Barbara Winifred Wright (13 October 1915 – 3 March 2009) was an English

translator Translation is the communication of the Meaning (linguistic), meaning of a #Source and target languages, source-language text by means of an Dynamic and formal equivalence, equivalent #Source and target languages, target-language text. The ...

of modern

French literature French literature () generally speaking, is literature written in the French language, particularly by citizens of France; it may also refer to literature written by people living in France who speak traditional languages of France other than Fr ...

Early life

Wright was born on 13 October 1915 in

Worthing Worthing () is a seaside town in West Sussex, England, at the foot of the South Downs, west of Brighton, and east of Chichester. With a population of 111,400 and an area of , the borough is the second largest component of the Brighton and Hov ...

West Sussex West Sussex is a county in South East England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the shire districts of Adur, Arun, Chichester, Horsham, and Mid Sussex, and the boroughs of Crawley and Worthing. Covering an ar ...

. After attending Godolphin School in

Salisbury Salisbury ( ) is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers Avon, Nadder and Bourne. The city is approximately from Southampton and from Bath. Salisbury is in the southeast of Wil ...

, she studied to be a pianist at the

Royal College of Music The Royal College of Music is a music school, conservatoire established by royal charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, UK. It offers training from the Undergraduate education, undergraduate to the Doctorate, doctoral level in a ...

in London and trained under

Alfred Cortot Alfred Denis Cortot (; 26 September 187715 June 1962) was a French pianist, conductor, and teacher who was one of the most renowned classical musicians of the 20th century. A pianist of massive repertory, he was especially valued for his poeti ...

in Paris. Wright taught at

Dora Russell Dora, Countess Russell (née Black; 3 April 1894 – 31 May 1986) was a British author, a feminist and socialist campaigner, and the second wife of the philosopher Bertrand Russell. She was a campaigner for contraception and peace. She worked ...

's Beacon Hill School from 1936 to 1937. In 1938 she married Walter Hubbard, a kinsman of the Barons Addington – the couple had a daughter in 1944, before separating in 1957. Though she never formally studied as a translator, Wright believed that her work as an accompanist helped her capture the rhythm of text. Her first major translation was

Alfred Jarry Alfred Jarry (; 8 September 1873 – 1 November 1907) was a French symbolist writer who is best known for his play ''Ubu Roi'' (1896). He also coined the term and philosophical concept of 'pataphysics. Jarry was born in Laval, Mayenne, France, ...

Ubu Roi ''Ubu Roi'' (; "Ubu the King" or "King Ubu") is a play by French writer Alfred Jarry, then 23 years old. It was first performed in Paris in 1896, by Aurélien Lugné-Poe's Théâtre de l'Œuvre at the Nouveau-Théâtre (today, the Théâtre de P ...

, published in 1951 by Gaberbocchus Press."Barbara Wright Leading light in the translation of modern French literature"
''The Guardian'', John Calder, 7 May 2009

Translator

Wright specialised in the translation of poetic prose and drama with a focus on French surrealist and existential writing. While working on a translation, she immersed herself in the world of the author. Reading other texts by the writer, conferring with

francophones French became an international language in the Middle Ages, when the power of the Kingdom of France made it the second international language, alongside Latin. This status continued to grow into the 18th century, by which time French was the l ...

about French idioms and, where possible, forging relationships with the authors were all aspects of her process. Over the course of her career Wright worked closely with, and befriended,

Raymond Queneau Raymond Queneau (; 21 February 1903 – 25 October 1976) was a French novelist, poet, critic, editor and co-founder and president of Oulipo ('' Ouvroir de littérature potentielle''), notable for his wit and cynical humour. Biography Queneau wa ...

Robert Pinget Robert Pinget (Geneva, July 19, 1919 – August 25, 1997, Tours) was an avant-garde French writer, born in Switzerland, who wrote several novels and other prose pieces that drew comparison to Beckett and other major Modernist writers. He was al ...

and

Nathalie Sarraute Nathalie Sarraute (; born Natalia Ilinichna Tcherniak ( rus, Ната́лья Ильи́нична Черня́к); – 19 October 1999) was a French writer and lawyer. Personal life Sarraute was born in Ivanovo-Voznesensk (now Ivanovo), 300&n ...

