Mary Elliot, 3/25 Readings

 On the newspaper coverage:

• The issue with Rijneveld seems to be twofold. First that Gorman herslef selected Rijeveld (Guardian article), as "a fellow young writer who had also come to fame early." The second part of the issue is that apparently (NY Times article) there were several qualified Black spoken word poets who were overlooked for the opportunity. What is unclear to me is whether Gorman was given a list from the publisher that excluded those poets and she chose Rijneveld from that list, or whether she herself suggested Rijneveld out of previous acquaintance with their work/Booker prize. If the issue is that she was given a list or something that excluded Black spoken word poets, that's clearly a significant injustice. But if she chose the writer herself based on the excellence of their work, we've drastically assigned an "otherness" to Gorman's identity that is unnecessary. 
• The NY Times article also mentioned that German translators took a group approach, which seems to safeguard some of the mistakes (eg, the Morrison example) that could happen in translating Black American literature in contexts without slavery.
• Finally, I really appreciate the format of the Patel and Youssef piece. I appreciated so many of the perspectives of translators they quoted. I do think the heart of the issue comes through with one, in particular, "I am a writer as well as a translator, which I like to think means I approach language with a lot of intention. I would even go so far as to say that I approach it with more intention than white writers and translators, if only because my claims of mastery over it are always tenuous, always being called into question." I think what all of us hope for in a translator is someone who understands the untranslatability of the piece on some level, but who also believes in the power of this piece as a worthy piece of literature, which means its plurality of meanings can resonate in other languages. I think the most essential thing is that the translator comes to the project with the intention of care and an awareness of limits. 
• Lastly, I think the question of access and the notes about the Iowa program's inability to recruit minority students is extremely important. This question -- I think -- applies to class differences as well.