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ذكريات في الترجمة : حياة بين خطوط الأدب العربي
Nobody has done more for modern Arabic literature in translation than Denys Johnson-Davies, described by the late Edward Said as "the leading Arabic English translator of our time." With more than twenty-five volumes of translated Arabic novels, short stories, plays, and poetry to his name, and a career spanning some sixty years, he has brought the works of a host of writers from across the Arab world to an ever-widening English readership. Here he tells the story of a life in translation, and gives intimate glimpses of many of the Arab writers who are becoming increasingly known in the west. In the 1940s, while teaching at Cairo University, he came to know such iconic figures as Yahya Hakki, Tewfik al-Hakim, Yusuf Idris, and of course Naguib Mahfouz. Later when he lived in Beirut, that other great literary center of the Arab world, he spent time with such poets as Tawfic Sayigh, Badr Shakir al-Sayyab, and Boland al-Haydari. He was already a close friend of Jabra Ibrahim Jabra from his college days at Cambridge, and later of another well-known Palestinian writer, Ghassan Kanafani. In the 1960s he started an influential Arabic literary magazine, Aswat, which published the leading avant-garde writers of the time, and in 1967 he put together the first representative volume of short stories from the Arab world. Then he really put Arabic writing on the international literary map with the establishment of the Heinemann Arab Authors series. Since then he has continued to select and translate the best of Arabic fiction, most recently the classic novella by Yahya Hakki, The Lamp of Umm Hashim (AUC Press 2004). He has also translated three books of Islamic Hadith (with Ezzeddin Ibrahim) and other books of Islamic thought, and has written a large number of children's books of Middle Eastern history and folktales.
- GenresEgypt
140 pages, Paperback
First published February 28, 2005
8 people are currently reading
421 people want to read
About the author
Denys Johnson-Davies
100 books50 followersDenys Johnson-Davies (Arabic: دنيس جونسون ديڤيز) (1922-2017) was an eminent Arabic-to-English literary translator who has translated, inter alia, several works by Nobel Prize-winning Egyptian author Naguib Mahfouz, Sudanese author Tayeb Salih, Palestinian poet Mahmud Darwish and Syrian author Zakaria Tamer.
Davies, referred to as “the leading Arabic-English translator of our time” by the late Edward Said, has translated more than twenty-five volumes of short stories, novels, plays, and poetry, and was the first to translate the work of Nobel laureate Naguib Mahfouz. He is also interested in Islamic studies and is co-translator of three volumes of Prophetic Hadith. He has also written a number of children’s books adapted from traditional Arabic sources, including a collection of his own short stories, Fate of a Prisoner, which was published in 1999.
Born in 1922 in Vancouver Canada to English parentage, Davies spent his childhood in Sudan, Egypt, Uganda, and Kenya, and then was sent to England at age 12. Davies studied Oriental languages at Cambridge, and has lectured translation and English literature at several universities across the Arab World. In 2006, he published his memoirs. In 2007, he was awarded the Sheikh Zayed Book Award "Culture Personality of the Year", a valued at about $300,000.
Davies lives in and divides his time between Marrakesh and Cairo.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denys_Jo...
Davies, referred to as “the leading Arabic-English translator of our time” by the late Edward Said, has translated more than twenty-five volumes of short stories, novels, plays, and poetry, and was the first to translate the work of Nobel laureate Naguib Mahfouz. He is also interested in Islamic studies and is co-translator of three volumes of Prophetic Hadith. He has also written a number of children’s books adapted from traditional Arabic sources, including a collection of his own short stories, Fate of a Prisoner, which was published in 1999.
Born in 1922 in Vancouver Canada to English parentage, Davies spent his childhood in Sudan, Egypt, Uganda, and Kenya, and then was sent to England at age 12. Davies studied Oriental languages at Cambridge, and has lectured translation and English literature at several universities across the Arab World. In 2006, he published his memoirs. In 2007, he was awarded the Sheikh Zayed Book Award "Culture Personality of the Year", a valued at about $300,000.
Davies lives in and divides his time between Marrakesh and Cairo.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denys_Jo...
