Representation in translation and author’s preferred text

Abstract

The purpose of this paper will be to question the
 concept of representation through a recent phenomenon, which came to be in
 fiction and fantasy genre as author’s preferred text. Historically,
 representation has long been discussed in and around academic circles and those
 discussions found their way into translation studies as well. In this paper, I
 aim to track down three phases in which representation is a line of discussion
 and comment upon the effects of these discussions in general and on translation
 studies. The object of study will be Neil Gaiman’s novels; Neverwhere, and American Gods.
 The different editions of these novels will be discussed within the context of
 representation in general, but more specifically within rewriting, the
 socio-cultural and economic position of the author, power relations between the
 author and the rewriters, and self-translation. Traditionally, the original
 texts precede the rewritten ones. However, in Gaiman’s case, the so-called
 original versions of his Neverwhere and
 American Gods were published almost
 ten years after their first appearance. Moreover, the originals came under a
 new label: Author’s Preferred Text. I aim to trace how this strange transition
 happened in the source context and discuss the possible reasons why it happened
 by applying three different approaches to the case at hand. Finally, I will
 conclude by presenting my own perspective on the subject.