Looking for books with translators as protagonists

[Rise]

I'm interested with titles of fiction (novels, or maybe stories) where the main character is a translator.

I could think of Javier Marías's 'A Heart So White' and 'Your Face Tomorrow' and César Aira's 'The Literary Conference'.

Any suggestion would be much appreciated. Thanks!

[Ben]

I googled and found this list:
http://wiki.proz.com/wiki/index.php/B...

Not much of interest on there.

[Patty]

How amazing, in 2011 there was actually a conference on the subject. The program lists a few titles.

http://transfiction.univie.ac.at/home/

[Jimmy]

Language Death Night Outside: Poem. Novel by Peter Waterhouse has a translator as the protagonist. I read it recently. It's a very mercurial book, halfway between poetry and prose.

Also: I'm interested... why are you looking for books with translators as the main character? Is it for a project, or just a personal interest in how they are represented?

[Rise]

@Ben & Patty: Thanks for the links! I never thought there were that many works with translators as central character.

@Jimmy: Not for a project, just curiosity. I liked how Marías and Aira's fictions with translators as narrators present some ideas of translation as interpretation. I thought compiling a reading list will yield some interesting titles.

I was told in another site that Translation is a Love Affair by Jacques Poulin will also qualify.

[Patty]

I would love to do a group read with you guys, would you be up for reading one of these books together?

[Zoë]

Hi everyone, I'd be interested in doing a group read.
Night train to Lisbon (Nachtzug nach Lissabon) has a classics teacher as the protagonist and he learns Portuguese in order to translate the works of a Portuguese author, however this rather grates with actual translators as he appears to learn the language well enough to translate philosophy in the space of the week! Nevertheless I really enjoyed the beginning of the book for its references to translation and its process of discovery.

[Rise]

I'm up for a group read too, depending on the availability of the book.

[Jessica]

The Translator by Leila Aboulela.
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10...

It's a beautiful novel.

[Patty]

That looks really interesting, Jessica. Have you read it?

Hey, Ryan. Since this was your topic, and since not all books will be available to you, why don't you chose?

[Jessica]

oh yes, I've read it. I think it's excellent.

[Rise]

@ Patty: If you're okay with a reading sometime in late February or March, I can create a shortlist of books and a group poll for this. I'm not sure though if there's enough interest for a group read? But I'm also fine with a ‘read-along’ if there's only a few readers.

[Patty]

Well, it looks like there are already 4 of us, that's enough for a group read, in my book.

Yes, Feb/March is fine with me!

[Jimmy]

I'm no good with group reads, but otherwise I would join. I always end up wanting to read something else at the last minute. I think I'm too impulsive :) not disciplined enough.

[[deleted user]]

I am a lazy bones and therefore chose Peregrine, have just translated it, therefore read it six or more times and am eager to discuss. Maybe anybody could discusss this with me in person? Thanks

[Rise]

Mikka, do you have a Goodreads link for the book?

[Rise]

Patty & Jimmy, here's the link to the poll.

All LiT members can vote.

http://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/58...

[[deleted user]]

I voted already, thanks, Patty.

[Rise]

The choices are:


The Athenian Murders by José Carlos Somoza
The Bad Girl by Mario Vargas Llosa
Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
Lost in Translation by Nicole Mones
Translation Is a Love Affair by Jacques Poulin
The Translator by Leila Aboulela

[Patty]

Excellent choices! I'll be happy with any of these. :)

[Rise]

I compiled and posted all the suggested titles in my blog (link).

Our final book selection for the group read is The Athenian Murders by José Carlos Somoza.

"The English debut of one of Spain's most dazzling younger writers - a postmodern murder mystery set in ancient Greece."

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/71...

We hope you can join us in the discussion in February or March.

Some links about the author:
Official site - http://www.clubcultura.com/clublitera...
Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A...

[Patty]

my copy of the Athenian Murders arrived in the mail today. I can't wait!

[Rise]

Mine arrived a few days ago. I started reading a couple of pages. Now I'm at page 60.

