Bloomsbury Academic

Bloomsbury Academic

English

Something of a prophet in Canada, Woodsworth (French studies, Concordia Univ., Montreal) offers here a tripartite explication of translation strategies principally by three prominent authors: George Bernard Shaw, Gertrude Stein, and Paul Auster. En passant, Woodsworth exposes the complex lives and extensive bibliographies of the three writers to yield insights into their acts of translation and interpretation. Explored are links between translating and (re)writing by these eminent authors who translate and how they conceptualized or even fictionalized the task of translation. The evolution of the translator’s voice and visibility is also scrutinized. Woodsworth's case studies illuminate a teleology of translation, insofar as the process may pay tribute, repay a debt, or cement a friendship. Bleak tales of loss, counterfeit, or hard labor may yet also complement with fresh perceptions, allowing translation, finally, to be taken not as a subservient art but as a literary act in its own right. Woodsworth's epilogue steps along further with discussion of three genre-bending and multidimensional storytellers: Jonathan Safran Foer, Rachel Cantor, and Idra Novey. Including extensive notes, this volume will be extremely useful for scholars in linguistics and translation studies. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty.