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Article published In:
Translation and Interpreting Studies
Vol. 17:2 (2022) ► pp.220–242

The voice(s) of Julio Gómez de la Serna in Oscar Wilde’s Obras completas

ORCID logo | South China Business College (SCBC) | University of Oviedo | University of the Free State

This article studies the concepts of voice and of the translation pact with regard to Julio Gómez de la Serna’s translation of Obras completas by Oscar Wilde, first published in 1943 after Franco had established his rule of Spain. More precisely, it focuses on the two paratexts that preceded the translations and on the Spanish version of his essay The Soul of Man Under Socialism. The study considers how the translator addressed Wilde’s homosexual scandal and his translation of a potentially controversial text at a time when the censorship office was imposing severe constraints on the publication of literary works. The analysis shows that Gómez de la Serna managed to circumvent these constraints while remaining loyal to the author and faithful to his work.

Keywords: Oscar Wilde, Julio Gómez de la Serna, translation pact, voice, paratexts, imaginary dialogue, The Soul of Man Under Socialism
Article outline
  • Introduction
  • Translation studies on Wilde
  • Research questions and theoretical approach
    • The concept of voice
  • The imaginary dialogue as paratext
  • The voice of the biographer
  • The translator
  • Concluding discussion
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 26 April 2021
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/tis.20043.val
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