It is a testament to the skill of all four of the translators that
they have preserved the nuances, subtleties, and illocutionary force of
their respective source texts. This has not been achieved by linguistic
competence alone, but also says much about their interpretive skills
and cultural knowledge.
Patricia Odber de Baubeta has reviewed four books from our Portuguese Literature Series in the journal Translation and Literature, focusing on the triumphs of the translators. The books are:
- The Poor by Raul Brandão, translated by Karen Sotelino
- “Some criticshave labelled him Portugal’s first modernist author, because of his shift away from naturalism and his innovative technique (absence ofa plot, shifting points of view, emotional experience privileged over physical reality). Others flag him up as a precursor of the existentialists, while his English translator simultaneously draws attention to the importance of metaphors of nature in Brandão’s prose, and underlines his depiction of the urban underclass.”
- City of Ulysses by Teolinda Gersão, translated by Jethro Soutar and Annie McDermott
- “City of Ulysses also combines some of the characteristics of both the ecphrastic work and the Künstlerroman, since the artist does attain a degree of emotional maturity within the time frame of the narrative. Art and artistic expression are crucial in this novel, whose narrator-protagonist defines himself by his role—and talent—as artist.”
- A Voyage to India by Gonçalo M. Tavares, translated by Rhett McNeil
- “A Voyage to India is shot through with Portuguese historical references and allusions, but these do not impair English readers’ appreciation of the work; rather, they enrich it. Specific events may have taken place in Portugal, but as with a Shakespearean play, the emotional fallout they engender is universal.”
- A Man: Klaus Klump by Goncalo M. Tavares, translated by Rhett McNeil
- “Tavares clinically describes scenes of rape, torture, and death being deliberately perpetrated on the population, while Brandão’s prostitutes, thieves, and paupers are a similarly disempowered, amorphous mass at the very bottom of the social pyramid.”
