It is difficult to say what the influence of Sami Khashaba was on me, but he definitely made me aware very early in my life what a great translation looked like.
I was a bilingual teenager when I first got to read Colin Wilson - through my dad's fascination with him - and I read him in translation, the translations done by Sami Khashaba.
Later, in my first years at uni, I re-read Colin Wilson in English, and found him as good as Sami's translations of him. In actual fact, Sami probably made Colin sound more academic than he ever was, without killing the boyish enthusiasm.
Sami passed away last month. Me, far away from the throbbing heart of the Arab intellectual circles, did not even get to hear until today.
I am a translator, Sami. It’s a pity I can’t tell you that, and thank you for what you taught me without knowing.
No comments:
Post a Comment