Francisco de Miranda, intercultural forerunner
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Georges L. Bastin
Abstract
Latin America as a whole is a translation continent, a continent with a transcultural history in which translation has a place of honour. It is not surprising therefore that there have been so many important figures who have translated, encouraged translations and publications of translated books, or reflected on the ways of translating and its impact on the construction of a genuine culture and identity.
This paper highlights the trajectory of the major player and agent of translation during the so-called emancipation period, that is, from the end of the 18th century to the first decades of the 19th century, namely Francisco de Miranda (1750–1816).
The hypothesis of this study is that the real role played by translation in the Hispano-American subcontinent, described and interpreted by a detailed examination of translation content and the acts of translation performed by the ‘agent’ studied here, is that of having contributed to the emancipation movement, to the creation of a national and continental identity, and to the construction of a new culture in the region. The study goes through Miranda’s biographical data and intellectual life and examines Miranda’s translation of Viscardo’sLettre aux Espagnols-américains. It then looks into Miranda’s influence on Latin American intellectuals and revolutionary leaders from his home in London and especially into his role as an agent of propaganda through sponsoring newspapers and books.
Abstract
Latin America as a whole is a translation continent, a continent with a transcultural history in which translation has a place of honour. It is not surprising therefore that there have been so many important figures who have translated, encouraged translations and publications of translated books, or reflected on the ways of translating and its impact on the construction of a genuine culture and identity.
This paper highlights the trajectory of the major player and agent of translation during the so-called emancipation period, that is, from the end of the 18th century to the first decades of the 19th century, namely Francisco de Miranda (1750–1816).
The hypothesis of this study is that the real role played by translation in the Hispano-American subcontinent, described and interpreted by a detailed examination of translation content and the acts of translation performed by the ‘agent’ studied here, is that of having contributed to the emancipation movement, to the creation of a national and continental identity, and to the construction of a new culture in the region. The study goes through Miranda’s biographical data and intellectual life and examines Miranda’s translation of Viscardo’sLettre aux Espagnols-américains. It then looks into Miranda’s influence on Latin American intellectuals and revolutionary leaders from his home in London and especially into his role as an agent of propaganda through sponsoring newspapers and books.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Introduction: Agents of translation and Translation Studies 1
- Francisco de Miranda, intercultural forerunner 19
- Translating cultural paradigms: The role of the Revue Britannique for the first Brazilian fiction writers 43
- Translation as representation: Fukuzawa Yukichi's representation of the "Others" 63
- Vizetelly & Company as (ex)change agent: Towards the modernization of the British publishing industry 85
- Translation within the margin: The "Libraries" of Henry Bohn 107
- Translating Europe: The case of Ahmed Midhat as an Ottoman agent of translation 131
- A cultural agent against the forces of culture: Hasan-Âli Yücel 161
- Limits of freedom: Agency, choice and constraints in the work of the translator 189
- Cheikh Anta Diop: Translation at the service of history 209
- The agency of the poets and the impact of their translations: Sur, Poesía Buenos Aires , and Diario de Poesía as aesthetic arenas for twentieth-century Argentine letters 229
- The role of Haroldo and Augusto de Campos in bringing translation to the fore of literary activity in Brazil 257
- The theatre translator as a cultural agent: A case study 279
- Embassy networks: Translating post-war Bosnian poetry into English 301
- Notes on contributors 327
- Index 331
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Introduction: Agents of translation and Translation Studies 1
- Francisco de Miranda, intercultural forerunner 19
- Translating cultural paradigms: The role of the Revue Britannique for the first Brazilian fiction writers 43
- Translation as representation: Fukuzawa Yukichi's representation of the "Others" 63
- Vizetelly & Company as (ex)change agent: Towards the modernization of the British publishing industry 85
- Translation within the margin: The "Libraries" of Henry Bohn 107
- Translating Europe: The case of Ahmed Midhat as an Ottoman agent of translation 131
- A cultural agent against the forces of culture: Hasan-Âli Yücel 161
- Limits of freedom: Agency, choice and constraints in the work of the translator 189
- Cheikh Anta Diop: Translation at the service of history 209
- The agency of the poets and the impact of their translations: Sur, Poesía Buenos Aires , and Diario de Poesía as aesthetic arenas for twentieth-century Argentine letters 229
- The role of Haroldo and Augusto de Campos in bringing translation to the fore of literary activity in Brazil 257
- The theatre translator as a cultural agent: A case study 279
- Embassy networks: Translating post-war Bosnian poetry into English 301
- Notes on contributors 327
- Index 331
