The Alchemy of Translation
Yumna Kassab • 25 February 2022
Translation is alchemy. It is a transformation of meaning. There are shifts and losses, in the words of Chris Andrews, but without translation, so many treasures would be lost to us in the English-reading world.
If I were the architect of literature as a house, I would choose a pyramid as my structure. Writers in their various disciplines would fill out the base of the house, and poets and translators would be the sole occupants of the pinnacle point.
Consider this an introduction to three translators, one poet and a single word. Think of it as a street party with banners and streamers, with red carpet – and for translators, a deserved drum roll.
Abandoned Gods: An Interview with María José Ferrada
To translate is, first and foremost, to engage in close reading
Elizabeth Bryer recently published her first novel (From Here On, Monsters) and is at work on her second. Her translations include Napoleon’s Beekeeper by José Luis de Juan and The Palimpsests by Aleksandra Lun.
She recently translated How to Order the Universe and Billboard Man by María José Ferrada, and in this conversation, Ferrada and Bryer discuss the intricacies of translation, revealing the process to be the deepest form of reading.
Dirty Realism’s Other Face
Here, nothing is sacred; everything is corruptible. The storylines themselves paint the picture for us.
Literature is a universal conversation and who better understands this than the translators working at the boundaries between literary worlds?
In her essay, Alice Whitmore untangles the modern lineage of writers, exploring a specific brand of realism exploding across geographically distant work.
This essay sparks reading tangents, hundreds of references to plunge you into a rabbit hole.
An Interview with Chris Andrews on Translating the Bolañoverse
Like many people, I’d spent the last few years reading and loving Roberto Bolaño’s novels, and the fact that one of his translators was a compatriot had always registered with me – irrationally – as a small feeling of pride.
It is no secret that Roberto Bolaño is one of my favourite writers. Imagine then discovering that Chris Andrews, one of his main translators, was teaching in the neighbourhood. Yes, one suffers a small feeling of pride.
In this interview with Will Heyward, Andrews discusses Bolaño as well as other translation projects. I particularly love the expression of the shifts and losses in a translator bringing across a work.
Seat of a Passenger Who Left the Bus
Have you heard of Wadih Saadeh?
I confess I had not.
It was Youssef Rakha who tipped me off:
Sydney is home to my favourite poet in the Arabic-speaking world.
That is quite an introduction. Much searching located this piece by Saadeh at the Sultan’s Seal and another in Cordite Poetry Review, both translated by Robin Moger.
I was once in darkness and now I have seen the light.
I am told that a book, also from Cordite, is on the way.
The Wandering: A Conversation between Stephen Epstein and Intan Paramaditha
If languages are tectonic plates, even with the aid of alchemy, the words do not seamlessly match up.
How does one translate 'Iblis'?
Is 'Iblis' a demon? A devil? A spirit? Or something else?
In translating The Wandering, author Intan Paramaditha and translator Stephen J. Epstein wrangled for a year over this single word.
The thought of such a discussion on the precise meaning of a word greatly appeals to my writerly sensibilities.
This edition of The Circular was guest-edited by none other than Yumna Kassab.
More about her: Yumna Kassab is a writer from Western Sydney. She studied medical science and neuroscience at university. Her first book of short stories, The House of Youssef, has been listed for prizes including the Victorian Premier’s Literary Award, Queensland Literary Award, NSW Premier’s Literary Award and The Stella Prize. Her second book, Australiana, will be released next week by Ultimo Press.
We're pleased to announce that there will be more guest-edited issues in the months to come. And for those itching to curate an issue themselves: keep an eye out for an open call for guest-editor applicants next week!