Confessions of a Madman by Leïla Sebbar
Today, we'd like to present you a small book containing a powerful story: Confessions of a Madman, by Leïla Sebbar. Published in France in 2011, it is now out in the United Kingdom thanks to translator Rachel Crovello and publisher Dalkey Archive Press!
'Confessions of a Madman personalizes the struggle of a civil war by following the fragmentation and irreversible separation of a single family. Written in alternating flashbacks and descriptions of a man’s present, Sebbar delivers a modern fable for adults: a tale of familial disorientation, identity, violence, and morality. A young man observes his mother losing her mind while waiting for her murdered husband to return home. Despite his estrangement from his father, the son vows to avenge his father’s death by murdering his father’s killers. In delving into his father’s past, he discovers his role in an unsuccessful revolt and soon finds himself following in his father’s footsteps. This book addresses the meaningfulness of cultural traditions, their origins, and their potential contemporary repercussions when juxtaposed with a modern context of event'
Who is the author, LEÏLA SEBBAR ?
Leïla Sebbar was born in 1941 to an Algerian father and a French mother. Much of her literature involves the relationship between France and Algeria, including direct juxtaposition of imagery related to both countries in order to highlight the differing cultures. A unique quality of her work is her penchant for keeping her characters unnamed. The anonymous, mysterious quality of her writing allows a wider relation to all who seek asylum.
What about the translator, RACHEL CROVELLO ?
Rachel Crovello is a young 2015 graduate from Stanford university with a major in Linguistics, a minor in Translation Studies, and another minor in Arabic. Her academic studies primarily concentrated around the following foreign languages: French, Spanish, Arabic, and American Sign Language. Sheis also interested in the process of child language acquisition.
Here is a short interview she gave to the publisher, Dalkey Archive Press:
1. Why did you want to translate this book?
When looking for a text to translate, I wanted to find a book and author that differed from the extant translated works. My enjoyment for Albert Camus led me to realize that very little other works from French Algeria are known to English readers. Surely French Algeria contains more than a hub of absurdism! I set out to find Algerian and French Algerian authors that could provide a fresh and healthy contrast to the already translated pieces. This book intrigued me because each rereading taught me something new. Furthermore, studying the conflict and social topics in this text compelled me to pay more attention to current events in the news as well. This book's timelessness truly reflects Sebbar's beautiful abilities as an author, and I was drawn to sharing Sebbar's writing with a new wave of readers.
2. What were the challenges in doing the translation?
One major challenge was knowing that the author had already been translated into English. I stepped not only into Sebbar's shoes, but also into the shoes of the other translators that have worked with her. I compared the English translations of Sebbar's previously translated works with the original French. Since this is my first full-length translation, my process was full of bouts of self-doubt. I found myself sometimes trying to imitate other translators, so I often had to step back and remember that I was working on developing my own style as well.
Working with Dalkey Archive Press was also rather challenging- as the youngest translator to ever work with John O'Brien, I was more often than not closer in age to the children of the translators I met than I was to them! I am very thankful for my peers from the Dalkey program. Their generous patience and willingness to share their experiences greatly helped me develop my own voice in translation.
3. Did you work with the author at all, and it what ways did that help?
I was unable to work with the author, and in some respects I consider it helpful as it propelled me to research more fully. Instead of being able to ask questions directly, I was forced to fend for myself and answer my questions as best I could.