Comments on: Hurley’s Inelegant Borges: An Exegesis (Part II of II)

By: shakir hasnain

shakir hasnain — Mon, 23 May 2011 19:56:33 +0000

thanks for the link antonios. Hateful was the wrong choice indeed.

By: Antonios

Antonios — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 13:20:55 +0000

Yep, piece isn't quite right either. I think I'll stick with it anyway, though. I do not know which of us is writing this doesn't seem to me specific enough. The this could refer to the sentence, for instance, but clearly Borges meant the entire story/piece/page/essay/article or just página. Thanks for your comments.

By: Javier

Javier — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 07:29:22 +0000

I agree that “page” does not work as a translation of “página” in this context, but I’m not sure I like “piece” either. Borges uses “página” to mean something like “piece” or “essay” or “article” quite often, and, as far as I know, it’s a fairly unusual and probably archaic use. In any case, it’s not an easy word to translate. My solution–which does not satisfy me–would be to simply ignore the word and put the period after “this.”
I haven’t read Hurley’s translations, but, at least based on these few examples, I completely agree with you.

By: Antonios

Antonios — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 00:45:21 +0000

I do like your “consigned”, Anders.

Nice choice.

But I do think the repeated use of “and” in the original should be replicated in the translation. I think the double “and” adds a nice effect of evoking haste and a lack of control, and, given how rare a double “and” like that is, something that Borges deliberately inserted whether or not the intended effect is how I perceive it.

By: Anders

Anders — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 08:56:15 +0000

Very interesting blog! Just wanted to propose a suggestion for this line:

Borges: Así mi vida es una fuga y todo lo pierdo y todo es del olvido, o del otro.

My attempt: My life then is a flight, everything is lost to me, everything is consigned to oblivion, or to the other.

By: Utisz

Utisz — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 05:35:01 +0000

Blame it on Maria Kodama.

By: Antonios

Antonios — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 05:22:20 +0000

Hateful is too strong a word; I’m guessing Hurley tried his best.

What’s terrible is the story of why he was commissioned to do the translations in the first place.

Here’s the story: http://www.publicpoems.com/2008/04/greatest-literary-crime-of-century.html

By: shakir hasnain

shakir hasnain — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 11:12:38 +0000

Hurley is a hateful man for what he did to the ´´ depths of the corridor ´´ and ´´ Funes ´´ and so much else…