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September 9, 2016
كتاب أشبه بمذكرات أو لمحات خاطفة من حياة أحد المستشرقين ومترجمين الأدب العربي للإنجليزية، وهو البريطاني دنيس جونسون ديفز. استمتعت باللحظات اللي بيتكلم فيها عن حياته وعن المواقف الفارقة اللي كانت حياته ممكن تاخد فيها شكل مختلف تمامًا لو مكنش كرس نفسه للغة العربية بالشكل ده.
الكتاب بيطرح بدايات تعلمه للغة العربية في إنجلترا، وخاصة أنه كان قد قضى معظم سنوات عمره قبل وبعد ذلك في دول عربية، وكيف قاده حرصه على فهم اللغة العربية للتعرف على أهم أدباء العرب في عصره. المثير للإهتمام أن الترجمة - كما شدد كثيرًا في هذا الكتاب - لم تكن يومًا مصدر أكل عيشه، أو شغله الوحيد، فلطالما كافح وعانى كما يتضح في هذا الكتاب لينشر أي كتاب أو ترجمات لأي روائي عربي، حتى نجيب محفوظ الفائز بجائزة نوبل. وهذا يجعلني اعتقد ان مجال الترجمة في مصر ربما ليس بذلك السوء - ربما!-
أعيب على هذا الكتاب تركيزه على التحدث عن كل رحلاته التي قام بها وكل أديب عربي تعرف عليه وظروف تلك المعرفة، وحتى أنه يقوم في كثير من الأوقات بقص بعض الطرائف عن علاقته بهم، فيما أن حديثه عن الترجمة - وهو الهدف الرئيسي من الكتاب كما اعتقدت - قليل بعض الشئ. استفدت من حديثه عن الترجمة والنشر وبعض نصائحه فيما يتعلق بمعرفة اللغات الأجنبية، واستمتعت بطرائف كونه أجنبيًا يفهم اللغة العربية في بلاد يفترض فيها العرب أنه لا يفهم حديثهم. أحسست بغربته وأشفقت عليه محاولة الضرب بجذوره في بلاد كالبلاد العربية.
الكتاب بيطرح بدايات تعلمه للغة العربية في إنجلترا، وخاصة أنه كان قد قضى معظم سنوات عمره قبل وبعد ذلك في دول عربية، وكيف قاده حرصه على فهم اللغة العربية للتعرف على أهم أدباء العرب في عصره. المثير للإهتمام أن الترجمة - كما شدد كثيرًا في هذا الكتاب - لم تكن يومًا مصدر أكل عيشه، أو شغله الوحيد، فلطالما كافح وعانى كما يتضح في هذا الكتاب لينشر أي كتاب أو ترجمات لأي روائي عربي، حتى نجيب محفوظ الفائز بجائزة نوبل. وهذا يجعلني اعتقد ان مجال الترجمة في مصر ربما ليس بذلك السوء - ربما!-
أعيب على هذا الكتاب تركيزه على التحدث عن كل رحلاته التي قام بها وكل أديب عربي تعرف عليه وظروف تلك المعرفة، وحتى أنه يقوم في كثير من الأوقات بقص بعض الطرائف عن علاقته بهم، فيما أن حديثه عن الترجمة - وهو الهدف الرئيسي من الكتاب كما اعتقدت - قليل بعض الشئ. استفدت من حديثه عن الترجمة والنشر وبعض نصائحه فيما يتعلق بمعرفة اللغات الأجنبية، واستمتعت بطرائف كونه أجنبيًا يفهم اللغة العربية في بلاد يفترض فيها العرب أنه لا يفهم حديثهم. أحسست بغربته وأشفقت عليه محاولة الضرب بجذوره في بلاد كالبلاد العربية.
March 9, 2020
What a jumble, but a most useful jumble.
Johnson-Davies couldn't settle down to school, after he was sent back to England at 14. He had grown up in Egypt, Sudan, Uganda and Kenya . Finding Latin and Greek too hard, he asked to study Arabic (!). A rather helter-skelter education, interrupted by the war, which he spent translating for the war effort, ended him up in Egypt, where he lived for much of his life (save for a mid-career stint as a lawyer back in England).
Being a non-conformist, living in poor digs rather than amongst the ex-pats, and probably quite charming, he came to know everybody writing in Arabic for fifty years or more. He drank countless cup of coffee in street cafes, discussing literature with men who were already, or would become famous across the Middle East. He translated Naguib Mafouz, Tayeb Salih, Mahmud Darwish and dozens of others.
