, Graphic Design, Public Practice, Digital Media, Illustration, and Book Arts, offer the possibility for interdisciplinary projects and artistic collaboration.
A hallmark of Otis’ Graduate Writing Program is the press, Otis Books | Seismicity Editions. Established in 2003 as an alternative to both corporate and small press publishing, Otis Books is committed to publishing innovative works of contemporary fiction, poetry, essays, and creative non-fiction in high quality, elegantly designed editions. The press publishes four books annually, at least one of which is a work in translation. The program also publishes OR, a free-of-charge literary tabloid featuring an international array of renowned poets, prose writers, and visual artists.

Explican la censura franquista en la traducción literaria

09.10.2012 CENTROS DOCENTES - Los días 17 y 18 de octubre, la Facultad de Traducción e Interpretación acogerá las V Jornades sobre Traducción y Literatura, que tratarán sobre los efectos de la censura durante la dictadura.
Este encuentro, que se desarrollará en el aula 2 de la facultad, está organizado conjuntamente por la Cátedra Jordi Arbonès y el Grupo de Estudio de la Traducción Catalana Contemporánea (GETCC).

A lo largo de diferentes sesiones, se hablará de temas como la traducción y les políticas editoriales de los años 60 a la actualidad, las traducciones en la postguerra inmediata, la traducción de teatro o la censura de "la amoralidad femenina". Además, habrá sendas ponencias sobre la censura en la traducción al gallego y al vasco y se tratará específicamente sobre la censura en la traducción de poesía y narrativa alemanas.

El día 17, a las 10:30 h., inaugurará las jornadas Francesc Parcerisas, profesor del Departamento de Traducción e Interpretación, y a continuación ofrecerá la primera conferencia el traductor Francec Vallverdú, que glosará su experiencia en Edicions 62. La última sesión, el día 18 a las 13:15 h., versará también sobre las traducciones de Edicions 62 e irà a cargo de la escritora Mireia Sopena.

Hailing Mo Yan as the first Chinese citizen who won the Nobel Prize in Literature, the public has started to contemplate the way to enhance Chinese literature's global presence.

The prize indicates that Chinese contemporary authors and their works are getting the world's attention, which prompts writers and amateurs to continue their pursuit, said Wang Meng, a renowned Chinese writer.

But "the prize came a little late," said Xue Yongwu, dean of the College of Liberal Arts, Journalism and Communication with Ocean University of China (OUC).

There have been many accomplished writers of modern and contemporary literature in China, including Lu Xun, Ba Jin and Mao Dun, who should have won the prize earlier, he noted.

China's splendid ancient literature, which extends thousands of years, has been widely acknowledged across the world. However, the contemporary literature failed to get enough recognition from outside the country due to its short history and complex political influences, he explained.

Language has also been a barrier. Only a small proportion of Chinese literature has been translated into foreign languages, mainly English. The quality of some translated editions needs improvement, said Xue.

In addition to language skills, translation requires high-level comprehension and interpretation of culture and art. It's hard for people without any literature background to produce a translation that fully reserves the aesthetic sense of the original version, according to Ren Dongsheng, professor with the College of Foreign Languages of OUC.

The 57-year-old writer is known for his depiction of Chinese rural life. The settings for his works range from the 1911 revolution, Japan's invasion to Cultural Revolution.

Mo combines hallucinatory realism with folk tales, which is more appealing to the taste of Western readers than the styles adopted by many of his peers, such as Yu Hua, Su Tong and Wang Shuo, said Zhang Hongsheng, dean of the Literature Department of the Communication University of China.

However, "Nobel Prize is not the sole standard to judge the achievements of a writer. Prizes presented by different organizations adopt various evaluation criteria," said Xu Yan, a literature critic.

The quality of a literary work is always judged by the topic, language, structure, the way of story-telling, imagination and some other significant elements. People's tastes vary amid different social background and cultural mechanism, she added.

This week, Chinese writer Mo Yan won the Nobel Prize for literature. The reaction of much of the world was: "Who?"

A well-known and prize-winning author in China, Mo Yan (whose pen name means "Don't Speak") is not a particularly familiar author outside his own country, even to passionate readers who are interested in international literature. Only a few of his books have been translated to English and those are not necessarily widely available.

