Translation as a measure of literary domination: the case of Quebec literature translated in Spain (1975-2004)

Abstract

Recent literary manifestos claim that “the center is no longer the center” (Le Devoir 2007). Indeed, it is generally admitted that Quebec literature has been more or less independent from the French field since the 1970’s. However, the analysis of the translation of this literature –its international circulation, and the almost compulsory stopover in France before being selected for translation by the agents of other literary fields– reveals various mechanisms through which the French symbolic center still exerts its power. Drawing on the application of Pierre Bourdieu’s sociology of culture to the international space (Casanova 1999; Sapiro 2007, 2008; etc.), this article argues that translation could be considered as the ultimate variable when testing literary domination, especially in the case of peripheral fields claiming independence. I will illustrate this through the case of Quebec literature translated in Spain (into Spanish and Catalan) between 1975 and 2004.