Johnson-Davies was a tireless promoter of Arabic literature, especially in translation. He started the Arabic Authors series at Heinemann. (This was similar to the Heinemann African writers series, but unfortunately the Arabic series didn't last and now I can't even find a list of the series titles on line.) He started and edited at least one journal devoted to Arabic literature, and was always looking for venues for the stories he translated. He also published several anthologies of translated Arabic short stories.
But as I said, the book is a jumble. It very much sounds like transcripts of conversations he had with someone eliciting his memories, because his mind jumps from one topic and era to another. Then it circles back thirty pages later, and forty and fifty pages later.
But as a source of authors to pursue, it is absolutely worth the price of admission. So many names and anecdotes from 1940 through 2000 that don't get mentioned in the usual lists that focus on Mahfouz, Salih, and Darwish (such as Tawfiq al-Hakim, Haha Hussein, Yahya Hakki, Yusuf Idris, Tawfic Sayigh, Ghassan Kanafani). The focus is on Egypt, but Johnson-Davies knew authors from Lebanon, Tunisia, Sudan, the gulf, etc etc. There are years of reading here. I have it on order for reference. (borrowed an ebook from the library to read it.)
Johnson-Davies couldn't settle down to school, after he was sent back to England at 14. He had grown up in Egypt, Sudan, Uganda and Kenya . Finding Latin and Greek too hard, he asked to study Arabic (!). A rather helter-skelter education, interrupted by the war, which he spent translating for the war effort, ended him up in Egypt, where he lived for much of his life (save for a mid-career stint as a lawyer back in England).
Being a non-conformist, living in poor digs rather than amongst the ex-pats, and probably quite charming, he came to know everybody writing in Arabic for fifty years or more. He drank countless cup of coffee in street cafes, discussing literature with men who were already, or would become famous across the Middle East. He translated Naguib Mafouz, Tayeb Salih, Mahmud Darwish and dozens of others.
Johnson-Davies was a tireless promoter of Arabic literature, especially in translation. He started the Arabic Authors series at Heinemann. (This was similar to the Heinemann African writers series, but unfortunately the Arabic series didn't last and now I can't even find a list of the series titles on line.) He started and edited at least one journal devoted to Arabic literature, and was always looking for venues for the stories he translated. He also published several anthologies of translated Arabic short stories.
But as I said, the book is a jumble. It very much sounds like transcripts of conversations he had with someone eliciting his memories, because his mind jumps from one topic and era to another. Then it circles back thirty pages later, and forty and fifty pages later.
But as a source of authors to pursue, it is absolutely worth the price of admission. So many names and anecdotes from 1940 through 2000 that don't get mentioned in the usual lists that focus on Mahfouz, Salih, and Darwish (such as Tawfiq al-Hakim, Haha Hussein, Yahya Hakki, Yusuf Idris, Tawfic Sayigh, Ghassan Kanafani). The focus is on Egypt, but Johnson-Davies knew authors from Lebanon, Tunisia, Sudan, the gulf, etc etc. There are years of reading here. I have it on order for reference. (borrowed an ebook from the library to read it.)
January 1, 2011
I started off my new year by reading a book from cover to cover. Today is Saturday and so I have decided to set this insane behavior as my 2011 personal theme: each Saturday morning I'll read a short book in its entirety. Just for kicks.
This particular book is one i've meant to have read for quite some time. It is the short memoir of one of the foremost translators of modern Arabic literature into English and for that reason, this is not a book for everyone, but definitely a book for me. :D
I enjoyed reading it, almost entirely for selfish reasons: reading about his fits and starts trying to learn Arabic in the first place assuaged my nagging guilt that I don't spend enough time devoted to Arabic though I'd very much like to. So I was delighted to read that despite finishing his Cambridge degree having "passed adequately in Arabic and did well in Persian..." no one bothered to see if Johnson-Davies had understood anything in a news bulletin he had listened to during an interview for a position with the nascent Arabic section of the BBC in the late-1930s. In fact, he confessed that he "had scarcely understood a word."