Mo Yan is the first Chinese author who lives in China to receive the award (French citizen Gao Xingjian won it a dozen years ago).

All this has led people to wonder how exactly the Nobel Prize committee chooses winners. Do they genuinely choose the best writers? What defines "talent" anyway and is the committee the best judge? Do they choose authors who they think more people should be aware of? Do they go for little-known but talented writers? Do they let themselves be influenced by politics? Are they trying to comment on or even influence countries/cultures/political situations through their choices? Are they trying to spread the fame and money that the Nobel brings to specific nations for particular reasons?

And, of course, the follow-up question is: should they be doing that?

After the announcement about Mo Yan was made, someone said to me, "If you're a writer from the US or most European countries, you will not get the prize, so forget it." Others have said that the Nobel is increasingly about politics rather than - or in addition to - literature. There are many who feel that more and more over the years, the Nobel committee - and other literary prize committees - are looking to make a statement rather than to actually reward true talent.

A Chinese-to-English translator I know pointed out that Mo Yan is a popular writer from the world's most populous country, and suggested that this should mean something, and that readers outside China should want to get to know his writing. Interestingly, though, the author is also considered to be a social critic in his works, sometimes clashing with the Communist Party. Some have wondered if it is this that the Nobel committee went for, hoping that his win might somehow help inspire regime change or a push for more democracy.

Personally, I think that if literary prizes are used to give a message about something other than literary talent, then the meaning has changed completely. There perhaps should be prizes for the best novels with political talent, or the most inspiring novels, or whatever else, but they aren't necessarily the same as the best literary works.

On the other hand, we also have to consider the fact that the best novels do touch and inspire readers in a multitude of ways, and that this may include making people reflect on their lives and try to change their political, cultural, educational, social, religious, or other situations. The issue is whether any literary prize committee can accurately judge that, and whether they do really choose literature that is both well written and meaningful.

James Currey : Quand l'Afrique replique

C'est un bel essai. Un peu épais. Ce qui explique le temps que j'ai pris pour le lire. James Currey fut éditeur pendant une vingtaine d'années pour Heinemann Educational Books, branche de la grande maison d'édition britannique Heinemann. Il a participé à la direction de la collection "African writers" qui a édité quelques uns des plus grands écrivains de l'espace anglophone comme le nigérian Chinua Achebe, le kényan Ngugi Wa Thiong'o ou le zimbabwéen Dambudzo Marechera pour ne citer que ces têtes d'affiche.

Are the real secrets of Arabic literature lost in translation?
Ibrahim Farghali

Sep 29, 2012
Save this article

For some years now I have followed reports of any Arabic literature translated into European languages, particularly English, French and German, as well as the recipients of Arabic literary prizes that receive attention from the translation industry.

I would receive these reports in good faith and with an appreciation for those in the West who involve themselves in translating a literature that enjoys no great global popularity.

Today, however, after much observation, I find myself posing two pressing questions: Is it really important that Arabic literature be translated into foreign languages and do these translations honestly lead to the spread of Arabic literature among readers of other languages? I write this as someone whose own work, The Smiles of the Saints, has been translated into English.

My response to these two questions is, I fear, a definite, unequivocal "No".

Taking together all of the Arabic literature we see translated and celebrated today, it is my view that nothing has changed.

These translations have failed to give expression to the true nature of the Arab world's literary output and they have proved unable to bring about any sort of audience for this literature.

Nor do I anticipate this happening in the future, as long as the existing mechanisms for translation continue to operate as they do. In particular, the greatest obstacle facing the translation of Arabic literature is the absence of Arab institutions to fund, publicise and frame a systematic process of translation.

Perhaps it is necessary at this point to remind myself that we are living in what the French philosopher Guy Debord terms "the society of the spectacle"; that profiteering, capitalist imperatives shape values throughout the world, both West and East; that institutions for propagating all-powerful consumer images strive to create markets for generating profit no matter the product and that, as it seems to me, the market for publishing and translation in both Europe and the Arab world is unfortunately no longer an exception to this rule.

But as an Arab author, my purpose here is to state that the Arabic book - exported outside its borders by means of translation, a representative of the Arab society that sent it - has become a victim twice over.

