TRANSLATION AND THE AUTHORIAL IMAGE: RECEPTION OF LATİFE TEKİN’S LITERARY WORKS WITHIN THE SOURCE AND THE TARGET CULTURE(S) AYŞE AYHAN BOĞAZİÇİ UNIVERSITY 2005 Translation and the Authorial Image: Reception of Latife Tekin’s Literary Works within the Source and Target Culture(s) Thesis submitted to the Institute of Social Sciences in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Translation Studies by Ayşe Ayhan Boğaziçi University 2005 Acknowledgments I would first like to express my deepest gratitude to Prof. Dr. Saliha Paker for Silinmiş: continuous her unique perspectives, encouragement, patience and support. This thesis owes its existence to her invaluable guidance. I would also like to thank her for sharing information and for opening up her Latife Tekin archive to me. My sincere thanks to Latife Tekin who generously answered my questions and provided me with information for my study. I am very privileged to have known her. I am grateful to the members of the thesis committee, Prof. Dr. Suat Karantay, Prof. Dr. Nazan Aksoy, Prof. Dr. Nedret Kuran Burçoğlu and Asst. Silinmiş: careful Prof. Jonathan M. Ross for their meticulous reading and valuable suggestions. I Silinmiş: would also like am also thankful to Asst. Prof. Mediha Göbenli for her comments. I would also Silinmiş: thank like to thank to Stephen Wadey for his careful reading. Silinmiş: p I feel happy that the Translation Studies MA Programme introduced me Silinmiş: , to wonderful people Fatma İdin, Arzu Akbatur and Şule Demirkol. I am thankful Silinmiş: and moral support for their friendship. I would also like to express my special thanks to my friends Silinmiş: , Silinmiş: and Banu Özel, Emine Baş and Güneş Kömürcüler for their all kinds of help but Silinmiş: any Ekli: any kind above all for sharing the ups and downs. Silinmiş: valuable Last but not least I cannot express enough gratitude to my parents Refika Silinmiş: Silinmiş: They have always been by my side from the very and Ali Hikmet Ayhan whose support and love have not lessened throughout beginning.¶ Silinmiş: family my life. Silinmiş: , Silinmiş: , A lot of people whose names I cannot list here have supported me in this Silinmiş: and Atamer journey. I would like to thank them all. iii Abstract This thesis analyzes the reception of Latife Tekin’s literary works and her authorial image shaped within the source and target culture(s). Exploring the role rewriters/rewritings, including translation, play in the reception and image-shaping processes, the study demonstrates that there exists a dual interaction between the source and target culture(s) receptions of Silinmiş: .¶ Tekin’s works. This thesis discusses the source culture and the target culture(s) receptions of Tekin’s works, respectively, and presents a comparative account of the differences and similarities in the reception of Silinmiş: In Tekin’s works. By analyzing all these aspects, this thesis aims to survey Silinmiş: , how rewritings have been influential in the reception of Tekin’s literary works and to examine how the authorial image has been determined and Silinmiş: both transformed within both the source and target culture(s). iv Kısa Özet Silinmiş: Bu tez, Bu çalışma, Latife Tekin’in edebi eserlerinin kaynak ve erek kültürlerde ne Silinmiş: nı şekilde alımlandığına ve bu kültürlerde Latife Tekin için oluşturulan yazar Silinmiş: imajını imgesine odaklanarak, çevirinin de dahil olduğu yeniden-yazma Silinmiş: incelemektedir. Silinmiş: Bu çalışma, ç (rewriting) ve yeniden-yazan (rewriter) kavramlarının alımlama ve imge Silinmiş: imaj Silinmiş: arak oluşturma süreçlerinde oynadığı rolü araştırır ve Latife Tekin’in eserlerinin alımlanmasında kaynak ve erek kültürler arasında karşılıklı bir etkileşim Silinmiş: maktadır. olduğunu ortaya koyar. Silinmiş: Bu çalışma, s Sırasıyla Latife Tekin’in eserlerinin kaynak kültür ve erek kültür Silinmiş: nı alımlanması tartışılır ve bu iki kültürde oluşan alımlama arasındaki Silinmiş: Silinmiş: ı farklılıklar ve benzerlikler karşılaştırmalı olarak sunulur. Özetle bu tez, Silinmiş: i Silinmiş: ar yeniden-yazma (rewriting) kavramının Latife Tekin’in eserlerinin kaynak Silinmiş: a ve erek kültürdeki alımlanmasını ne şekilde etkilediğini ve Tekin’in yazar Silinmiş: etki ettiğini Silinmiş: imajının imgesinin ne şekilde oluşturulduğunu incelemeyi amaçlar. Silinmiş: oluşturulup dönüştürüldüğünü Silinmiş: maktadır. v Table of Contents Acknowledgments ...................................................................................... iii Abstract ...................................................................................................... iv Kısa Özet ...................................................................................................... v Introduction.................................................................................................. 