Abstracts
Abstract
Suzanne Jill Levine is known above all for her English translations of Cabrera Infante, Sarduy and Puig, with whom she worked closely. While a lot has been written about her translations of fiction by men, little research has been done on her translations of women writers. In this paper, I analyse a selection of her English renditions of Alejandra Pizarnik in order to see how Levine behaves when translating the poetic work of a woman. First, considering that Levine describes herself as a “subversive scribe, ‘transcreating’ writing that stretches the boundaries of patriarchal discourse,” how does the fact that she shares the author’s gender affect her “transcreations?” Then, bearing in mind that Levine has often stressed the complexity of fiction translation, refuting the “common belief that novels are easier to translate than poetry,” how does she deal with the translation of lyrical poems? And last, how rebellious is she when translating an author who has passed away and whom she cannot consult?
Keywords:
- subversion,
- transcreation,
- fidelity,
- marginality,
- poetry translation
Résumé
On connaît avant tout Suzanne Jill Levine pour ses traductions anglaises de Cabrera Infante, Sarduy et Puig, avec qui elle a travaillé en étroite collaboration. Alors que plusieurs se sont penchés sur ses traductions de prose masculine, peu se sont intéressés à ses traductions d’oeuvres féminines. Dans cette étude, nous analysons quelques-unes de ses traductions de la poète argentine Alejandra Pizarnik pour voir comment Levine se comporte lorsqu’elle traduit l’oeuvre poétique d’une femme. D’abord, considérant que Levine se décrit comme une « scribe subversive qui ‘transcrée’ des écrits renforçant les frontières du discours patriarcal », comment le fait de traduire une auteure du même sexe influence-t-il ses « transcréations »? Ensuite, compte tenu de la complexité de la traduction de la prose que Levine a souvent soulignée, réfutant la « croyance populaire selon laquelle il est plus facile de traduire des romans que de la poésie », comment aborde-t-elle la traduction de poèmes lyriques? Enfin, à quel point est-elle rebelle quand elle traduit une auteure décédée qu’elle ne peut consulter?
Mots-clés:
- subversion,
- transcréation,
- fidélité,
- marginalité,
- traduction poétique
Appendices
References
- ARROJO, Rosemary (1994). “Fidelity and the Gendered Translation.” TTR, 7, 2, pp. 147-163.
- BARON SUPERVIELLE, Silvia et Claude COUFFON (transl.). (2005). Alejandra Pizarnik – Oeuvre poétique. Arles, Actes Sud (Le cabinet de lecture d’Alberto Manguel).
- BASSNETT, Susan et Alejandra PIZARNIK (2002). Exchanging Lives – Poems and Translations. Leeds, Great Britain, Peepal Tree Press.
- BASSNETT, Susan (2006). “Writing and Translating.” In The Translator as Writer. Susan Bassnett and Peter Bush, ed., London and New York, Continuum, pp. 173-183.
- BURGHARDT, Juana et Tobias (transl.) (2002). Cenizas – Asche, Asche. Zürich, Ammann Verlag.
- Canadian Oxford Dictionary, Toronto, Federal Publication Inc., 2007.
- FLOTOW, Luise von (1997). Translation and Gender: Translating in the ‘Era of Feminism.’ Ottawa, University of Ottawa Press.
- FORSTER, David William (1994). “The Representation of the Body in the Poetry of Alejandra Pizarnik.” Hispanic Review. 62, 3, pp. 319-347.
- FRANÇOIS, Rose-Marie (1999). “Dans l’atelier du traducteur de poèmes.” Les cahiers internationaux de symbolisme. Théorie et pratique de la traduction III, 92-94, pp. 73-83.
- GAI, Michal Heidi (1992). “Alejandra Pizarnik: Árbol de Diana.” Romanic Review, 83, 2, pp. 245-260.
- GARAYTA, Isabel (1998). “‘Womanhandling’ the Text: Feminism, Rewriting, and Translation.” Ph.D. Thesis, The University of Texas at Austin.
- KIRKPATRICK, Gwen (1996). “Alejandra Pizarnik como sitio de refugio.” Feminaria literaria, 6, 10, pp. 13-17.
- LEVINE, Suzanne Jill (1975). “Writing as Translation: Three Trapped Tigers and a Cobra.” MLN, 90, 2, pp. 265-277.
- LEVINE, Suzanne Jill (transl.) (1987). “Sign,” “Fugue in lilac,” “Mortal Bond,” “Rescue,” “The Sun, the Poem,” “Deaf Lantern.” In The Renewal of the Vision : Voices of Latin American Poets 1940-1980. Marjorie Agosín and Cola Franzen, ed., Peterborough, Spectacular Diseases, pp. 85-86.
- LEVINE, Suzanne Jill (1991). The Subversive Scribe. Saint Paul (MIN), Graywolf Press.
- LEVINE, Suzanne Jill (1992). “Translation as (Sub)version: On Translating Infante’s Inferno.” In Rethinking Translation – Discourse, Subjectivity, Ideology. Lawrence Venuti, ed., London & New York, Routledge, pp. 75-85.
- LEVINE, Suzanne Jill (1994). “Versions and Subversions.” Edward F. Taylor Jr. and Jeffrey Crespi (interviewers). Americas, 46, 5, pp. 44-50.
- LEVINE, Suzanne Jill (trad.) (1997). “Four Poems by Alejandra Pizarnik.” Grand Street Magazine. http://www.grandstreet.com/gsissues/gs61/gs61b.html Consulted on 9 October 2005.
- MESCHONNIC, Henri (1999). Poétique du traduire. Lagrasse, Verdier.
- MODREA, Andreea (2004). “Ideology, Subversion and the Translator’s Voice: A Comparative Analysis of the French and English Translations of Guillermo Cabrera Infante’s Tres Tristes Tigres.” M. A. Thesis, University of Ottawa.
- MODREA, Andreea (2006). “Ideology, Subversion and the Translator’s Voice: A Comparative Analysis of the French and English Translations of Guillermo Cabrera Infante’s Tres Tristes Tigres.” TRANS. 16. http://www.inst.at/trans/16Nr/09_4/modrea16.htm Consulted on 31 March 2006.
- MOLLOY, Sylvia (transl.) (1991). “Figures and Silences.” In Women’s Writing in Latin America : An Anthology. Sara Castro-Klarén, et al., ed., Boulder/Oxford, Westview Press, pp. 204-206.
- NICHOLSON, Melanie (2002). Evil, Madness, and the Occult in Argentine Poetry. Gainesville (Florida), University Press of Florida.
- PIZARNIK, Alejandra (1968a). “El poema y su lector.”; “El poeta y su poema.” Antología consultada de la joven poesía argentina. Buenos Aires, Fabril Editora, pp. 67-68.
- PIZARNIK, Alejandra (1968b). Extracción de la piedra de locura. Buenos Aires, Editorial Sudamericana.
- PIZARNIK, Alejandra (1971). El infierno musical. Buenos Aires, Siglo XXI Argentina Editores.
- PIZARNIK, Alejandra (2000). Poesía completa. Ana Becciú, ed., Barcelona, Editorial Lumen.
- RODARI, Florian (transl.) (1975). L’enfer musical. Lausanne, Payot.
- VENUTI, Lawrence (1992). “Introduction.” In Rethinking Translation – Discourse, Subjectivity, Ideology. Lawrence Venuti, ed., London & New York, Routledge, pp. 1-17.