Cannibal Translation Volume 44: Literary Reciprocity in Contemporary Latin America

Cannibal translators in Latin America use collaborative techniques to create a distinct Latin American literary exchange that rejects normative and Anglocentric approaches to translation. Isabel C. Gómez's book explores innovative strategies of collectivity and process, such as untranslation, transcreation, intersectional autobiographical translation, and transpeaking, and invites readers to find fresh meaning in other translational histories.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 328 pages
Publication date: 30 June 2023
Publisher: Northwestern University Press

Cannibal translators are a breed of literary artists who engage in a unique form of literary production. They consume, recombine, transform, and trouble their source materials, pushing the boundaries of traditional translation practices. Isabel C. Gómez, in her groundbreaking work, advocates for this model of literary production by excavating a network of translation projects in Latin America. This network includes canonical writers of the twentieth century, such as Haroldo and Augusto de Campos, Rosario Castellanos, Clarice Lispector, José Emilio Pacheco, Octavio Paz, and Angel RÁma. These authors, inspired by Brazilian theories of translation in Spanish, sought to fashion a distinctively Latin American literary exchange that rejected normative and Anglocentric approaches to translation. Instead, they developed collaborative techniques to bring about a new understanding of world literature.

By shedding new light on the political and aesthetic pathways of translation movements beyond the Global North, Gómez offers an alternative conception of the theoretical and ethical challenges posed by this artistic practice. Cannibal Translation: Literary Reciprocity in Contemporary Latin America is a rich and comprehensive study that mobilizes a vast archive of personal letters, publishers records, newspapers, and new media. Through this rich material, Gómez illuminates inventive strategies of collectivity and process, such as untranslation, transcreation, intersectional autobiographical translation, and transpeaking. The book invites readers to find fresh meaning in other translational histories and question the practices that mediate literary circulation.

In conclusion, Cannibal Translation: Literary Reciprocity in Contemporary Latin America is a groundbreaking work that challenges our understanding of translation and literature. By exploring the creative potential of translations that embrace mutuality and resist assimilation, Gómez offers an alternative conception of literary production that is both innovative and ethically responsible. This book will be of interest to scholars, translators, and anyone who is passionate about the power of language to shape our world.

Weight: 468g
Dimension: 153 x 228 x 22 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780810145955