. In addition to her

translation Translation is the communication of the Meaning (linguistic), meaning of a #Source and target languages, source-language text by means of an Dynamic and formal equivalence, equivalent #Source and target languages, target-language text. The ...

s, Wright authored literary criticism and was a regular contributor to the ''

Times Literary Supplement ''The Times Literary Supplement'' (''TLS'') is a weekly literary review published in London by News UK, a subsidiary of News Corp. History The ''TLS'' first appeared in 1902 as a supplement to ''The Times'' but became a separate publication ...

'' as a reviewer. After completing translations of two short stories by Queneau, the author proposed that Wright translate his '' Exercices de style''. The work had been deemed 'untranslatable' due to Queneau's reliance on unique French writing styles and language. Trusting her skill, Queneau encouraged and endorsed Wright's improvised English equivalents of French turns of phrase. The result was a resounding success with her text becoming the basis for translations of the work in other languages. In 2008 it was recognised as one of the best translations during a 50-year period by the

Society of Authors The Society of Authors (SoA) is a United Kingdom trade union for professional writers, illustrators and literary translators, founded in 1884 to protect the rights and further the interests of authors. , it represents over 12,000 members and as ...

. In 1953 Wright was elected a member of the

College of Pataphysics Pataphysics (french: 'pataphysique) is a " philosophy" of science invented by French writer Alfred Jarry (1873–1907) intended to be a parody of science. Difficult to be simply defined or pinned down, it has been described as the "science of im ...

, as ''Régente de Zozologie Shakespearienne''. She was elevated to Satrape in 2001, a position she held alongside

Umberto Eco Umberto Eco (5 January 1932 – 19 February 2016) was an Italian medievalist, philosopher, semiotician, novelist, cultural critic, and political and social commentator. In English, he is best known for his popular 1980 novel ''The Name of the ...

and

Jean Baudrillard Jean Baudrillard ( , , ; 27 July 1929 – 6 March 2007) was a French sociologist, philosopher and poet with interest in cultural studies. He is best known for his analyses of media, contemporary culture, and technological communication, as w ...

. In 1986 Wright was appointed

Commandeur Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain. ...

of l'

Ordre des Arts et des Lettres The ''Ordre des Arts et des Lettres'' (Order of Arts and Letters) is an order of France established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture. Its supplementary status to the was confirmed by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963. Its purpose is ...

. She was also a two-time recipient of the

Scott Moncrieff Prize The Scott Moncrieff Prize, named after the translator C. K. Scott Moncrieff, is an annual £2,000 literary prize for French to English translation, awarded to one or more translators every year for a full-length work deemed by the Translators Asso ...

. Wright was recognised in 1987 for her translation of

Pierre Albert-Birot Pierre Albert-Birot (22 April 1876 – 25 July 1967) was a French avant-garde poet, dramatist, and theater manager. He was a steadfast avant-garde during World War I, through the magazine ''Sic'' he created and published from 1916 to 1919. He wa ...

's ''Grabinoulor'' and again in 1992 for Michel Tournier's ''The Midnight Love Feast''. After separating from her husband, Wright lived at

Hampstead Hampstead () is an area in London, which lies northwest of Charing Cross, and extends from Watling Street, the A5 road (Roman Watling Street) to Hampstead Heath, a large, hilly expanse of parkland. The area forms the northwest part of the Lon ...

north London North London is the northern part of London, England, north of the River Thames. It extends from Clerkenwell and Finsbury, on the edge of the City of London financial district, to Greater London's boundary with Hertfordshire. The term ''nort ...

, and died on 3 March 2009. Her literary translation papers are held by the Lilly Library at

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. Campuses Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI. *Indiana Universit ...

