SPOTLIGHT
Across cultures
The Indo-Swedish Translation Project hosted a literary seminar, "Sambandh: Relating Distant Worlds' in Bangalore from February 2 to 5. The event brought many distinguished writers, critics, translators and publishers together for an informed, but friendly, discussion on the literatures of India and Sweden and the task of translating books between distant cultures and languages. Excerpts from a chat V.S. SREEDHARA had with HARISH TRIVEDI.
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V.S. SREEDHARA: In your talk, you did raise a few fundamental questions about the purpose, scope and intention of the `Indo-Swedish Translation Project'. Apart from an understandable desire to know the other, what else is the potential of this project? Why do you think are the Swedes interested in us?
Harish Trivedi: The Indo-Swedish Project is a surprisingly pleasant kind of effort. In the history of translations in India, we have tried to project a few major languages. Mainly English, but also French, Italian, German and so on. Translations from and into these languages have been done by individuals. But I am not aware of any thing as well organised and as long running as the Indo-Swedish Translation Project, which works both ways: Indian languages into Swedish and Swedish into Indian languages. This is highly remarkable for several reasons. It is a nine-year-old project involving a number of people and they have published nine books.
The Swedish are more pro-active in creating an interesting and creative liaison between the two cultures. They tour around India, meet and interact with people and on the basis of this wider knowledge and first hand experience, they are translating Indian works — mostly contemporary works — into Swedish, usually with the help of a native reader. Often, translations are done out of love. Swedes have extended that idea by involving Indian collaborators. It is remarkable and laudable, very unique indeed.
At the same time, in the context of this translation activity, we should ask: why are the Swedes interested in us? There is hardly any historic connection between us. Sweden does not impinge on the consciousness of most Indians except the Nobel Prize! Except perhaps for the name of Borg or Bofors, what do we know about Sweden? But the Swedish are interested in India for a number of traditional reasons. Besides the alleged spiritual aspect, there is a contemporary appeal also: its growth, its smell, its variety, the bright colours and above all, the sunlight! Sweden is a frozen country — it is hard to see any bright colours or hear any loud voices. So why are they reaching out to us?
Perhaps the very difference inspires them to reach out. Is it attraction for the exotic, the unknown other? Or is it a matter of deeper exploration of a different culture?
May be. But at the same time, they are trying to distinguish themselves from the rest of the West, from Europe particularly. May be they are trying to resist the Anglo-American domination in other cultures, by establishing independent connections in their own terms. There will be a desire to project their own literature in one of the bigger countries like India, because of the large readership, wide recognition and visibility.
But I am quite worried about the choice of the texts: they are translating contemporary literature; it has immediacy. But, in this globalised world, contemporary literature is more likely to be similar in India and Sweden than our literatures written before we began to be dominated by the global forces. If we go back to the 18th century, there would be considerable differences between the two countries in their sensibility and cultural formations. This is something the project may wish to look at.
Would it not also be profitable to go back to the oral/ folk narratives, for, it would provide interesting insights into similarities and differences between the two cultural traditions?
The classical and folk are bound to be different in any culture. That makes them more appealing. The contemporary may have an immediate appeal, but the classic and the folk will help us to appreciate the two literary traditions. The project should therefore extend its scope. Perhaps an exclusive focus on the contemporary might even unwittingly distort the perception of both our and their literatures.
Are you suggesting that the project should go beyond the present framework, beyond reaching out for different texts?
It is certainly a matter of extending the project, keeping in mind the good will and the sustained effort. Be it the classic or the modern, there is still this question: what are they to us or we to them? There is a universality of literature, but if the texts are not specifically rooted, they can't be universal either. For this reason the formulation needs to be refined. But, to put it bluntly, one would still want to read texts that have some Swedishness in them. Without getting into the ideological debate as to what constitutes "Swedishness", or for that matter, "Indianness", it can still be said that there may be texts that could be written only in Sweden or in India. That will be the point of reference, which will then grow and flower into universal points of interest. In other words, a project of this kind is tied up with the national image.
In Stockholm, they held a conference that was aimed at devising new models to write the history of World literatures. One would naturally ask: who are the Swedes to write a history of such a kind? Perhaps as a small and pacifist country — they have a self image of not being in conflict with other countries — they believe it is their self-appointed task to devise ways of understanding the literatures of the world that are not hegemonic.
If that is the case, there is a marked difference between the earlier, Orientalist kind of interests and the present Swedish initiative. Surely, this desire is not borne out of any White man's Burden kind of feeling...
Exactly! They are non-committal, had no colonial history. They are perhaps better placed than other hegemonic, big countries.
Talking about Swedish identity, Mr. Stewe Claeson mentioned two important concerns of modern Swedish writing: the break up of the nuclear family and the problems created by a highly secular society. Family and secularism are our concerns too, but in totally different ways. How do these differences matter to us?
Here the difference is more attractive than the similarity. Sweden is a highly developed, sophisticated and planned society. May be too much of secularism makes it bland and dull. That explains their attraction to a society like ours.
Let's look at the issue a little theoretically. Even now, in difference sense, one is looking at the non-existent other. The pattern of the `other' seems inescapable, though it is not the colonial other...
Yes, but the difference seems to be the force of attraction. But in case of Sweden, the othering may not be exploitative, that's why there is so much good will.
For example, Lars Andersson has written three books on India, besides collaborating in the Translation Project. It stems from an interest in India, partly as a country full of all kinds of social inequalities which need to be addressed as much as the so-called spiritual aspect. If their interest in the difference is based on an assumed commonality, the othering may not be exploitative. I learn that some of their best books have not been translated because they are not available in English and there is no one here who could read them in Swedish. Globalisation, in the form of English, is still operative. There was a mention of some Dalit writing being considered. It is a major voice now, trying to redefine our realities and our aesthetics. The Swedish readers might find such stuff fascinating and profitable in understanding their sense of loss of community and alienation.
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