Daisy Rockwell, Tomb of Sand: “People with big egos rarely go into translation”

It has been heartwarming to see a global online community of translators rooting for you to win the International Booker Prize, and now rejoicing in your victory. Do translators live in a parallel universe where people support and encourage each other? Or are you blessed to have kind friends, colleagues, peers and mentors?

Well, certainly I am blessed with kind friends, colleagues, peers and mentors, but I also believe that translators are generally very kind people. A few years ago, Hindi translator Jason Grunebaum was trying to persuade me to join him at the annual ALTA (American Literary Translators’ Association) conference. He said, “Translators are just like writers, except they’re all really nice.” People with big egos rarely go into translation, because, with some notable exceptions, like winning the International Booker Prize, there’s very little recognition. Over the years, I have had so much support, including very practical translation support, from friends and strangers on social media, and I truly feel blessed to be part of the community of South Asian language literary translators.

Why, how, and when did you take on this translation project? To what extent did Geetanjali Shree’s treatment of mental health, ageing and the Partition draw you in?

Bangla translator Arunava Sinha was approached by Deborah Smith of Tilted Axis Press about finding a translator for this book and he brought the project to me. To be honest, I hadn’t read the whole book before I agreed to take on the project, so I didn’t realise that it touched on Partition, since that part comes at the end. What drew me in initially was the experimental language and the humour, because it really is a very funny book. Later, of course, I was won over by all the myriad other themes, including those you mention.

The International Booker is an honour on the scale that I could scarcely have imagined, so I can offer no blueprint for how I plan to deal with it. Currently, I am struggling with keeping up with my messages and overcoming jetlag. But I do think I am old enough and experienced enough not to let the excitement go to my head and damage my critical faculties!

Tell us about the journey from being longlisted to bagging the International Booker. What aspects of this visibility have you enjoyed? What have you embraced grudgingly?

I have embraced every stage wholeheartedly. The longlist alone was a tremendous prize for which Geetanjali and I were both exceedingly grateful. This was a difficult book to write and a difficult book to translate, and so we are gratified by the recognition it has received.

A novel engaging with the Partition has won the prize when the world is grappling once again with violence. Whether it is India and Pakistan, or Ukraine and Russia, human beings repeat the same mistakes. Do you think literature can push readers in the direction of love, compassion and nonviolence?

I would like to think so. I think that literature and art contain the possibilities of disarmament. Communal hatreds become ossified in people’s hearts and breaking through them can become a nearly impossible task. Literature and art have a way of sneaking around the boundaries in our minds and connecting with our emotions in a meaningful way.

Absolutely! I have seen other translators who have won this prize take on the publishing industry in exciting and meaningful ways, particularly Jennifer Croft and Deborah Smith. I see it as my responsibility to advocate for a more inclusive publishing landscape both for literary translation in the West, and for translator recognition and remuneration more broadly.

You have been translating Krishna Sobti’s novel Channa and Usha Priyamvada’s novel Rukogi Nahin, Radhika? What made you gravitate towards these books? How would you compare their writing style with Geetanjali Shree’s? When will these be published?

I would imagine both would be on the market next year, although that is up to the publishers. I have been exclusively translating women authors for a few years now, and what with my academic background, I have gravitated more towards classics, which both of these are in their own ways. I am interested in reading feminist history through literature and both of these works, besides being amazing pieces of literature, present us with particular facets of feminist history. Although Krishna Sobti’s later work was highly experimental in style, and indeed has influenced Geetanjali Shree. This particular book was her very first and is interesting for its early glimpses into her later stylistic pyrotechnics.

India is full of bilingual and multilingual people. I would love to see more and more young people taking an interest in translation. I think the most important thing to remember is that your greatest strength must be in the target language, not the source language. In other words, you must be exceptionally strong in your ability to write in English if you are going to translate into English, or in Bangla if you are going to translate into Bangla. You should also be reading all the time in the target language to hone your skills at creating new literary texts.

Any dream projects that you are excited to work on but haven’t found the time for?

So many! Either I haven’t found the time, or I haven’t got the copyright permission — which is probably the most challenging aspect of translation that no one talks about.

