Translated Tuesday – Wherever I Lie Is Your Bed

After spending the last few months consciously trying to read translated books, I found the newest anthology by Center for the Art of Translation, Wherever I Lie Is Your Bed, the perfect introduction to translated literature from around the world.  The anthology is a mixture of short stories, book excerpts, and poems.  The works are stellar; one after another capturing a haunting moment, the beauty of a life, the isolation of a life alone.  Each story embodies an intimacy that some people believe cannot be translated from one language to another.  When I read a translated book, I often feel like the translator is a person in the corner watching me, knowing but silent.  I poured over the translators introductions to each entry finally feeling like an essential person in my experience was finally given voice.  As a result, I’m excited to ask one of the translators from Wherever I Lie Is Your Bed, Alison Anderson, a few questions.

Alison translated one of the most beautiful pieces of writing I have read in a long time, “The Lady in White” by Christian Bobin.  Whenever anyone mentions lyrical writing again, I’ll think of this piece.  I loved the writing so much, I bought the only other book by Bobin that I could find in English, The Very Lowly: A Meditation on Francis of Assisi.  Here are some of Alison’s thoughts on translations and, of course, bookstores:

1.  The writing in The Lady in White is so lyrical, how much leeway do you give yourself between the literal meaning versus the sound and the poetry of the writing?  Which do you believe is most important of the two?

I think, in the case of Bobin, I would always lean toward the lyrical. However, because of the clarity and evocative simplicity of his writing, there is rarely a conflict between the literal meaning and the sound and poetry. English being far less poetic than French, it’s sometimes a stretch, but I’ve usually found satisfactory solutions.

2.  Are you (or most translators) equally comfortable in both languages, and if not, is it better to be the native speaker of the original work or the translated one?

I would say I am equally comfortable in both languages, at least for speaking and understanding, but I would hesitate to write in French, for example… good translators, literary or otherwise, should always translate toward their native language i.e. the one they would write their own fiction in…

3.  Do you work with the author of the book?  If so, how is the author a valuable resource for you?

On some books I have worked with the author, on others not. I have corresponded with Christian Bobin but not with questions about the text. The author can be an invaluable resource when things aren’t clear or if you need permission to go with a certain odd word or concept that’s different from the original. Where it gets delicate is when they try to intervene too enthusiastically in the English, and you have to start explaining how English works in order to defend a choice of word or tense…You walk a fine line between needing their help when something is not clear, and keeping the text safely in English, in your own idiom.

4.  Before translating The Lady in White, did you feel you needed to know anything more about Emily Dickinson than is already provided in the book?

 Oddly enough I had never felt drawn to Emily Dickinson as a poet, and this text changed that for me, because of the way we perceive her through Bobin’s words. It made me want to go back and re-read the poetry, learn more about her life. I think however that I didn’t want to interfere with Bobin’s own understanding of her biography, so I didn’t explore it on my own.
5. What is the publication date for the entire book?

I don’t have a publisher for the entire book; I’m hoping the excerpt in Two Lines might attract a publisher’s attention. On the other hand, two other collections of lyric essays are coming out early next year, published by Autumn Hill Books. I’ll be very proud to see these finally in print. One is called “A Little Party Dress”, the other “I Never Dared Hope for You” . Short pieces on children, nature, love, life, very much in the same gentle, lyrical idiom as The Lady in White.

6.  Is there a bookstore that played a role in fostering your love of books?

I’ve had a schizophrenic relationship with books and bookstores all my life. I moved to Europe when I was quite young, and desperately missed English-language bookstores (trips to England and Foyle’s or Waterstone’s (before it became a chain) were like Christmas in July…) Then when I finally moved back to the States, I missed the French bookstores and whenever I was in France I would send whole boxloads of books back to California. Now I’m again missing the English/American bookstores, while guiltily ordering from Amazon.uk just to find the books I need for work (Swiss bookstores practice a markup of nearly 50% for English-language imported books, so…)… I do have a wonderful little independent bookstore just over the border in Divonne, France, “Page à Page,” and I’m hoping to discover some more treasures to translate there…
7.  Do you have an independent bookstore(s) that you currently visit on a regular basis?

I had three independents when I lived in the Bay Area that I visited on a regular basis, and which also helped me with my own writing career and love of good fiction. One was Stacey’s, on Market Street in San Francisco which closed six months ago; the city won’t be the same without them. I found so much wonderful literature there, even in their bargain basement (Javier Marias, who has become one of my favorite authors). And Book Passage in Corte Madera is another that helped me as a writer and where I’ve also found treasures. Finally the Book Depot was just down the street from where I lived in Mill Valley and I loved stopping in there on a regular basis and I’m sure I did a lot of impulse buying, in addition to drinking coffee and eating ginger scones.
You’ve made me feel very nostalgic! It is hard to work with language and literature and not be  in the country of my native language; but I think it was this very absence of English in my life for so long that made me love it so much, and it fine-tuned my ear…

Thank you Alison!  We’ll see what we can do about finding a bookstore that can ship to you without it costing a fortune!