[Patty]

oops! i know exactly what that's like! if you want to move the time up, i'm cool with that. it'll be a couple of days before i can start, though!

[Rise]

I think I'm good by mid-February.

[Zoë]

Great! Look forward to it

[Rise]

I opened a new thread for the book discussion.

http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/8...

[Jimmy]

The End of the Story by Lydia Davis is about a translator trying to write her first novel.

[Jessica]

Have you read it, Jimmy? (I have it but haven't read it).

[Jimmy]

No. I've read most of her short stories, though. Let me know if it's any good when you read it.

[Jessica]

I've read most of her stories too. A friend read it and didn't like it so gave it to me (I'd said I wanted it). I've had it for ages though so I know I won't be getting around to reading it any time soon.

[Jimmy]

Just adding a few more I discovered recently...

The History of Love one of the protagonist's mom is a translator, and the book concerns itself with translation to a degree also.

Traveler of the Century: A Novel the main character Hans embarks on a translation project. I don't think translation is the main plot, but it sounds like it's part of the many tangents the book takes. I've not read it, but this book sounds really interesting.

[Rise]

Interesting that both of these books were love stories and about translation.

Related to the second book, here is a recent interview with its author.

[Jimmy]

Very cool, Ryan. Thanks. He seems like a very interesting writer.

[Jimmy]

Just came across this one... L.C. by Susan Daitch

[Rise]

Great find. And it's from Dalkey Archive no less.

[Nathanimal]

The protagonist from Iris Murdoch's Under the Net is a translator from French to English, though he spends the whole novel horsing around and not translating a thing.

[Rise]

Thanks, Nate. That was already on the list which I compiled in a blog post.

http://booktrek.blogspot.com/2011/12/...

[Nathanimal]

Ah! So you did. And a nice, hefty list, too.

[Jimmy]

Nate wrote: "The protagonist from Iris Murdoch's Under the Net is a translator from French to English, though he spends the whole novel horsing around and not translating a thing."

Oh but how can you blame him? Horsing around makes for much better literature!

[Tara]

The protagonists in these to novels aren't translators, but they both are translating texts.

Scars by Juan José Saer (one of the protagonists is translating "Portrait of Dorian Gray" into Spanish) & Electrico W by Hervé Le Tellier (is translating a fictional Portuguese author).

[Rise]

Those are good additions to the list. thanks, Tara.

[Robert]

Unlike most novels about translators, Traveler of the Century by Andres Neuman, tr. from the Spanish by Nick Caistor and Lorenzo Garcia, at least starting halfway through, actually deals with literary translation in an interesting way. Especially the combining of sex and translation. In an interview Neuman quotes someone saying, "Translation is sexy!" and then goes on to say himself, "So there is also a deep link between intellectual and sensual learning. Culture can really be an aphrodisiac. I'm afraid that's not what they teach us in school.”

[[deleted user]]

The linked blog post mentioned books with minor characters as well - Mann's Doctor Faustus has a translator as a character (Schildknapp). I'm only aware of this as I'm reading it now.

[Rise]

Robert wrote: "Neuman quotes someone saying, "Translation is sexy!""

The secret is now out.

[Rise]

Ronald wrote: "Mann's Doctor Faustus has a translator as a character (Schildknapp)."

Thanks, I've added it. Also: Hotel Iris by Yoko Ogawa.

[Stujallen]

Diego Marani last novel in English translation has a linguistic at its heart rise

[Rise]

Thanks for the tip, Stu. I've previously added New Finnish Grammar. Didn't know The Last of the Vostyachs was in the same mold.

[Jessica]

Someone on this thread already mentioned Hotel Iris by Yoko Ogawa. Interestingly, the translator in the novel--a pivotal character--is never given a name and only called "the translator" throughout. A fascinating novel. Not as rich perhaps as Ogawa's newer work (it was written in 1996 and translated into English and published in 2010) but definitely worth reading. I am reading her trio of novella, The Diving Pool next.

[Jessica]

btw, someone is putting together a panel on this topic (translators as protagonists in literature) for the next ALTA (American Literary Translators Assoc) Conference in October.