NPR discusses the role of, and profiles, contemporary literary translators>
From the piece...
When Edith Grossman translates a book, she begins to feel a closeness to the author who wrote it. "The more talented the writer, the more open the door is into his or her mind," she explains.
And Grossman should know. She is perhaps best known for her translation of Miguel de Cervantes' Don Quixote. Not only did Cervantes invent the modern novel, says Grossman, he was a cutting-edge writer 400 years ago. When Grossman talks about the author, it's almost as if he is still alive.
"I dearly love him," she says. "I would love to have a meal with him, I'd love to have a couple of drinks with him, to sit and chat and talk about literature and all the other things you talk about with someone you are really very fond of."
1 comment:
Very interesting. I don't know who I completely side with on this matter, since both translators have such different opinions on how a translation should be viewed. However, I want to read Madame Bovary and reread Don Quixote now :)
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