By Admin
Simsim is Geet Chaturvedi’s first novel, it is also Anita Gopalan’s first translation of a novel. The duo talk about the book, what influenced the writing and how the translation came to be, in this piece.
The first language I heard and learned in my life was Sindhi. My upbringing took place in the midst of Sindhi culture, its cuisine, folktales and folk songs. I grew up listening to elderly Sindhi people talk about the Partition and the pain endured by the Sindhis afterward, as well as the anguish of their wanderings as refugees. Later, when I delved into Partition literature, I realized that it depicted the suffering of the Punjabi community but didn’t mention the agony of the Sindhis, which I had heard about all my childhood. So, I can say that from my younger days, I cherished a creative dream that one day, I would write the neglected story of Sindhi refugees. At the age of twenty, I wrote a long poem on this - Sindhu Library! Since then, this subject has journeyed along with me in various forms.
Just as some European writers believe that no matter how much is written about Auschwitz, it is not enough, I feel that no matter how much is written about the partition, it is still less. The memory of a tragedy keeps testing our humanity. After all, the framework of our present has also been shaped by the events of 1947-48.
There exists no other world for me apart from books and literature. When I was young, I read a poem by Safdar Hashmi— 'Books Want to Tell You Something.' It deeply influenced me. Since then, I have felt that books, too, are living things, just like us. The bond we forge with books parallels the ones we share with fellow human beings and our beloved animals. A good book teaches us to live, to think, to be alone or to be part of something. Amos Oz wrote in his autobiography that he wanted to become a book when he grew up, while Jorge Luis Borges mused, “When writers die they become books, which is, after all, not too bad an incarnation.” I believe in what Safdar, Oz, and Borges say. My room is filled with dead writers and books reborn. One day, I, too, will transform into one of them.
I am drawn to writing that questions the never-ending monotony of existence in new ways. My list of favorite and inspirational authors is extensive; I can't mention everyone. Nevertheless, I shall definitely acknowledge four authors - Borges, Marquez, Coetzee, Pamuk. I have forged my own canon from the first two letters of their names - BoMaCoPa. For my creative dilemmas and problems, I turn to BoMaCoPa for potential solutions.
'Simsim' is my first full-length novel. However, prior to this, I have already written six novellas that are collected in two books. Currently, I am working on my second novel.
I'm privileged to work with Geet Chaturvedi, one of the finest writers. This eliminates the need to find projects. My selection from his diverse body of work is based on first, my personal enjoyment of the text; second, its potential to shine in English; and third, the level of challenge it presents. Quite often, I translate just the opening lines, to get that motive force, the right feel, I proceed only if I’m happy with the first lines. Genres don’t matter, I love to translate fiction, nonfiction and poetry, though my heart leans ever so slightly towards poetry. I opted for Simsim precisely because it posed a considerable challenge, with fiction merging into poetry and with its unique language, music, and rhythm. I have an affinity for texts rich in culturally grounded dialogs and sensory imagery.
I opted for Simsim precisely because it posed a considerable challenge, with fiction merging into poetry and with its unique language, music, and rhythm. I have an affinity for texts rich in culturally grounded dialogs and sensory imagery.
My interactions with Geet’s poetry remind me of what Nabokov said on the challenges of translating Pushkin’s Eugene Onegin:
I traveled down your secret stem,
And reached the root, and fed upon it;
Then, in a language newly learned,
I grew another stalk and turned
Your stanza patterned on a sonnet,
Into my honest roadside prose --
All thorn, but cousin to your rose.
The funny part is I started my translation journey with Geet’s poems, which is a very difficult place to be in the beginning—although I admit Geet’s free verse helps me translate with greater freedom and innovation. There is a magnetic internal energy in the poems. So, the main focus has always been to grasp that intangible desirable dynamism through language.
I’d also like to mention that my reading of this poet has refined my reading of the pieces by earlier poets
Three translations I love (usually, I don’t differentiate between original English works and translations) are, aside from the usual suspects:
I’d also like to mention that my reading of this poet has refined my reading of the pieces by earlier poets
The energetic and glorious translation, evoking an entire cultural period. I return to this book often.
I can’t praise enough this translation of the Kannada saints. Simple, powerful, experimental and very very readable that inspired Ted Hughes to create his version of these translated vacanas.
The hypnotic repetitive rants, no para breaks and long sentences translated masterfully—I can spend hours reading it, or any Bernhard book.
Right now, I'm juggling two fiction works at the same time. There's Gomutra, a dark humor, and Savant Aunty ki Ladakiyan, which is three novellas in one, packed with Marathi-infused dialogs. I'm also dabbling in a bit of nonfiction on the side.
Hopefully it won't be long before the next translation sees the light of day.