Once, of the superficial, commercial media, concerned with image at the expense of essence, which operates in its Arab country of origin and then again a victim of the image of the "eastern" book which the European literary class attempts to present to the world.

It is quite clear that there is a focus on the topics and not the techniques of writing on the part of publishers today, usually concentrating around subjects such as corruption, the role of Arab women in their societies and sexual relations (particularly in closed societies).

This appears to be driven by a publishing market which offers the western reader an image that says that, while such countries may not possess any "global" writers (in any case, a concept midwifed by Eurocentrism), they nevertheless possess societies that the reader can enjoy getting to know.

a poésie de l´optimisme!..."Écho des Tropiques", recueil de poèmes de 104 pages publié en 2012 chez Édilivre, est la collection de différents poètes dont la plume peint l´Afrique, le monde, la vie de tous les angles. Le poète africain, soucieux d´affronter la réalité et de libérer le continent au moyen de l´expression poétique, se fie à l´adage si cher à l´Afrique selon lequel «une seule main n´attache pas un paquet».

Loin de souffler des mots inconnus et de fredonner une musique étrange, voici une nouvelle poésie qui use des NTIC et des réseaux sociaux pour atteindre les cœurs et mettre ensemble les plumes africaines coulant des quatre coins de la planète, conjuguant ainsi les synergies dans le but d´esquisser et d´exprimer une vision du monde avec pour toile de fond ce qui donne le désir de vivre à l´Homme: l´Espoir, l´Amour, l´Optimisme.

Instituto de Traducción: profesionalidad y entusiasmo

Palabras claves: literatura, traducción, Cultura, editorial, libros, Comentarios, escuela, España, Rusia, Mundo
Autor: Alexandra Podólskaya
21.09.2012, 16:14

© Flickr.com/sukisuki/cc-by-nc-sa 3.0
“La traducción de la literatura extranjera es un problema mundial”.
En opinión de Ecaterina Guenieva, directora general de la Biblioteca de Literatura Extranjera Margarita Rudomino de Moscú, una de los fundadores del Instituto de Traducción en Rusia, la cuestión de su creación es en grado notable culturológica. Pues, la actividad profesional de los traductores en primer lugar guarda relación con su entusiasmo. El trabajo de estas personas sirve a la importante causa de la compenetración de culturas de pueblos separados por miles de kilómetros.

He aquí lo que dijo a nuestra emisora Ecaterina Guenieva:

—Una de las tareas es, por cierto, la creación y el mantenimiento de la escuela de traducción. Miren bien, todos aportan el ejemplo de la escuela rusa de traducción del tiempo soviético. Pero hace falta sostener la escuela, en el tiempo soviético esta sí existía. Y ahora, a falta de suficiente financiación ella no se encuentra en su estado mejor. Es preciso que el Estado proporcione dinero para este apoyo, que los fondos y bancos privados tomen parte en esto. Es, en último análisis, prueba de que la economía comienza con la cultura y no al revés. Cualquier bienestar comienza con la cultura. El sentido del Instituto de Traducción es: hay pocos traductores jóvenes porque todavía no hay escuelas. ¿Qué joven se ocupará de ello, quién publicará su trabajo? Las editoriales no van a arriesgarse. Es una tarea. Pero es una tarea del tiempo, del consecuente apoyo y, como me gusta decir, de la voluntad política. Se ha manifestado la voluntad política. Quiere decir es menester que no se disuelva en el universo.

A propósito, esta idea ha sido emitida recientemente en el II Congreso Mundial de Traductores, celebrado en la capital rusa. El problema de la traducción a las lenguas extranjeras, abordada por los conferenciantes, se refería en primer lugar a la carencia de material a traducir: libros que pudieran ser aceptados por los editores. La participante del congreso Natalia Perova, redactora jefa de la editorial “Glas” (Voz), que publica obras de escritores rusos contemporáneos en inglés, llamó la atención sobre el hecho de que ya a inicios de los años 90 del siglo pasado, en la nueva Rusia hayan aparecido muchos nombres nuevos. Pocos querían editar sus obras. Ella continúa:

—En ocasiones los editores más avanzados declaraban: “A mí me gusta personalmente, pero nunca en mi vida podré convencer a mis lectores de que compren este libro”. Fue entonces cuando yo comencé a editar con ayuda de los traductores.

