What is the hardest part of translating a beloved novel?
The Next Chapter with Antonio Michael Downing

What is the hardest part of translating a beloved novel?

B1IntermediateJuly 25, 202626 min
  • Interview
  • Arts & culture

Set in late-20th-century Cairo, Éric Chacour's novel What I know About You is a heartbreaking story of an impossible love and a family fractured by secrets and expectations. It was selected for One eRead Canada’s live digital book club, which brings libraries and readers together. Originally written in French, the book's translator, Pablo Strauss joins the discussion to share what it was like recreating the world in English for a conversation hosted by the Mississauga Library. Books discussed on this week's show include: What I Know About You by Éric Chac...

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I'm talking about the Egypt of my parents.

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0:35

Hey, if you're looking for a book to read and sink into, I've got you. I'm talking about the Egypt of my parents. I'm talking about the Egypt of that generation. An Egypt that, to some extent, I will never see in my life.

0:53

I'm Antonio Michael Downing. Welcome to the next chapter. One e-read is a digital book club that brings together libraries and readers. It's bilingual, and it runs through the month of April. This year, Eric Shakur's novel, What I Know About You, translated by Pablo Strauss, was the book under discussion.

1:22

In the spring, I hosted Eric and Pablo for the e-read evening. We had an incredible conversation, and here it is. Maktoub, it is written. It is a phrase that implies preordination and a phrase that implies that it might be unchangeable.

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