1st Edition
The Renaissance of Women Translators in 19th-Century Greece
This volume offers an in-depth exploration of the translation activity of Greek women translators in the nineteenth century, illuminating the role of translation as a means of resistance against sociocultural norms and the enduring impact of their work on the rise of feminism in Greece.
Drawing on frameworks from the sociology of translation, the book situates the practices and behaviours of women translators within this specific sociocultural and historical context to underscore the importance of translation in their lives and society. Drawing on authentic texts, including dedication letters and prologues, Misiou unpacks the discourses, themes, strategies, and dialogues individual translators employed to affirm a sense of agency in their claims to education and civil rights, their role in cultural life as producers of texts, and to give greater voice to the wider community of women translators. The volume showcases women translators as agents and mediators of cultural and social change and active contributors to the theory and practice of translation, expanding theoretical discourse on gender and translation and offering directions for future research.
This book will be of particular interest to scholars in translation studies, particularly those with an interest in translation and gender, feminist translation studies, and translation history.
Contents
Introduction
1 The Long and Thorny Road to Intellectual Revival
2 Far from Being Mere Dilettantes
3 Under the Guise of Common Good
4 Quenching the Thirst for a New Identity and Life
Conclusion
Index
Biography
Vasiliki Misiou is Assistant Professor in the Department of Translation and Intercultural Studies at the School of English, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece. As a professional translator she has collaborated with several institutions and publishing houses. Her publications and research interests focus on gender and/in translation, theatre translation, literary translation, paratexts and translation, as well as translation and semiotics. She is currently co-editing two volumes on translation across media (Routledge, forthcoming).
This invaluable compendium is the culmination of an enormous amount of archaeological work done to identify, read, analyse and present the women translators of 19th Greece. It presents knowledge heretofore unavailable about these translators, the contexts in which they were active, the obstacles they overcame and the strategies and translations they developed to participate in the cultural environments of their time. A first in the history of literary translation in Greece, this book will serve as an inspiration to scholars in many other cultures.
- Luise von Flotow, University of Ottawa, Canada
This wonderfully energetic study creates a vivid panorama of Greek women’s translation activities in the nineteenth century. Meticulous research and an unwavering focus on women’s lives bring an important chapter of intellectual history to life.
- Sherry Simon, Concordia University, Canada
