Translation as Home: A Multilingual Life

Translation as Home is a collection of autobiographical essays by Ilan Stavans that explore his three selves: Mexican, Jewish, and American, and his work in Latin American and Jewish studies. It features conversations with writers, educators, and translators, and emphasizes his work in translation as a mechanism of survival.

Format: Hardback
Length: 372 pages
Publication date: 20 June 2024
Publisher: University of Toronto Press

Ilan Stavans' collection of autobiographical essays, "Translation as Home," powerfully argues that translation is not just a profession but a profound way of life. Born in Mexico City, Stavans is an accomplished essayist, anthologist, literary scholar, translator, and editor. He has navigated multiple linguistic transitions throughout his life, including from Yiddish to Spanish, Hebrew, and English. As a controversial public intellectual, Stavans is recognized as a global expert on hybrid languages and the history of dictionaries. His groundbreaking studies on Spanglish have reshaped numerous academic disciplines, and he has emerged as a leading authority on translation as a means of survival. "Translation as Home" delves into Stavans's three selves: Mexican, Jewish, and American. It showcases his recent essays, some of which have never been published before, exploring the themes of language, identity, and translation, with a particular focus on his work in Latin American and Jewish studies. Additionally, the volume includes conversations between Stavans and writers, educators, and translators, including Regina Galasso, who wrote the introduction and served as the volume's editor.

Weight: 746g
Dimension: 236 x 162 x 31 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781487547929