Since the late 1960s Sheila Fischman has worked tirelessly at making the best works of Québécois literature available to English-language readers. Anglophones who have read works by Michel Tremblay, Jacques Poulin, Yves Beauchemin, François Gravel, Anne Hébert, Roch Carrier, and Marie-Claire Blais most likely know these works only through Fischman's subtly and faithfully crafted translations.
In Translation celebrates Fischman's more than 150 book-length translations from French to English. It combines essays on the friendships created through translation with essays on the art of translation and on the changing context of literary translation in Canada. Distinguished contributors include Alberto Manguel, Commissioner of Official Languages Graham Fraser, authors Gaétan Soucy, Lise Bissonnette, and Louise Desjardins, and fellow-translators Lori Saint Martin, Michael Henry Heim, Luise von Flotow, and Kathy Mezei. The volume also includes interviews with Fischman and a selection of her prose.
A fitting tribute to an outstanding career, In Translation illuminates the artistry behind a difficult craft by considering the work of one of its finest practitioners.
“The collection establishes the notion of a translator's body of work and studies it from various angles.” The Malahat Review
“In Translation movingly catalogues the overwhelming gratitude and admiration of colleagues and friends, and stands as a testament to the personal and professional magnanimity that has characterized a good, long career.” Montreal Review of Books
“In Translation is full of insights into the nature, nitty-gritty, and legends of translation that add an important chapter to Canada’s literary history. Everyone who reads this book will come away with a deeper understanding of the art of translation and greater regard for one of its best and most beloved practitioners.” Gary Geddes, author of Drink the Bitter Root: A Writer's Search for Justice and Redemption in Africa