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latable: the content versus the con-text of the text, as well as the tar-geted audience and the objectiveof the translator. For example, ifthe only objective of the transla-tor is to transfer meaning, then thescriptures are as translatable as anyother text. However, if the trans-lator wants to engage in ‘verbumpro verbo’ translation, this canmake religious texts untranslatabledue to language base or lack ofadequate vocabulary. They alsoidentify what techniques are to be

Sergio Waisman. Borges andTranslation: The Irreverence of thePeriphery. Associated UniversityPress, 2005, 267 pp.

Borges and Translation: The Ir-reverence of Periphery, by SergioWaisman, a Professor of Spanishat George Washington Univer-sity, is based on the importanceof translation and theory in thework of Jorge Luis Borges. Theauthor has three main strategiesfor analyzing Borges’ theories oftranslation: First, he considersBorges’ theories of translation in

the Argentinean context itselfwhere they originated. Second,Waisman studies these theories asan essential part of Borges’ liter-ary discourse. In the third strategy,Waisman expands on the theoriesof Borges by comparing them toother 20th century thinkers whohave written on the same subject.

This book is divided into fivechapters: “Argentina and Transla-tion: Delineating a Cultural Con-text,” “Borges on Translation: TheDevelopment of a Theory,” “Writ-ing as Translation,” “The Aesthet-ics of Irreverence: Mistranslatingfrom the Margins,” and “BorgesReads Joyce: A Meeting at theLimits of Translation.”

used in order to reach the desiredgoals and audiences. They address,for example, whether or not to usedirect versus indirect translationor domestication versusforeignizing of a text. Using spe-cific examples, the authors suc-cessfully show that, depending onthe goal, the audience, the con-text and the strategies adopted,religious texts may or may not bereadily translatable.

Oumou Khaïry LeyeSt. Lawrence University

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In chapter one, Waisman ex-plores Argentina in the 19th cen-tury and describes the importanceof key literary events such as theSalón Literario of 1837 andDomingo F. Sarmiento’s Facundo(1845). It is in these moments,according to Waisman, that onefinds “the seeds of the polyglotnature of Argentine literature,” or“polyglossia.” He also discusseshow the polyglossia flourishesduring the early 20th century inBuenos Aires, where several trans-lators worked on numerousprojects. It is also at this time whenBorges develops his ideas on trans-lation which are outlined in thefollowing chapters.

In chapter two, Waisman ana-lyzes three essays as a means ofunderstanding how Borges devel-oped his theories of translation:“Las dos maneras de traducir”(1926), “Las versiones homéri-cas” (1932), and “Los traductoresde Las 1001 Noches” (1935). Inthese key essays, Borges chal-lenges the idea that original textsare superior to translations andrejects the concept of a “defini-tive text.” In the first essay,Borges says, “En cuanto a mí,creo en las buenas traducciones deobras literarias y opino que hastalos versos son traducibles.” In the

second essay, Borges states, “laOdisea, gracias a mi oportunodesconocimiento del griego, esuna librería internacional de obrasen prosa y verso.” In the third es-say, Borges only compares thetranslation, and does not refer tothe original text unless the trans-lator has mentioned it.

In chapter 3, Waisman illus-trates how rewriting, misreadingand his translating become a uni-fied practice for Borges in his ownnarrative techniques. Waismanmentions the Historia universal dela infamia in Borges’ “Prólogo dela primera edición” in which heexplains how the translator needsto understand the importance of areader who is manipulating the textinto a translation. Borges placeshis translations in an Argentinecontext through linguistic and cul-tural appropriation which producesunexpected meanings. Waisman,of course, also mentions PierreMenard, the author of El Quijote.In this famous essay, Waismanstates, “Pierre Menard creates aweb of readers and writers, ofrereadings (or misreadings) andrewritings interlayed andinterlayered: Menard the reader/rewriter of Cervantes; the narra-tor who reads Menard’s partialtexts; and we, readers of an Ar-

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gentine narrator’s sarcastic com-mentaries about Menard. But whatis the difference between a reread-ing and a misreading?”

The author continues to exam-ine Borges’ theories of mistransla-tion in chapter four, by making aconnection between “El escritorargentino y la tradición” andBorges’ writing as a translator.Waisman analyzes well-knownshort stories such as “La muerte yla brújula”, “La busca de Averroes”and “El Sur,” demonstrating howthe peripheral translation of Borgesfunctions and how different it isfrom mainstream translation.

In chapter five, the author usesBorges’ textual dialogue withJames Joyce on translation, read-ings and rewritings. Waismancompares Joyce’s Ulysses, toBorges’ stories, “El acercamientoa Almotásim” and “Funes el

memorioso” to discussmetempsychosis, the representa-tion of verisimilitude, and the po-tential limits to translation.

Borges and Translation: TheIrreverence of the Periphery dis-cusses a fascinating topic relatingto a major writer of the 20th cen-tury: “intimate links betweenBorges’ theories of (mis) transla-tion and his theories of readingand writing,” which, in SergioWaisman’s opinion, “represents acontribution to the field of trans-lation studies, including consid-eration of center-periphery di-chotomies in the theorizing oftranslation.” The intended audi-ences for this book are those whoare studying or interested in thefield of translation and LatinAmerican literature.

Domingo A. GarcíaSt. Lawrence University

Paul Ricoeur. Sobre la traducción.Tradução e prólogo de PatriciaWillson. Buenos Aires: Paidós,2005, 75 pp.

O livro, editado em Buenos Aires,é uma tradução para o espanhol

do original francês lançado em2004 pela Bayard. Reúne três con-ferências do filósofo hermenêuticoPaul Ricoeur. Os textos têm emcomum a constante menção doautor aos trabalhos do teórico etradutor francês Antoine Berman,principalmente porque a traduçãocomo relação com o estrangeiro éum dos fios condutores da obra.