El hispanista Alexander Chernosvitov, director de la Fundación Alexander Pushkin, informó a nuestra emisora sobre los problemas de la traducción de la literatura rusa en España.

El escritor Ricardo Piglia inauguró en el Museo Malba la cuarta edición del Festival Internacional de Literatura de Buenos Aires (FILBA) donde reflexionó ante 200 personas sobre el concepto de interpretación de las narraciones, su relación con la lectura y la traducción de las novelas.
"Hay una relación entre el sentido del relato y lo que es entender un relato. Es contarlo de vuelta con un tipo presencia personal. La interpretación de la narración no enfrenta una significación equivocada con una cierta; en todo caso, como sucede a menudo, un relato se responde con otro relato, y esa red de narraciones que se contraponen es una de las líneas centrales de la historia de la cultura", sostuvo el escritor.
Sobre el íntimo vínculo con la traducción, ámbito donde se toman decisiones y lecturas autónomas, Piglia explicó que "la traducción está incorporada a la propia ficción como en El Quijote, traducido y adaptado en todo el mundo. El caso más extraordinario es la traducción china conocida como 'La historia de un caballero loco'", contó desde un atril, de pie.
Y remató: "la narración va más allá la pura eficacia lingüística, la novela puede soportar las traducciones, la poesía no".
Luego hizo una lectura sobre la interpretación a través de la obra de Gombrowicz en su paso por la Argentina, un material de investigación en el que Piglia está trabajando actualmente.
Como cierre de la exposición recordó una famosa frase que nació cuando el poeta Carlos Mastronardi entraba en un restaurante porteño y le decía a Gombrowicz con su habitual tranquilidad "Buenas tardes", y éste le contestaba: "calma, Mastronardi" reflejando que estaba más allá de las pasiones argentinas.

Book Review: Alain Mabanckou's 'Black Bazaar' (Translated by Sarah Ardizzone)

I dedicated August to reading the four Alain Mabanckou novels that have been translated into English. The final novel I read was Black Bazaar, (published in French in 2009 and translated into English in 2012). This review is coming in much later than I would have hoped, but I finally got the chance to finish reading Black Bazaar.

Unlike the first three books I read, which were set in unnamed African countries (possibly Congo-Brazzaville where the author is from), Black Bazaar is set in Paris and presents the African immigrant experience in France. Also there are full stops, paragraphs, and sentences begin with capital letters (just in case you read Broken Glass and Memoirs of a Porcupine and really couldn't get into that style of writing).

Our narrator, Buttologist (he can describe a woman's character just from her behind), works at a printing works and has lived in Paris for fifteen years. He is currently living in a small studio he and his ex-girlfriend, Original Colour, used to live in. This was before Original Colour left him, with their daughter, for another man - the Hybrid. Buttologist is a sapeur (a member of the Society of Ambience-makers and People of Elegance), who can tell you about a man from the way he knots his tie, and spends time at an Afro-Cuban bar with other African immigrants in Paris. He is also an aspiring writer. Black Bazaar is his journal on everything - his relationship with Original Colour, his experiences with his racist neighbour, the 'Arab around the corner', his time at the Afro-Cuban bar with his friends, and even his view on colonialism and post-colonial Africa.

Black Bazaar really is about an African immigrants experience in Paris, and we get to experience that through Buttologist and the people he knows (or meets) and the places he goes. I don't know much about being an African immigrant in Paris, but I found it very interesting to read about it. I also loved the dialogue Buttologist had with different characters in the book, especially his racist neighbour and the 'Arab around the corner'. Overall, a thoroughly enjoyable read and Alain Mabanckou has found himself a new fan.

Running with Mother
Christopher Mlalazi
Unsentimental and unselfpitying, this short but powerful novel by Chris Mlalazi vivifies an account by Rudo, a fourteen-year-old school girl who observes the terrifying events that take place in her village. Running with Mother provides us with a gripping story of how Rudo, her mother, her aunt and her little cousin survive the onslaught. Shocking as the story that unfolds may be, it is balanced by the resilience, self-respect, unselfishness and stoicism of the protagonists. Mlalazi's novel is written with insight, humour and provides a salutory reminder that even in the worst of times, we can find humanity.

