AUC Press Translator Denys Johnson-Davies Speaks About Translating and Naguib Mahfouz скачать в хорошем качестве

AUC Press Translator Denys Johnson-Davies Speaks About Translating and Naguib Mahfouz

Denys Johnson-Davies has produced more than thirty volumes of translation of modern Arabic literature, including The Essential Tawfiq al-Hakim (AUC Press, 2008), The Essential Yusuf Idris (AUC Press, 2009), and more recently, The Essential Naguib Mahfouz (AUC Press, 2011). The renowned literary critic and professor of English and comparative literature Edward Said described Denys Johnson-Davies as "the leading Arabic--English translator of our time." As AUC Press celebrates this year the centennial of Mahfouz's birth, Johnson-Davies, who also translated some of Mahfouz's novels, including Arabian Nights and Days (AUC Press, 1996) and The Journey of Ibn Fattouma (AUC Press, 1997), in this interview, speaks about his translator career and about his friend. These are the questions Denys Johnson-Davies answered: About translating How do you decide which / what book you want to translate? What makes a book worth translating? What do you like about translating? Does a translator have a style of translation and can it actually infringe on the author's original literary style? Is this part of a good translation? Why do you think Edward Said called you "the leading Arabic--English translator of our time"? Do you think there is a lot of talent today among young Arab writers? Which book have you most enjoyed translating over all these years? What Arab writer do you most enjoy reading? About Naguib Mahfouz Which of Mahfouz's writing do you prefer? You once said about Mahfouz: "Mahfouz also rendered Arabic literature a great service by developing, over the years, a form of language in which many of the archaisms and clichés that had become fashionable were discarded, a language that could serve as an adequate instrument for the writing of fiction in these times." Can you elaborate on what you mean by "archaisms and clichés"? What other aspects made Mahfouz such a great writer? Is there a more contemporary Arab writer that can match Mahfouz's pen? How well did you know Naguib Mahfouz and how would you describe him? How do you think Mahfouz would have reacted to Egypt's 25 January revolution? What do you consider a 'good' translation? Is there a final comment that you wish to make about Naguib Mahfouz or translating? In 2007, Johnson-Davies received the Sheikh Zayed Book Award for Personality of the Year in the Field of Culture. He spent his childhood in Sudan, Egypt, Uganda, and Kenya, and attended boarding school in England at age 12. He studied Oriental languages at Cambridge, and has lectured about translation and English literature at several universities across the Arab World. To find his books, go to http://www.aucpress.com/search.aspx?S... Camera: Zenab Dabba Interview by Ingrid Wassmann, AUC Press Senior Web Editor