No one checked his comprehension, because none of the British folk running the show themselves spoke or understood Arabic. This is one of the main themes running through this slim volume--translation is necessary because so few English-speakers learn Arabic, yet at the same time, that very situation renders the whole project of translating modern Arabic literature extraordinarily difficult. He noted ruefully that "apart from some twenty Arabs, not a soul in the Arabic section of the BBC could be said to have more than a superficial command of the language" and asked how could it be that Britain had "acquired this great empire, which included a large number of people whose native language was Arabic, yet appeared to boast virtually no one who knew the language?" Today's Americans will surely recognize themselves in this.
So it seems obvious that with so few speakers of Arabic among native English-speakers, a few good and capable translators would make all the difference in bridging the gap. But it's not easy, since translation is not just about language, but it's also about culture. Johnson-Davies makes an interesting observation that in the mid- to late-twentieth century, most Arabic writers, with a few exceptions, did not know any foreigners, had never traveled outside their places of origin, and had not been exposed to any foreign language--this made their writing very insular and exceptionally difficult to translate into something people in a Western culture with little to no experience with the Arab world could understand, relate to, or find interesting, literary merits notwithstanding.
Then of course there is the problem of the various versions of colloquial Arabic that exist across the Arab world and the question of whether colloquial should be used in literature. Johnson-Davies tended to disagree with some Arab writers who thought colloquial was not appropriate for use in literary writing, because he was of the mind that classical Arabic is ill-suited for conveying humor, which happens to exist in spades in the Arab world.
This memoir is barely linear--he talks a little bit about his early childhood and how his interest in Arabic began, and then he tells us about going to university, and of his problems as a young adult finding work while avoiding the trap of a career, but other than that, he moves around quite a bit in his memories, almost as if he is interviewing himself. We don't see the questions, but we can guess what they are, for example: Who are the greatest modern writers and did you translate their work, why or why not? How did you get to know these writers and did you become friends? Which publishers have had success publishing translated Arabic literature and what was your role in that? How did you get into writing children's stories in English for children of Arab descent?
Johnson-Davies had a quite interesting life, but i'm not sure that his memoirs would be terribly engaging for people with no interest in Arabic literature. I think also that this book would be a little difficult for people with no background in the modern history of the Arab world. He occasionally alludes to historical events, but it's really up to the reader to already be aware of political conditions in the various countries where he lived and traveled. So basically, this book is not universal. A very specific audience, of which i consider myself to be part, will enjoy this book and take something away from reading it.
He has a nice message for would-be translators at the very end. Translating is a thankless (he provides plenty of anecdotes about that), underpaid (he makes it very clear he does not do it for the money) profession, but absolutely necessary, making it perhaps one of the noblest out there. He asks us to consider,
Where would the cultural world be without its translators? How is it that we have all had access to HOmer and the writings of the ancient Greeks, to books such as "The Epic of Gilgamesh," to the Russians, Cervantes, Proust, Pessoa, and so on.
And then he reminds us that translators of Arabic today definitely live in the wrong era because,
The early Arabs, it seems, showed greater appreciation for their translators; it is recorded that in early Abbasid times the famous Honein ibn Ishaq was paid a handsome monthly salary and that the caliph Ma'mun rewarded him with the weight of gold of the books he had translated.
This particular book is one i've meant to have read for quite some time. It is the short memoir of one of the foremost translators of modern Arabic literature into English and for that reason, this is not a book for everyone, but definitely a book for me. :D
I enjoyed reading it, almost entirely for selfish reasons: reading about his fits and starts trying to learn Arabic in the first place assuaged my nagging guilt that I don't spend enough time devoted to Arabic though I'd very much like to. So I was delighted to read that despite finishing his Cambridge degree having "passed adequately in Arabic and did well in Persian..." no one bothered to see if Johnson-Davies had understood anything in a news bulletin he had listened to during an interview for a position with the nascent Arabic section of the BBC in the late-1930s. In fact, he confessed that he "had scarcely understood a word."
No one checked his comprehension, because none of the British folk running the show themselves spoke or understood Arabic. This is one of the main themes running through this slim volume--translation is necessary because so few English-speakers learn Arabic, yet at the same time, that very situation renders the whole project of translating modern Arabic literature extraordinarily difficult. He noted ruefully that "apart from some twenty Arabs, not a soul in the Arabic section of the BBC could be said to have more than a superficial command of the language" and asked how could it be that Britain had "acquired this great empire, which included a large number of people whose native language was Arabic, yet appeared to boast virtually no one who knew the language?" Today's Americans will surely recognize themselves in this.
