180 Resenhas
of Rabassa’s memoir-style re-
If This be Treason: Translation flections on works and authors
and Its Dyscontents: A Memoir. from his “rap sheet,” a sort of
Gregory Rabassa. New York: who’s who of twentieth century
New Directions, 2005, 189 p. Latin American literature includ-
ing names such as Julio Cor-
tázar, Gabriel García Márquez,
António Lobo Antunes, Mario
Gregory Rabassa’s memoir If Vargas Llosa, and others. Part
This be Treason: Translation and Three is a very brief recounting
Its Dyscontents tracks the transla- of Rabassa’s theme of treason.
tor’s exceptionally successful ca- Rabassa prefaces his book
reer and also provides theoretical with the Italian cliché “tradut-
insight into Rabassa’s approach tore, traditore” and a quotation
to literary translation. Most fa- from Patrick Henry: “If this be
mously known for his translation treason, make the most of it.”
of One Hundred Years of Soli- The idea of translation as treason,
tude by Gabriel Garcia Márquez, the major theme carried through-
who received the Nobel Prize for out the book, is a main focus for
Literature in 1982, Rabassa is Rabassa in Part One, which con-
also the recipient of the National sists of six sections on translation
Book Award and the PEN Trans- theory as well as autobiographi-
lation Prize, among various other cal background. The relationship
honors. between the Italian words for
If This be Treason: Transla- translator and traitor leads Ra-
tion and Its Dyscontents is sepa- bassa to examine the distinction
rated into three parts of different between “betrayal of language”
weight: Part One: The Onset of and “personal betrayal” as two
Perfidy; Part Two: The Bill of facets of treason in Section One,
Particulars; and Part Three: By “The Many Faces of Treason.”
Way of a Verdict. In the first Rabassa explains that treason
section, Rabassa explains several against the language of origin is
theories and strategies related to considered treason against the en-
literary translation. The weight tire culture that is represented by
of the book falls mainly in the that language. Personal betray-
second part, which is comprised als are distinguished as treason
Resenhas 181
committed against the author, lator. Sometimes he reflects
against the readership, or against on a word that does not carry
the translator himself, which Ra- the same meaning in its English
bassa deems “the saddest treason equivalent. Other times he medi-
of all.” Anecdotal and personal tates on a particular protagonist
examples bring to life many of with a complex background. In
Rabassa’s explanations. The sec- the case of his translation of José
ond half of Part One traces Ra- Donoso’s Still Life with Pipe,
bassa’s entry into the field of lit- Rabassa is faced with a contex-
erary translation of Spanish and tual dilemma in translating the
Portuguese language works from street name “Calle 18,” or “18th
Dartmouth College to military Street.” Rabassa chose to name
cryptography to graduate school. the street “Calle Dieciocho” in
Part Two: The Bill of Particu- recognition of the fact that the
lars, which constitutes the major- English translation automatically
ity of the book, tells of Rabassa’s carries the reader to New York
experiences with each author and City, away from Santiago, Chile
his or her work. All but one of where the novel by Donoso takes
the sections in Part Two is titled place.
with an author’s name, followed Julio Cortázar is the first au-
by the title of Rabassa’s transla- thor that Rabassa considers in Part
tion of his or her work, and also Two. Rabassa credits Cortázar,
the title of the original work, as author of Hopscotch, with con-
well as the bibliographical infor- necting him with Gabriel Garcia
mation for that translation. In Márquez and the renowned novel
some cases, Rabassa has trans- One Hundred Years of Solitude.
lated multiple works by the same Rabassa says that Hopscotch was
author. For example, Rabassa for him “what the hydrographic
did six works apiece for both Ju- cliché calls a watershed mo-
lio Cortázar and Gabriel Garcia ment as my life took the direc-
Márquez. The authors’ sections tion it was to follow from then
treat Rabassa’s unique experi- on.” Part of this section about
ences with each person, near, the translation of Hopscotch de-
distant, or deceased, and each scribes Rabassa’s adaptation of a
work. Here, there are glimpses “made up language” by Cortázar
into Rabassa’s process as a trans- called “gíglico,” which he uses
182 Resenhas
to describe “amorous activity.” tion of the working relationship
Rabassa’s task was to translate with the Colombian author.
Cortázar’s “gíglico” into an Part Three: By Way of a Ver-
English-based version of the in- dict is a very brief section entitled
vented language, which he called “How Say You?” that concludes
“Giglish.” Rabassa’s translation memoir.
In another section, Rabassa In his examination of whether or
reveals some of the challenges not translation may be considered
he faced in his translation of One treason, Rabassa comes to an am-
Hundred Years of Solitude from biguous conclusion. As Rabassa
the title to the names of charac- writes, “we translators will not
ters to the melodious sounds of be shot at the cock’s crow, but
García Márquez’s prose. For neither shall we walk about free
example, Rabassa reveals his of our own doubts that we may
thought process during the trans- have somehow done something
lation of the acclaimed novel’s treasonable in our work.”
opening line. Defending each If This be Treason: Translation
word choice by explaining their and Its Dyscontents, the memoir
different connotations, Rabassa by Gregory Rabassa, captures a
invites readers to experience his lifetime of work in literary trans-
process of translating one pivotal lation through a combination of
sentence. theory developed over time and
While both Cortázar and from experience and personal an-
Márquez are authors whose works ecdotes about the translations of
Rabassa has translated remark- an array of authors. This book
ably, it is clear from his mem- captures Rabassa’s enormous ex-
oirs the friendships he had with pertise in his field while convey-
the authors themselves differed ing his humility and good humor
greatly. There is a charming ca- at a level that can be appreciated
maraderie that comes through in by a general audience.
Rabassa’s section on the Argen- Mary Jane Sweetland
tine that is lacking in his descrip- St. Lawrence University