Chintan Girish Modi is an independent writer, journalist and book reviewer.

It has been heartwarming to see a global online community of translators rooting for you to win the International Booker Prize, and now rejoicing in your victory. Do translators live in a parallel universe where people support and encourage each other? Or are you blessed to have kind friends, colleagues, peers and mentors?

Well, certainly I am blessed with kind friends, colleagues, peers and mentors, but I also believe that translators are generally very kind people. A few years ago, Hindi translator Jason Grunebaum was trying to persuade me to join him at the annual ALTA (American Literary Translators’ Association) conference. He said, “Translators are just like writers, except they’re all really nice.” People with big egos rarely go into translation, because, with some notable exceptions, like winning the International Booker Prize, there’s very little recognition. Over the years, I have had so much support, including very practical translation support, from friends and strangers on social media, and I truly feel blessed to be part of the community of South Asian language literary translators.

Why, how, and when did you take on this translation project? To what extent did Geetanjali Shree’s treatment of mental health, ageing and the Partition draw you in?

Bangla translator Arunava Sinha was approached by Deborah Smith of Tilted Axis Press about finding a translator for this book and he brought the project to me. To be honest, I hadn’t read the whole book before I agreed to take on the project, so I didn’t realise that it touched on Partition, since that part comes at the end. What drew me in initially was the experimental language and the humour, because it really is a very funny book. Later, of course, I was won over by all the myriad other themes, including those you mention.

The International Booker is an honour on the scale that I could scarcely have imagined, so I can offer no blueprint for how I plan to deal with it. Currently, I am struggling with keeping up with my messages and overcoming jetlag. But I do think I am old enough and experienced enough not to let the excitement go to my head and damage my critical faculties!

Tell us about the journey from being longlisted to bagging the International Booker. What aspects of this visibility have you enjoyed? What have you embraced grudgingly?

I have embraced every stage wholeheartedly. The longlist alone was a tremendous prize for which Geetanjali and I were both exceedingly grateful. This was a difficult book to write and a difficult book to translate, and so we are gratified by the recognition it has received.

A novel engaging with the Partition has won the prize when the world is grappling once again with violence. Whether it is India and Pakistan, or Ukraine and Russia, human beings repeat the same mistakes. Do you think literature can push readers in the direction of love, compassion and nonviolence?

I would like to think so. I think that literature and art contain the possibilities of disarmament. Communal hatreds become ossified in people’s hearts and breaking through them can become a nearly impossible task. Literature and art have a way of sneaking around the boundaries in our minds and connecting with our emotions in a meaningful way.

Absolutely! I have seen other translators who have won this prize take on the publishing industry in exciting and meaningful ways, particularly Jennifer Croft and Deborah Smith. I see it as my responsibility to advocate for a more inclusive publishing landscape both for literary translation in the West, and for translator recognition and remuneration more broadly.

You have been translating Krishna Sobti’s novel Channa and Usha Priyamvada’s novel Rukogi Nahin, Radhika? What made you gravitate towards these books? How would you compare their writing style with Geetanjali Shree’s? When will these be published?

I would imagine both would be on the market next year, although that is up to the publishers. I have been exclusively translating women authors for a few years now, and what with my academic background, I have gravitated more towards classics, which both of these are in their own ways. I am interested in reading feminist history through literature and both of these works, besides being amazing pieces of literature, present us with particular facets of feminist history. Although Krishna Sobti’s later work was highly experimental in style, and indeed has influenced Geetanjali Shree. This particular book was her very first and is interesting for its early glimpses into her later stylistic pyrotechnics.

India is full of bilingual and multilingual people. I would love to see more and more young people taking an interest in translation. I think the most important thing to remember is that your greatest strength must be in the target language, not the source language. In other words, you must be exceptionally strong in your ability to write in English if you are going to translate into English, or in Bangla if you are going to translate into Bangla. You should also be reading all the time in the target language to hone your skills at creating new literary texts.

Any dream projects that you are excited to work on but haven’t found the time for?

So many! Either I haven’t found the time, or I haven’t got the copyright permission — which is probably the most challenging aspect of translation that no one talks about.

Chintan Girish Modi is an independent writer, journalist and book reviewer.