So it seems obvious that with so few speakers of Arabic among native English-speakers, a few good and capable translators would make all the difference in bridging the gap. But it's not easy, since translation is not just about language, but it's also about culture. Johnson-Davies makes an interesting observation that in the mid- to late-twentieth century, most Arabic writers, with a few exceptions, did not know any foreigners, had never traveled outside their places of origin, and had not been exposed to any foreign language--this made their writing very insular and exceptionally difficult to translate into something people in a Western culture with little to no experience with the Arab world could understand, relate to, or find interesting, literary merits notwithstanding.
Then of course there is the problem of the various versions of colloquial Arabic that exist across the Arab world and the question of whether colloquial should be used in literature. Johnson-Davies tended to disagree with some Arab writers who thought colloquial was not appropriate for use in literary writing, because he was of the mind that classical Arabic is ill-suited for conveying humor, which happens to exist in spades in the Arab world.
This memoir is barely linear--he talks a little bit about his early childhood and how his interest in Arabic began, and then he tells us about going to university, and of his problems as a young adult finding work while avoiding the trap of a career, but other than that, he moves around quite a bit in his memories, almost as if he is interviewing himself. We don't see the questions, but we can guess what they are, for example: Who are the greatest modern writers and did you translate their work, why or why not? How did you get to know these writers and did you become friends? Which publishers have had success publishing translated Arabic literature and what was your role in that? How did you get into writing children's stories in English for children of Arab descent?
Johnson-Davies had a quite interesting life, but i'm not sure that his memoirs would be terribly engaging for people with no interest in Arabic literature. I think also that this book would be a little difficult for people with no background in the modern history of the Arab world. He occasionally alludes to historical events, but it's really up to the reader to already be aware of political conditions in the various countries where he lived and traveled. So basically, this book is not universal. A very specific audience, of which i consider myself to be part, will enjoy this book and take something away from reading it.
He has a nice message for would-be translators at the very end. Translating is a thankless (he provides plenty of anecdotes about that), underpaid (he makes it very clear he does not do it for the money) profession, but absolutely necessary, making it perhaps one of the noblest out there. He asks us to consider,
Where would the cultural world be without its translators? How is it that we have all had access to HOmer and the writings of the ancient Greeks, to books such as "The Epic of Gilgamesh," to the Russians, Cervantes, Proust, Pessoa, and so on.
And then he reminds us that translators of Arabic today definitely live in the wrong era because,
The early Arabs, it seems, showed greater appreciation for their translators; it is recorded that in early Abbasid times the famous Honein ibn Ishaq was paid a handsome monthly salary and that the caliph Ma'mun rewarded him with the weight of gold of the books he had translated.
August 8, 2024
I found the book primarily of interest as a repository of names of Arab writers to look into. While Johnson-Davies is admirable as a translator and promotor of Arabic literature, his memoir is likely not of much interest to those without a pre-existing fascination with the Arabic language and the authors who write in it. 2 stars for content with an extra star added for the numerous Arab writers he introduced me to throughout the book.
September 12, 2024
استغرب لم لم يكتب دينيس هذه المذكرات بالعربية وهو المتقن لها!
سيرة تحيي في قلب اي عربي فخره بالانتماء لبلده ودينيس لم يستطع الا العيش بيننا ..
مرور سريع على حياته والتقطات سريعة مع كبار الادب العرب حتى انه التقى بالدكتور عبد السلام العجيلي وحنان الشيخ
الترجمة فن .. هكذا آمن ديفيز وهي فعلا كذلك
سيرة تحيي في قلب اي عربي فخره بالانتماء لبلده ودينيس لم يستطع الا العيش بيننا ..
مرور سريع على حياته والتقطات سريعة مع كبار الادب العرب حتى انه التقى بالدكتور عبد السلام العجيلي وحنان الشيخ
الترجمة فن .. هكذا آمن ديفيز وهي فعلا كذلك
January 15, 2017
"Translation is an art that requires considerably more than simply having a knowledge of two different languages"
This little inspiring expression tells you how I was joyful while I was reading this book.
How do you think reading book that is written by one who spends most of his life traveling around Arab world?! What do you think about reading a book that tells you real stories with Najeeb Mahfouz, Yousef Idris, Tyeb Saleh, and other great writers in the Arab world?! Do you want to read how Nobel Prize chose Najeeb Mahfouz?