. The authors she translated who are represented in the collection include

Jean Hamburger Jean Hamburger (15 July 1909 – 1 February 1992) was a French physician, surgeon and essayist. He is particularly known for his contribution to nephrology, and for having performed the first renal transplantation in France in 1952. Biography ...

Eugène Ionesco Eugène Ionesco (; born Eugen Ionescu, ; 26 November 1909 – 28 March 1994) was a Romanian-French playwright who wrote mostly in French, and was one of the foremost figures of the French avant-garde theatre in the 20th century. Ionesco inst ...

, Alfred Jarry, Pierre Lauer, Robert Pinget, Raymond Queneau, Nathalie Sarraute and Stefan Themerson. Correspondence from publishers of Wright's works, including Gaberbocchus Press,

John Calder John Mackenzie Calder (25 January 1927 – 13 August 2018) was a Scottish-Canadian writer and publisher who founded the company Calder Publishing in 1949. Biography Calder was born in Montreal, Canada, into the Calder family associated with the ...

, Doubleday,

Faber & Faber Faber and Faber Limited, usually abbreviated to Faber, is an independent publishing house in London. Published authors and poets include T. S. Eliot (an early Faber editor and director), W. H. Auden, Margaret Storey, William Golding, Samuel B ...

, New Directions, the

Atlas Press Atlas Press began publishing in 1983, and specialises in extremist and avant-garde prose writing from the 1890s to the present day. It is the largest publisher in English of books on Surrealism and has an extensive list relating to Dada, Surreal ...

and Red Dust, are also present.

Translations

From Renouard & Kelly below. * Stefan Themerson &

Franciszka Themerson Franciszka Themerson (28 June 1907 - 29 June 1988) was a Polish, later British, painter, illustrator, filmmaker and stage designer. Biography Themerson was born in Warsaw in 1907, the daughter of the artist Jakub Weinles and pianist Łucja ( n� ...

: (translated from Polish with Stefan Themerson) ''Mr Rouse Builds His House''. 1950 *Alfred Jarry: ''Ubu Roi'' (illustrated by Franciszka Themerson). 1951. *Raymond Queneau: ''The Trojan Horse; At the Edge of the forest''. 1954. *

Christian Dietrich Grabbe Christian Dietrich Grabbe (11 December 1801 – 12 September 1836) was a German dramatist of the ''Vormärz'' era. He wrote many historical plays conceiving a disillusioned and pessimistic world view, with some shrill scenes. Heinrich Heine ...

: ''Comedy, Satire. Irony and Deeper Meaning'' (translation from German, illustrated by Franciszka Themerson). 1955. * Pol-Dives: ''The Song of Bright Misery''. 1955. *Raymond Queneau: '' Exercises in Style''. 1958. *Raymond Queneau: '' Zazie in the Metro''. 1960. * Monique Lange: ''The Catfish'' in ''New Writers 1''. 1960. *

Fernando Arrabal Fernando Arrabal Terán (born August 11, 1932) is a Spanish playwright, screenwriter, film director, novelist, and poet. He was born in Melilla and settled in France in 1955. Regarding his nationality, Arrabal describes himself as "desterrado", ...

: ''Orison''; ''The Two Executioners''; ''Fernando and Lis''; ''The Car Cemetery'' in ''Plays. vol. 1'' 1962. *

Andrée Martinerie Andrée Martinerie (17 April 1917 – 1997) was a 20th-century French women writer, laureate of the prix des libraires on 1961. Biography An aggregée of classical letters, Andrée Martinerie began her career by translating important authors ...

: ''Second Spring''. 1962. *

Alain Robbe-Grillet Alain Robbe-Grillet (; 18 August 1922 – 18 February 2008) was a French writer and filmmaker. He was one of the figures most associated with the '' Nouveau Roman'' (new novel) trend of the 1960s, along with Nathalie Sarraute, Michel Butor and C ...

