Literary Translation in Modern Iran
A sociological study
Author
Literary Translation in Modern Iran: A sociological study is the first comprehensive study of literary translation in modern Iran, covering the period from the late 19th century up to the present day. By drawing on Pierre Bourdieu's sociology of culture, this work investigates the people behind the selection, translation, and production of novels from English into Persian. The choice of novels such as Morier's The Adventures of Hajji Baba of Ispahan, Austen's Pride and Prejudice, and Vargas Llosa's The War of the End of the World provides insights into who decides upon titles for translation, motivations of translators and publishers, and the context in which such decisions are made.The author suggests that literary translation in Iran is not a straightforward activity. As part of the field of cultural production, literary translation has remained a lively game not only to examine and observe, but also often a challenging one to play. By adopting hide-and-seek strategies and with attention to the dynamic of the field of publishing, Iranian translators and publishers have continued to play the game against all odds.
The book is not only a contribution to the growing scholarship informed by sociological approaches to translation, but an essential reading for scholars and students of Translation Studies, Iranian Studies, and Middle Eastern Studies.
The book is not only a contribution to the growing scholarship informed by sociological approaches to translation, but an essential reading for scholars and students of Translation Studies, Iranian Studies, and Middle Eastern Studies.
[Benjamins Translation Library, 114] 2014. xix, 236 pp.
Publishing status: Available
© John Benjamins Publishing Co.
Table of Contents
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Acknowledgments | pp. xi–xii
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A note on transliteration, Persian calendar, and translation | p. xiii
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List of figures | p. xv
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List of tables | p. xvii
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List of acronyms and abbreviations | p. xix
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Introduction | pp. 1–8
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1. Sociological perspectives | pp. 9–30
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2. History | pp. 31–50
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3. The Qajar period (1795–1925) | pp. 51–80
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4. The Pahlavi period (1925–1979) | pp. 81–116
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5. The post-Revolution period (1979–present) | pp. 117–174
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6. “The assembly is finished and…” | pp. 175–188
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References | pp. 189–212
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Appendices | pp. 213–226
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Index | pp. 227–236
“This book is a wide-ranging critical history of some of the main ways in which modernity has been introduced to contemporary Persian culture, with significant attention to issues of power, censorship, and long-term cultural strategies. The result is a highly original and innovative contribution not just to Translation Studies but also to Persian Studies, and indeed to general inquiry into cross-cultural dynamics.”
Anthony Pym, Rovira i Virgili University
“The author has produced a seminal work for Persian translators and translation students. The work will certainly have an impact on the field.”
M. R. Ghanoonparvar, The University of Texas at Austin
“This study breaks new ground in surveying the history of literary translation in Iran. It brings together a great deal of historical and cultural information, and also contributes to the current debate in translation studies about how best to study agency. It has clearly been quite a challenge to assemble all the information, much of which is not easily available, and the author’s resourcefulness has been admirable. The study shows the value of patient fieldwork over several years.”
Andrew Chesterman, University of Helsinki, in Iranian Studies, 50(4), 2017.
“The author’s attempts to document the dominant oral history of translation in post-revolution Iran through fieldwork, surveys, interviews and statistics is praiseworthy. An essential and valuable source in surveying the cultural, historical and social issues in Iranian Studies that needs to be translated into Persian.”
Narges Entekhabi, in Jahan-e Ketab Book Review, 20(9): 2015.
“It opens a window into the critical study of literary translation in Iran. The strength of the book is in its adoption of a historical approach to translation studies and an unprecedented theoretical approach in the context of Iran; and above all, it tackles the critical issue of censorship in Iran.”
Alireza Khanjan, in Motarjem, Iranian Journal of Translation, 24(56): 2015.
“A very well-structured study based on a clear theory and method that testifies to the author’s detailed research and innovative outlook.”
Mostafa Hosseini, in Comparative Literature (Journal of Academy of Persian Language and Literature) 6(2): 2015.
“Literary Translation in Modern Iran is highly recommended for researchers working on various aspects of both translation in Iran and the Iranian publishing industry. [...] Haddadian-Moghaddam did an excellent job to gather all the information. Literary Translation in Modern Iran will move the field of Iranian translation studies forward and will facilitate further conversations among scholars of translation studies and modern Persian literature.”
Behnam M. Fomeshi, The University of Sydney, in Iranian Studies 2020
References
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Cited by 12 other publicationsAmirdabbaghian, Amin & Krishnavanie Shunmugam2019. The Translator’s Ideology: A Study of Three Persian Translations of George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four . Lebende Sprachen 64:1 ► pp. 1 ff. Azadibougar, Omid2020. Persian Literature, World Literature. In World Literature and Hedayat’s Poetics of Modernity, ► pp. 1 ff. Azadibougar, Omid & Esmaeil Haddadian-Moghaddam2019. Chapter 7. The Persian tradition. In A World Atlas of Translation [Benjamins Translation Library, 145], ► pp. 149 ff. Emam, Abbas2022. Translating to hegemonize. FORUM. Revue internationale d’interprétation et de traduction / International Journal of Interpretation and Translation 20:1 ► pp. 24 ff. Farhadi, Ramin2020. Wartime Propaganda and Gender in Ahmad Mahmoud’s The Scorched Earth: A Dissident Reading. Text Matters: A Journal of Literature, Theory and Culture :10 ► pp. 460 ff. Farhadi, Ramin & Margrét Gunnarsdóttir Champion2020. Adapting Shakespeare’s Richard III: A political reading of Hamid-Reza Naeemi’s Richard. Cogent Arts & Humanities 7:1 ► pp. 1823599 ff. Jalalian Daghigh, Ali, Jariah Mohd Jan & Sheena Kaur2022. Exercising agency: A Bourdieusian account of Iranian feminist translators. Asian Journal of Women's Studies 28:1 ► pp. 44 ff. Karoubi, Behrouz2017. A concise history of translation in Iran from antiquity to the present time. Perspectives 25:4 ► pp. 594 ff. Laugesen, Amanda & Mehrdad Rahimi-Moghaddam2022. Franklin Book Programs in Iran (ca 1953–1978) and the politics of translation during the Cold War. Translation Studies 15:2 ► pp. 155 ff. Marinetti, Cristina & Enza De Francisci2022. Introduction: translation and performance cultures. Translation Studies 15:3 ► pp. 247 ff. Tahmasebian, Kayvan & Rebecca Ruth Gould2022. The Translational Horizons of Iranian Modernism: Ahmad Shamlu’s Canon of the Global South. Twentieth-Century Literature 68:1 ► pp. 25 ff. Younisi, Ibrahim & Sina Rahmani2018. Two Themes inBleak House(1962). PMLA/Publications of the Modern Language Association of America 133:2 ► pp. 437 ff. This list is based on CrossRef data as of 11 march 2023. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers. Any errors therein should be reported to them.Subjects
Literature & Literary Studies
Sociology
Translation & Interpreting Studies
Main BIC Subject
CFP: Translation & interpretation
Main BISAC Subject
LAN023000: LANGUAGE ARTS & DISCIPLINES / Translating & Interpreting