Constructing Cultures ─ Essays on Literary Translation

Translation Studies is currently one of the fastest growing interdisciplinary subjects in the world. Constructing Cultures brings together for the first time the work of the two translator/scholars who are regarded as founders of this major field of study. This collection of essays continues to develop some of the principal research lines that both have been pursuing in recent years, most specifically the cultural turn in Translation Studies. Among topics discussed are Chinese and Western theories of translation, the limits of translatability, when is a translation not a translation, why cultures develop certain genres at certain times, what is the relationship between Translation Studies and Cultural Studies. Some essays are genre specific, focusing on theatre translation or the translating of poetry, others are devoted to specific case studies, and consider the fortunes of such major writers as Virgil or Brecht in English. Written in the accessible, jargon-free style that characterises the work of Bassnett and Lefevere, this collection of essays will be invaluable to anyone interested in translation and comparative cultural studies.

Susan Bassnett is Professor in the Centre for British and Comparative Cultural Studies at the University of Warwick. Her books include Translation Studies, Comparative Literature: A Critical Introduction and, together with Andre Lefevere, Translation, History and Culture. She is joint editor of the Topics in Translation series. Andre Lefevere (1946-1996) is one of the world's leading figures in Translation Studies. His many books include Translation Poetry: Seven Strategies and a Blueprint and Translation, Rewriting and the Manipulation of Literary Fame.