ISBN 9781779221872 | 148 pages | 216 x 140 mm | 2012 | Weaver Press, Zimbabwe | Paperback

Literary translation events part 1: across the Channel
There are lots of interesting literary translation events coming up soon, some of them to mark St. Jerome's Day at the end of the month. Readers in Germany and Italy may find these two events of interest:

1) Viele Wege führen nach Rom ... und zum Literaturübersetzen.
Berufskundeseminar für Einsteiger und Zukunftsplaner

Monday 17 September, 0931-1700 (sign-up deadline Monday 10 September)
Literarisches Colloquium, Berlin

Das Seminar richtet sich an alle, die mehr über die Wege zum Literaturübersetzen und die rechtlichen und wirtschaftlichen Seiten dieses Berufs erfahren wollen. Besprochen werden: Möglichkeiten des Einstiegs, Auftragsakquise, Vertragsgestaltung, Honorare, Urheberrecht, Künstlersozialkasse, VG Wort, Stipendien, Übersetzerverband und Gewerkschaft.

Seminarleitung: Claudia Steinitz (seit 20 Jahren Übersetzerin aus dem Französischen) und Jochen Schwarzer (seit 15 Jahren Übersetzer aus dem Englischen).

Für einen Imbiss und Getränke bitten wir vor Ort um einen Unkostenbeitrag von 10 Euro. Anmeldungen erforderlich – bitte mit kurzer Angabe, ob Sie über das Literaturübersetzen noch nachdenken oder schon auf dem Weg dazu sind. Bitte bis 10.9.2012 per Mail an: claudia.steinitz at bluewin.ch.

By Kristin Wilson Recently, a number of us have begun assembling works, notably poetry, written in African languages on a blog titled “The African Poetry Anthology”. In one sense this endeavour is ...

Publishers all over Africa are finding exciting new voices from all over the continent, writing in a wide variety of styles and genres. Here are five authors to look out for
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Zukiswa Wanner
guardian.co.uk, Thursday 6 September 2012 12.55 BST
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A book market in Cairo. Photograph: Hemis / Alamy
The South African writer Mike Nicol once told me that when he started writing back in the 80s, he had read most of the books published in his country. I knew what he meant. Every time I walk into any city – whether it's Accra, Algiers, Johannesburg or Nairobi – the first place I want to find is a bookstore, and the first section I seek is the tiny little section labelled Africana/African Literature/African writers. Nine times out of 10 I used to find that I had read every book on the shelf. That is not the case any more. African bookstores continent-wide may prefer stocking Grisham, Picoult, Steel and self-help galore, but these days I always find something new from an African writer.

Here's a personal selection of some authors beyond the two or three African writers whose names come up every time African writers are discussed. They cover a broad range of subjects and genres, but they are all writers who challenge themselves and go the next step with each story.

A Fundação Biblioteca Nacional anunciou os nomes dos autores que terão excertos de traduções publicados no primeiro número da Revista que será editada em parceria com o Instituto Itaú Cultural. Sou o editor da revista e quero comentar alguns aspectos dessa iniciativa.

A Literatura Brasileira em Tradução se destina a mostrar excertos de livros de autores brasileiros, já publicados, com vistas à negociação de direitos autorais no mercado internacional. Os textos foram enviados à FBN, que recebeu 102 propostas, das quais foram selecionadas vinte, quinze em inglês e cinco em espanhol, para o primeiro número. Esse número terá edição online e uma edição impressa pela Imprensa Oficial do Estado de S. Paulo, também parceira do projeto, assim como o Itamaraty.

A escolha final dos textos foi feita por um conselho editorial composto pelos professores Italo Moriconi, Charles Perrone, Berthold Zilly, Laura Hosiasson e Aníbal Bragança (BN), e por Joaquim Pedro Penna (MRE), Carlos Sodré (IMESP), Claudiney Ferreira (Itaú Cultural). Rachel Bertol, do Centro Internacional do Livro da BN é a coordenadora, e nós dois também fazemos parte do Conselho.