Translation In History Lecture Series - Professor Andrew Leak

Translation in History Lecture Series: 12 March 2015 The Politics of Rewriting: the Case of Gary Victor’s A l’angle des rues parallèles Professor Andrew Leak (UCL French) The work of André Lefevere, amongst others, has sensitized us to the politics of colonial translation/rewriting, but what of authors from the ‘cultural periphery’ who rewrite their own works for reception in the metropolis? In this talk Professor Andy Leak looks at the case of Gary Victor’s A l’angle des rues parallèles – a novel first published in Haiti in 2000 and republished in France in 2003. An analysis of the very numerous alterations (corrections, omissions and additions) made by Victor and his publisher for the French edition reveals much about the assumptions that must have been made regarding the knowledge/ignorance of the target audience. Professor Leak will also argue that Victor’s very deliberate ‘rewriting’ of his novel can only fully be understood in the context of the highly volatile political situation in Haiti 2000-2003, and the former colonial power’s role in Haiti at that time.