1 Chapter 1. Theoretical Framework and Methodology 1.1. Theoretical Framework .............................................................. 10 1.1.1 The role of “Translation” as the medium of travel .......... 10 1.1.2 The role of the “Translator” in the interculture: A hybrid space................................................................ 14 1.1.3 Constructing the authorial image ................................... 18 1.1.4 The role of the “rewriters” and “rewritings” in the image-shaping process .................................................. 20 1.2. Methodology............................................................................... 26 1.3. Conclusion ................................................................................. 27 Chapter 2. Reception of Latife Tekin’s Literary Works in the Source Culture 2.1. Latife Tekin's literary profile ....................................................... 28 2.2. Reception of Tekin's works in the source culture....................... 31 2.2.1. Sevgili Arsız Ölüm, 1983 (Dear Shameless Death, 2001) ................................................................. 31 2.2.2. Berci Kristin Çöp Masalları, 1984 (Berji Kristin: Tales from the Garbage Hills, 1993, 1996, 2004) ................... 42 vi 2.2.3. Gece Dersleri, 1986 (Night Lessons)............................. 50 2.2.4. Buzdan Kılıçlar, 1989 (Swords of Ice)............................ 56 2.2.5. Aşk İşaretleri, 1995 (Signs of Love) ............................... 60 2.2.6. Gümüşlük Akademisi, 1997 (The Academy, 2005)........ 62 2.2.7. Ormanda Ölüm Yokmuş, 2001 (No Death in Silinmiş: 63 the Woods) .................................................................... 63 Ekli: 3 2.2.8. Unutma Bahçesi, 2004 (The Garden of Forgetting)....... 66 Silinmiş: 2 Silinmiş: 65 2.3. Conclusion ................................................................................. 67 Ekli: 5 Silinmiş: 4 Silinmiş: 5 Chapter 3. Reception of Latife Tekin’s Literary Works in the Target Culture(s) Silinmiş: 69 3.1. Reception of Tekin's works in the target culture(s) ................... 70 Silinmiş: 1 3.1.1. Berji Kristin: Tales from the Garbage Hills, 1993, Silinmiş: 9 1996, 2004 ..................................................................... 78 Ekli: 9 3.1.2. Dear Shameless Death, 2001 ...................................... 105 Silinmiş: 4 Silinmiş: 99 3.2. Conclusion ............................................................................... 121 Silinmiş: 15 Chapter 4. The authorial image of Latife Tekin shaped within the source and target culture(s) Silinmiş: 16 4.1. The image of Latife Tekin shaped within the source culture.... 122 4.2. The image of Latife Tekin shaped within/for the target Silinmiş: 23 culture(s) .................................................................................. 130 4.3. Attitudes towards Berji Kristin and Dear Shameless Death in Silinmiş: 36 the Anglophone world .............................................................. 143 Silinmiş: 37 4.3.1. Marginality.................................................................... 144 Silinmiş: 46 4.3.2. Timelessness .............................................................. 154 vii Silinmiş: 49 4.3.3. Cross-culturality............................................................ 156 Silinmiş: 52 4.3.4. Magical Realism........................................................... 160 Ekli: 52¶ Silinmiş: 59 4.3.5. The Feminist perspective ............................................. 167 Silinmiş: 68 4.4. Conclusion ............................................................................... 176 Silinmiş: 0 Conclusion ............................................................................................... 178 Silinmiş: 7 References ............................................................................................... 185 Appendices viii Introduction In a panel discussion at the İstanbul Book Fair in October 2004 on "Destitution and Literature" Latife Tekin was introduced as an author who gives voice to destitute people and creates a language for them. The chairperson, like most of the critics on the Turkish literary scene, associated Tekin and her writing with destitution. After the chairperson’s introductory remarks Tekin expressed her feelings and experiences about poverty and deprivation which she portrays as an overall theme in her novels and surprisingly noted that "When I first started to write I did not have the intention of writing the tales of destitute people; on the contrary I wanted to tell other happy and joyous stories. However, after my first novel Sevgili Arsız Ölüm (Dear Shameless Death1) was