The Linguist

The Linguist 55,4

The Linguist is a languages magazine for professional linguists, translators, interpreters, language professionals, language teachers, trainers, students and academics with articles on translation, interpreting, business, government, technology

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thelinguist.uberflip.com AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2016 The Linguist 25 REVIEWS On the Burning of Books Kenneth Baker Unicorn Press, 2016, 256 pp; ISBN 978 1910787113 Hardback, £25 In a way, Lord Baker's fascinating work on the destruction of books and libraries makes for a depressing read. From the loss by fire of Galen's medical library in Ancient Rome to the deliberate firing of the Institut d'Egypte in Cairo as a side-effect of the Arab Spring in 2011, an incalculable amount of material has been lost to human knowledge. The careful efforts down the ages to preserve valuable works and irreplaceable data have been offset, all too often, by the deliberate and systematic destruction of libraries and archives, ranging from the great library of Alexandria to the three-day fire that destroyed the National Library of Sarajevo in 1992. The courage of those who tried to save what they could is positively heartwarming, even though Serb forces cut off the water supply and covered the doors of the library with machine guns to prevent anyone getting in to save the 155,000 rare texts and more than 400,000 manuscripts that it contained. It is curious to see how many writers and poets have lost critical works in either manuscript or note form. A surprising number have deliberately destroyed personal letters, or directed that they should be destroyed after the author's death. In 1860, Charles Dickens expressed his concern at the "misuse of the private letters of public men". Byron's publisher, John Murray, was so dismayed by what he discovered in Byron's diaries (which he had bought for 2,000 guineas) that he consigned them to the flames, which led to a curious episode some years later: when the young Benjamin Disraeli realised that Murray did not intend to publish an early novel of his, he suggested that Murray burn the manuscript "as you have some small experience in burning them". This is the first novel I have read with a translator as heroine. Failing as a translator, Shira has to take dead-end, temping jobs to look after herself and her daughter. But she is fortunate in being able to live in the spacious apartment of her gay friend – just one aspect of her complex personal life. Despite all this, she has a positive attitude, reflected in the light-hearted narration with frequent hilarious episodes. Out of the blue, Shira receives an invitation from a Nobel Prize- winning Italian poet to translate his new work-in-progress, a free adaptation of Dante's La Vita Nuova. The stage payment terms are good and Shira gladly accepts, hoping for future fame and success as a translator. The poet sends her chapters as he writes and Shira sets to work. Most freelance translators will recognise her cubbyhole of a workplace and the many other calls on her time, working at home. As narrator, she soon introduces the concept of traduttore, traditore ('translator, traitor') and this sets the tone for much wordplay between and within English, Italian, Latin and even Hebrew. As more chapters (and payments) come in, with occasional laconic emails from the poet, Shira begins to realise that all is not as it seems, and she may be being used for another purpose. She tries to stop work but finds that her personal life has become involved. Chaos ensues, with the narration shifting into a surreal stream of consciousness towards the denouement. Good on paper Rachel Cantor Readers familiar with the setting (New York), Italian speakers and Dante scholars will gain extra dimensions from the novel, but it stands on its own as a frequently amusing mixture of translation practice, mystery and a moving story of life as a single mother. Mike Ellis FCIL Melville House, London, UK and Brooklyn, USA, 2016, 299 pp; ISBN 978-1- 61219-470-7 Hardback, £18.99 M 1 C 2 B 3 M 4 R 5 S 6 D 7 A Z Z L E A 8 P O G E E G A L O O P A 9 Y E R A 10 E R O F L O T A R I R Y P 11 R O T 12 E U S F 13 A R S I W S T 14 C K 15 O 16 P E K K 17 O L K H O 18 Z R R G 19 L X S 20 A C K B U T S M 21 O T H N I L T A E U 22 G A N D A O 23 R R E R Y E G G Y X S Crossword solution Puzzle page 29 Equally, some writers are so concerned about their posthumous reputation that they do not wish to keep evidence of their own early efforts. Thomas Hardy went further and destroyed drafts as he went along. Franz Kafka's pleas to his executor to destroy all diaries, manuscripts and letters unread went unheeded. It is perhaps fortunate that his executor, Max Brod, did read them, as four of Kafka's novels were saved for posterity, having narrowly avoided confiscation by the Nazis when they invaded Prague in 1939. On the Burning of Books is by its nature rather episodic, but it makes for a fascinating if chastening read. It is beautifully produced on fine quality paper with many well-chosen illustrations, though marred slightly by the odd misprint. Tim Connell FCIL CIOL Vice-President

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