This book tells you more and more regardless its little size. Johnson-Davies translates more than 25 Arabic books into English, including some verses of Quran and the Prophet's says, and narrates some of what we called it behind the scenes. He mentions some Arabists who study Arabic language and literature and contribute to the knowledge some great works.
This little inspiring expression tells you how I was joyful while I was reading this book.
How do you think reading book that is written by one who spends most of his life traveling around Arab world?! What do you think about reading a book that tells you real stories with Najeeb Mahfouz, Yousef Idris, Tyeb Saleh, and other great writers in the Arab world?! Do you want to read how Nobel Prize chose Najeeb Mahfouz?
This book tells you more and more regardless its little size. Johnson-Davies translates more than 25 Arabic books into English, including some verses of Quran and the Prophet's says, and narrates some of what we called it behind the scenes. He mentions some Arabists who study Arabic language and literature and contribute to the knowledge some great works.
March 19, 2024
"ذكريات في الترجمة"
حياة بين خطوط الأدب العربي
المترجم البريطاني دينيس جونسون رائد الترجمة من اللغة العربية إلي اللغة الإنجليزية، يخبرنا دينيس في مذكراته عن بداية معرفته باللغة العربية في طفولته في الفترة التي قضاها في القاهرة و وداي حلفا بالسودان كان ينتقل مع والده وفقا لظروف عمله، كان موظف في الحكومة البريطانية، في الثانية عشر من عمره يجبره الأطباء علي العودة إلى إنجلترا يكمل دينيس المشوار ويلتحق بكلية الدراسات الشرقية ومن بعدها جامعة كامبريدج لدراسة اللغة العربية.
انتقل إلي العمل في هيئة الإذاعة البريطانية لمدة خمس سنوات قبل أن يقدم استقالته بعد أن قدم في وظيفة في المجلس البريطاني في القاهرة لتدريس الترجمة العربية، أول من بحث عنه كان ال��اقد والكاتب لويس عوض والذي كان تعرف عليه في كمبريدج ومن خلاله تعرف علي كثير من المثقفين، ويحضر معه الندوات.
أول ترجمه عمل عليها كانت مجموعة قصصية لمحمود تيمور والذي رأي منه تشجيع ودعم لشباب الكتاب، وكان إدوارد الخياط أيضا مشجع عظيم للمواهب الشابة فقام بتقديم إبراهيم أصلان و البساطي و يحي الطاهر عبد الله، وتعرف علي توفيق الحكيم وكان يجلس معه علي مقهي ريتيز، ترجم له مجموعة من المسرحيات وأولها كان ياطالع الشجرة.
مابين عامي ١٩٤٥ و ١٩٤٩ يتعرف علي نجيب محفوظ وكان يجلس معه علي المقاهي واول ترجمه كانت معه لرواية همس الجنون، ويحكي عن فوز نجيب محفوظ بجائزة نوبل وحين سألته زوجة السفير الفرنسي في تونس عن رأيه في الأسماء التي قدمتها لجنة منح جائزة نوبل عن مجموعة من الكتاب العرب وقام بترشيح اسم نجيب محفوظ وكان معه في القائمة الشاعر أدونيس، يوسف إدريس، الطيب صالح.
يقول عن يحيي حقي أنه كان أقرب الأصدقاء له، كان يعتمد عليه كثيرا في سنواته الأولي في القاهرة.
في بغداد يزور صديقه الذي تعرف عليه لاول مرة في كامبريدج الروائي جبرا إبراهيم جبرا أثناء عمله ممثل الشرق الأوسط لأحد الشركات التي تطبع الاوراق النقدية، ويتحدث عن موهبة جبرا في الشعر والرواية وحتي النقد.
وحديث عن الطيب صالح و يحي الطاهر عبد الله و غسان كنفاني والشاعر بدر شاكر السياب،
تحدث عن مشروعه وهو إنتاج مجلد من القصص العربية المأخوذة من أنحاء العالم العربي الحديث إلي الغرب، وعن المشاكل التي قابلها ليجد ناشر لتلك المجموعة، والسنوات التي قضاها في كتابة مجموعة من كتب للأطفال،وعن عمله مترجم وهو حلم رواده منذ أن كان صبي.
