A Foreign Affair - a passionate life in four languages by Valerie Barnes: book review

A Foreign Affair (2012) is a true tale of a young translator’s work in the United Nations and her travels abroad. Based in Geneva in the 1950s, women translators were a rarity. Barnes was fluent in four languages: English, Russian, Italian and Spanish, and much in demand as a simultaneous interpreter.

There are two threads throughout the novel: the autobiographical world of international language translating in the newly-formed United Nations from 1948; and a portrait of a failing marriage. At 20, Valerie, an Englishwoman, marries Gerard, a French research engineer and a domineering, unfaithful man who openly displayed his mistresses to 'naïve' wife. Valerie begins an affair with Janek, a Polish engineer, who travels frequently to Geneva.

Much of the book concentrates on the gradual erosion of her marriage and how her work, affair, and three children provide the solace to keep going. Her work liberated Valerie professionally, and Janek liberated her sexually. Amid this is a travelogue of conferences from Belgrade to Madagascar and insights into the leading politicians and humanitarians of the times.

The stress of simultaneous interpreting is compared to that of air traffic controllers – where every word can lead to nation’s leaders agreeing or conflicting with the current speaker. Some comical pitfalls are mentioned, such as proverbs, figures of speech and Australian slang. How do you translate “the delegate of the UK is pussyfooting with a red herring” tactfully and correctly? After one conference, as Valerie and her colleague read the newspaper of the week’s outcomes, she asks “Did he really say ‘elephants everywhere’?” to which Ina replies “I think he said ‘of relevance everywhere’”.

Comments

Pir-E-Kamil - The Perfect Mentor by Umera Ahmed: book review

The Perfect Mentor pbuh (2011) is set in Lahore and Islamabad in Pakistan. The novel commences with Imama Mubeen in medical university. She wants to be an eye specialist. Her parents have arranged for her to marry her first cousin Asjad. Salar Sikander, her neighbour, is 18 years old with an IQ of 150+ and a photographic memory. He has long hair tied in a ponytail. He imbibes alcohol, treats women disrespectfully and is generally a “weird chap” and a rude, belligerent teenager. In the past three years he has tried to commit suicide three times. He tries again. Imama and her brother, Waseem, answer the servant’s call to help Salar. They stop the bleeding from his wrist and save his life. Imama and Asjad have been engaged for three years, because she wants to finish her studies first. Imama is really delaying her marriage to Asjad because she loves Jalal Ansar. She proposes to him and he says yes. But he knows his parents won’t agree, nor will Imama’s parents. That

Flaws in the Glass, a self-portrait by Patrick White: book review

The manuscript, Flaws in the Glass (1981), is Patrick Victor Martindale White’s autobiography. White, born in 1912 in England, migrated to Sydney, Australia, when he was six months old. For three years, at the age of 20, he studied French and German literature at King’s College at the University of Cambridge in England. Throughout his life, he published 12 novels. In 1957 he won the inaugural Miles Franklin Literary Award for Voss, published in 1956. In 1961, Riders in the Chariot became a best-seller, winning the Miles Franklin Literary Award. In 1973, he was the first Australian author to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature for The Eye of the Storm, despite many critics describing his works as ‘un-Australian’ and himself as ‘Australia’s most unreadable novelist.’ In 1979, The Twyborn Affair was short-listed for the Booker Prize, but he withdrew it from the competition to give younger writers the opportunity to win the award. His autobiography, Flaws in the Glass

The Beggars' Strike by Aminata Sow Fall: book review

The Beggar’sStrike (1979 in French and 1981 in English) is set in an unstated country in West Africa in a city known only as The Capital. Undoubtedly, Senegalese author Sow Fall writes of her own experiences. It was also encapsulated in the 2000 film, Battu , directed by Cheick Oumar Sissoko from Mali. Mour Ndiaye is the Director of the Department of Public Health and Hygiene, with the opportunity of a distinguished and coveted promotion to Vice-President of the Republic. Tourism has declined and the government blames the local beggars in The Capital. Ndiaye must rid the streets of beggars, according to a decree from the Minister. Ndiaye instructs his department to carry out weekly raids. One of the raids leads to the death of lame beggar, Madiabel, who ran into an oncoming vehicle as he tried to escape, leaving two wives and eight children. Soon after, another raid resulted in the death of the old well-loved, comic beggar Papa Gorgui Diop. Enough is enou

FEAST OR FAMINE

Search This Blog