Translations

120 LETTERS IN CANADA 1993 Translations JANE KOUSTAS In a recent article entitled 'La revanche des ecrivains canadiens' (Lettres quebecoises, 71, automne 1993), Francine Bordeleau discusses a recent trend: English-Canadian fiction authors frequently have their work translated and published in France where they have gained critical recognition and a wide readership. The present article focuses on current directions in French-to-English translation in Canada, particularly in the area of fiction. However, Bordeleau's observations concerning English-to-French translation merit further attention in that, by way of contrast, they highlight the significance of the volume and range of French language works translated and published in Canada. English-Canadian authors clearly thrive in France. A list of some recent publications indicates both the French public's keen interest in a wide range of English-Canadian authors as well as the eagerness with which major publishers snatch up new titles: the translations are published very shortly after the release of the original version. Nino Ricci's The Lives of the Saints was published by Denoel in 1992, only two years after the original , in a translation by Anne Rabinovitch, entitled Les Yeux bleus du Serpent . L'Homme flambe, Marie-Odile Fortier Marek's translation of Michael Ondaatje's The English Patient, was published by Editions de l'Olivier in 1992, the same year as the originaL Nadeau published Jane Urquhart's Niagara in a translation by Anne Rabinovitch in 1991, and Ciel chal1geant will soon be put out by the same publisher. Cahnann-Levy has published Mordecai Richler's work in tr~nslation, the most recent being Gurski in 1992, in a translation by Philippe Loubat-Delranc; it will soon list Carol Shields. French publishers have also marketed Graeme Gibson (Mouvement sans fin, Gallimard, 1985), Isahel Huggan (L'Echappee belle, Gallimard, 1991), and Anthony Hyde (China Lake, SeuiI, 1992), as well as numerous works by Margaret Atwood (Robert Laffont), Mavis Gallant (Deuxtemps Tierce), Alice Munro (Deuxtemps Tierce), and Robertson Davies (Editions de l'Olivier). Davies was, in fact, recently interviewed in the very prestigious Nouvel Observateur, where he commented on his and his compatriots ' success in France. These renowned authors' circumvention of the theoretically more accessible Quebec publishers and translators can be explained by their desire to tap into the much wider market (and higher sales) made available through the larger French distribution network. However, Bordeleau's choice of the word 'revenge' suggests that the economic advantage afforded by publishing in France is not the only reason for the export of some of English Canada's best fiction: snubbed by Quebec readers and, therefore, by its publishers, these authors have taken their work elsewhere. They have demonstrated, through their suc- TRANSLATIONS 121 cess, the significance of their writing and its appeal to a francophone and, indeed, international audience. It is, however, as Bordeleau suggests, somewhat unfair to blame Quebec publishers, since many have demonstrated a continued interest in English writers. Pierre Tisseyre, with the 'Deux Solitudes' collection, was one of the pioneers in English-to-French translation. Hurtubise HMH, Les Quinze, which published Matt Cohen's Nadine in 1990 and his Les Memoires barbelees (translated by Daniel Poliquin) this year; Editions du Boreal, which lists about thirty titles in translation; VLB, which published Ann Charney's Dohryd in a translation by Paule Pierre 1993; and XYZ and QuebecI Amerique, whose JLitterature d'Amerique' collection includes works by Morley Callaghan and Matt Cohen, have all demonstrated a continued interest in English-Canadian writers. However, as Pascal Assathiany (from Editions du BoreaD, Robert Soulieres (from Pierre Tisseyre), and Gilles Pellerin (from Instant meme) observe, Quebec translations of English-Canadian fiction do not sell well and, without the financial assistance of the Canada Council, would probably cease to exist. Publishers are, after all, responding to perceived n1arket demand. The responsibility instead lies with the Quebec readers. Their admittedly more limited buying power, a function of population size, does indeed account for lower sales potential in Quebec than in France. More important, however, Quebeckers, according to translators David Homel and Robert Melanc;on (quoted by Bordeleau), still suffer from a colonial complex: they value only that which has already been approved by France, the...