توفي جونسون ودفن في مصر أحب البلاد العربية لقلبه ، اختار قرية تونس بالفيوم وبني بها منزل كان يقضي به فترة الصيف
حياة بين خطوط الأدب العربي
المترجم البريطاني دينيس جونسون رائد الترجمة من اللغة العربية إلي اللغة الإنجليزية، يخبرنا دينيس في مذكراته عن بداية معرفته باللغة العربية في طفولته في الفترة التي قضاها في القاهرة و وداي حلفا بالسودان كان ينتقل مع والده وفقا لظروف عمله، كان موظف في الحكومة البريطانية، في الثانية عشر من عمره يجبره الأطباء علي العودة إلى إنجلترا يكمل دينيس المشوار ويلتحق بكلية الدراسات الشرقية ومن بعدها جامعة كامبريدج لدراسة اللغة العربية.
انتقل إلي العمل في هيئة الإذاعة البريطانية لمدة خمس سنوات قبل أن يقدم استقالته بعد أن قدم في وظيفة في المجلس البريطاني في القاهرة لتدريس الترجمة العربية، أول من بحث عنه كان ال��اقد والكاتب لويس عوض والذي كان تعرف عليه في كمبريدج ومن خلاله تعرف علي كثير من المثقفين، ويحضر معه الندوات.
أول ترجمه عمل عليها كانت مجموعة قصصية لمحمود تيمور والذي رأي منه تشجيع ودعم لشباب الكتاب، وكان إدوارد الخياط أيضا مشجع عظيم للمواهب الشابة فقام بتقديم إبراهيم أصلان و البساطي و يحي الطاهر عبد الله، وتعرف علي توفيق الحكيم وكان يجلس معه علي مقهي ريتيز، ترجم له مجموعة من المسرحيات وأولها كان ياطالع الشجرة.
مابين عامي ١٩٤٥ و ١٩٤٩ يتعرف علي نجيب محفوظ وكان يجلس معه علي المقاهي واول ترجمه كانت معه لرواية همس الجنون، ويحكي عن فوز نجيب محفوظ بجائزة نوبل وحين سألته زوجة السفير الفرنسي في تونس عن رأيه في الأسماء التي قدمتها لجنة منح جائزة نوبل عن مجموعة من الكتاب العرب وقام بترشيح اسم نجيب محفوظ وكان معه في القائمة الشاعر أدونيس، يوسف إدريس، الطيب صالح.
يقول عن يحيي حقي أنه كان أقرب الأصدقاء له، كان يعتمد عليه كثيرا في سنواته الأولي في القاهرة.
في بغداد يزور صديقه الذي تعرف عليه لاول مرة في كامبريدج الروائي جبرا إبراهيم جبرا أثناء عمله ممثل الشرق الأوسط لأحد الشركات التي تطبع الاوراق النقدية، ويتحدث عن موهبة جبرا في الشعر والرواية وحتي النقد.
وحديث عن الطيب صالح و يحي الطاهر عبد الله و غسان كنفاني والشاعر بدر شاكر السياب،
تحدث عن مشروعه وهو إنتاج مجلد من القصص العربية المأخوذة من أنحاء العالم العربي الحديث إلي الغرب، وعن المشاكل التي قابلها ليجد ناشر لتلك المجموعة، والسنوات التي قضاها في كتابة مجموعة من كتب للأطفال،وعن عمله مترجم وهو حلم رواده منذ أن كان صبي.
توفي جونسون ودفن في مصر أحب البلاد العربية لقلبه ، اختار قرية تونس بالفيوم وبني بها منزل كان يقضي به فترة الصيف
May 16, 2024
ثلاث نجوم لأن الكاتب بدل أن يركز حديثه عن الترجمة والتي هي الهدف الرئيسي من الكتاب إلا أنّه تحدث كثيراً عن رحلاته.. وتعرفه على الأدباء.. وظروف تلك المعرفة..، وحديثه عن الترجمة كان قليل(رأيي الشخصي).
September 2, 2024
إزاي كتاب عن مُترجِم، يكون ترجمته بهذه الرداءة؟
من إملاء، لنحو، لتركيبات لغوية، لاختيار ألفاظ، عار والله على الرتبة الأكاديمية للمُترجِم، وعلى وجود مراجِع كان هيعمل شغل أحسن من كدا لو كان كفيف.
