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DENYS JOHNSON-DAVIES 60 years of Arabic literature in translation It has become to be recognized that translation is not merely a matter of putting one word in the place of another. I remember when I translated my first book, a selection of stories by MahmoudTaymour, taking some of it to a friend of mine.Though he had no knowledge of Arabic, I admired his wide reading in English literature. I was pleased when he said some complimentary words about Taymour’s stories, but not so happy when he criticized my translation. He then made the remark that the art of translation was transmitting the meaning from one culture to another, rather than from one language to another. Let me give you two examples, both being translations of books I had done. Thus I remember being criticized for translating Tawfiq al-Hakim’s play Al-Sultan al-Ha‘ir as The Sultan’s Dilemma, which, in my opinion, is a more attractive title than the literal translation of “The Perplexed Sultan”. There was also a novel by Naguib Mahfouz which I translated, giving it the English title of Arabian Nights and Days; I did this in the knowledge that the English reader knew of the Arabic classic under the name “Arabian Nights” and not A Thousand and One Nights. I suppose the main changes that have occurred in Arabic literature is the use of colloquial language in the writings of many authors, especially where dialogue is concerned. I remember discussing this matter with Naguib Mahfouz and arguing that it was ridiculous to have a peasant talking in classical Arabic, and his answer always was that if he used Egyptian dialect much of his writing would not be understood by non-Egyptian readers. My Sudanese friend Tayeb Salih wrote several works of real talent that are among my favourites. I remember that I had sent several of my translations of Arabic short stories to the magazine Encounter that was considered the leading literary magazine of its time. Not a single 52 BANIPAL 43 – CELEBRATING DENYS JOHNSON-DAVIES
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P h o t o s: P a ol aCr o ci a ni Denys Johnson-Davies with Naguib Mahfouz one was accepted for publication until Tayeb sent me a story for publication in the Arabic magazine Aswat that I was editing at the time. I published the story in Aswat and immediately translated it and sent my translation to Encounter. I was not surprised when it was accepted for publication, and that magazine later published two more of Tayeb’s stories that I translated. I was also not surprised when his novel Season of Migration to the North found its way into the Penguin classics series. It is strange that Tayeb himself considered Bandarshah as his best piece of writing, but it has gone almost unnoticed by both critics and readers. . . . and with Mahmoud Darwish Let me also mentionTawfiq al-Hakim’s short play The Donkey Market – in my opinion a humorous masterpiece. Arabic literature has come a long way in a short time. Let us not forget the writings of Naguib Mahfouz and Alaa al-Aswany, for instance. And there are now other writers of real talent springing up around us. It is for translators and readers to recognize them when they appear. BANIPAL 43 – SPRING 2012 53

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DENYS JOHNSON-DAVIES

60 years of Arabic literature in translation

It has become to be recognized that translation is not merely a matter of putting one word in the place of another. I remember when I translated my first book, a selection of stories by MahmoudTaymour, taking some of it to a friend of mine.Though he had no knowledge of Arabic, I admired his wide reading in English literature. I was pleased when he said some complimentary words about Taymour’s stories, but not so happy when he criticized my translation. He then made the remark that the art of translation was transmitting the meaning from one culture to another, rather than from one language to another. Let me give you two examples, both being translations of books I had done. Thus I remember being criticized for translating Tawfiq al-Hakim’s play Al-Sultan al-Ha‘ir as The Sultan’s Dilemma, which, in my opinion, is a more attractive title than the literal translation of “The Perplexed Sultan”. There was also a novel by Naguib Mahfouz which I translated, giving it the English title of Arabian Nights and Days; I did this in the knowledge that the English reader knew of the Arabic classic under the name “Arabian Nights” and not A Thousand and One Nights.

I suppose the main changes that have occurred in Arabic literature is the use of colloquial language in the writings of many authors, especially where dialogue is concerned. I remember discussing this matter with Naguib Mahfouz and arguing that it was ridiculous to have a peasant talking in classical Arabic, and his answer always was that if he used Egyptian dialect much of his writing would not be understood by non-Egyptian readers. My Sudanese friend Tayeb Salih wrote several works of real talent that are among my favourites. I remember that I had sent several of my translations of Arabic short stories to the magazine Encounter that was considered the leading literary magazine of its time. Not a single

52 BANIPAL 43 – CELEBRATING DENYS JOHNSON-DAVIES

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