من إملاء، لنحو، لتركيبات لغوية، لاختيار ألفاظ، عار والله على الرتبة الأكاديمية للمُترجِم، وعلى وجود مراجِع كان هيعمل شغل أحسن من كدا لو كان كفيف.
September 20, 2025
ذكريات رائعة وثرية جداً! كأن جونسون دايفيز قد قابل كل الادباء المصريين المجهولين قبل المعروفين!
وفي هذه الذكريات تجسيد لهمة المترجم القارئ، فالمترجم قارئٌ أولاً
وفي هذه الذكريات تجسيد لهمة المترجم القارئ، فالمترجم قارئٌ أولاً
July 12, 2020
I've translated few chapters of this book into Arabic.
As a translator myself, I have but respect to such a man. This respect is not based upon his traductorial skills (I in fact didn't have the chance to read any of translations yet) but the fact that he made a name for himself when it is a rare luxury for any translator to have.
Anyway this book was an enjoyable read, not particularly inspiring however. It's a human experience of a man that was lucky to meet great men and contribute in making their greatness known and accessible to a larger stretch of audience; which in return makes him inevitably great.
As a translator myself, I have but respect to such a man. This respect is not based upon his traductorial skills (I in fact didn't have the chance to read any of translations yet) but the fact that he made a name for himself when it is a rare luxury for any translator to have.
Anyway this book was an enjoyable read, not particularly inspiring however. It's a human experience of a man that was lucky to meet great men and contribute in making their greatness known and accessible to a larger stretch of audience; which in return makes him inevitably great.
April 20, 2014
A brief tour through the world of Arabic literature in translation, as seen through the eyes and career of one of its most prolific English translators. Johnson-Davies does not try to provide a deep analysis of different literary themes or traditions in the Arab-speaking lands, and this is also not a detailed autobiography. Nevertheless, the arc of his career and his interactions with some of the region's most distinguished writers offer insights into how difficult it has been to attract readership for Arabic-language works in other lands and how both the Arabic literary scene and the world as a whole is the poorer for this neglect. I was particularly struck by the author's comment that for most of his career, he had to earn his actual living through jobs in other fields like journalism or consulting, while translating was simply a hobby that paid virtually nothing in return for the amount of effort invested in it. Some of his tales of translation problems or conflicts with different bureaucracies are also quite funny, although at times one wishes for a bit more detail on either his own work or those parts of the Arabic literary tradition that are less visible to readers in translation. This is a quick but entertaining read, especially for anyone who has already read some of the translated authors and volumes that are referred to in the book.
November 1, 2018
Jaguh Utama Terjemahan Bahasa Arab-Inggeris Zaman Ini.
Membaca memoir beliau, saya sangat bersetuju dengan pujian Edward Said kepada beliau: “The leading Arabic-English translator of our time.”
Mana tidaknya, beliau adalah orang yang berjasa besar memperkenalkan karya-karya sasterawan, karyawan, penulis dan penyair Arab kepada dunia.
Beliau juga pakar yang dirujuk oleh penganjur Hadiah Nobel untuk kategori sastera pada tahun 1988.
Ada cerita di sebalik cerita bagaimana Naguib Mahfouz yang menang mengatasi beberapa calon yang lain.
Selamat membaca!
Membaca memoir beliau, saya sangat bersetuju dengan pujian Edward Said kepada beliau: “The leading Arabic-English translator of our time.”
Mana tidaknya, beliau adalah orang yang berjasa besar memperkenalkan karya-karya sasterawan, karyawan, penulis dan penyair Arab kepada dunia.
Beliau juga pakar yang dirujuk oleh penganjur Hadiah Nobel untuk kategori sastera pada tahun 1988.
Ada cerita di sebalik cerita bagaimana Naguib Mahfouz yang menang mengatasi beberapa calon yang lain.
Selamat membaca!
August 2, 2008
I am a huge admirer of Mr. Johnson-Davies (in fact I am attempting to collect each of the titles he has translated) and was thrilled to see he wrote about his unconventional personal life. The book was a fascinating account of his encounters with Arab authors over the years and how he became such a prolific translator but I would have loved to have read more about his personal life and reflections.
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