: ''Snapshots'' and ''Towards a New Novel''. 1965. *

Marguerite Duras Marguerite Germaine Marie Donnadieu (, 4 April 1914 – 3 March 1996), known as Marguerite Duras (), was a French novelist, playwright, screenwriter, essayist, and experimental filmmaker. Her script for the film ''Hiroshima mon amour'' (1959) ea ...

: ''The Long Absence''. 1966. *Raymond Queneau: ''Between Blue and Blue''. 1967. *Fernando Arrabal: ''Guernica''; ''The Labyrinth''; ''The Tricycle''; ''Picnic on the Battlefield''; ''The Condemned Man's Tricycle'' in ''Plays. vol. 2''. 1967. *Raymond Queneau: ''A Blue Funk'' and ''Dino'' in ''French Writing Today''. 1968. *Alain Robbe-Grillet: ''In the Corridors of the Underground'' in ''French Writing Today''. 1968. *Raymond Queneau: ''The Bark Tree''. 1968. *Alain Robbe-Grillet: ''The Secret Room'' in ''The Penguin Book of French Short Stories''. 1968. *

André Couteaux André Couteaux (1925 – 1985) was a French writer and a scenarist. Biography He was married to Béatrice de Cambronne, the daughter of Claude de Cambronne, with whom he had a son, Stanislas Couteaux. He was born in Ankara. He is also the ...

: ''Portrait of the Boy as a Young Wolf/My Father's Keeper''. 1968. *Alfred Jarry: '' The Supermale''. 1968. *: ''The Swallows''. 1969 *: ''The House of Bones''. 1971. *

Jean Genet Jean Genet (; – ) was a French novelist, playwright, poet, essayist, and political activist. In his early life he was a vagabond and petty criminal, but he later became a writer and playwright. His major works include the novels ''The Thief's ...

(with

Terry Hands Terence David Hands (9 January 1941 – 4 February 2020) was an English theatre director. He founded the Liverpool Everyman Theatre and ran the Royal Shakespeare Company for thirteen years during one of the company's most successful periods; h ...

): ''

The Balcony ''The Balcony'' (french: Le Balcon) is a play by the French dramatist Jean Genet. It is set in an unnamed city that is experiencing a revolutionary uprising in the streets; most of the action takes place in an upmarket brothel that functions as a ...

''. 1971. * Pierre Lauer: ''The Suns of Badarane''. 1971. *Robert Pinget: ''The Libera Me Domine''. 1972 *Raymond Queneau: ''The Flight of Icarus''. 1973. *

Yves Klein Yves Klein (; 28 April 1928 – 6 June 1962) was a French artist and an important figure in post-war European art. He was a leading member of the French artistic movement of Nouveau réalisme founded in 1960 by art critic Pierre Restany. Klein w ...

: ''Selected Writings''. (in part). 1974 *Robert Pinget: ''Recurrent Melody''. 1975. *

Ludovic Janvier Ludovic Janvier (24 October 1934, Paris – 18 January 2016, Ivry-sur-Seine) was a French novelist, poet, essayist, and short stories writer. He was the grandson of Haitian writer and politician Louis-Joseph Janvier. Work Novels *1968: ''La ...

: ''The Bathing Girl'' (revision of translation by John Matthew). 1976 *Raymond Queneau: ''The Sunday of Life''. 1976. *

Sylvia Bourdon Sylvia Bourdon (born 1949 in Cologne, West Germany) is a French activist who speaks four languages and is an expert in French art and design. Career She acted in a number of adult movies in the 1970s. She was a famous gallerist from 1978–1985 ...

: ''Love is a Feast.'' 1977. *

Tristan Tzara Tristan Tzara (; ; born Samuel or Samy Rosenstock, also known as S. Samyro; – 25 December 1963) was a Romanian and French avant-garde poet, essayist and performance artist. Also active as a journalist, playwright, literary and art critic, comp ...

: ''Seven Dada Manifestoes'' and ''Lampisteries''. 1977. *Robert Pinget: ''Passacaglia''. 1978. *

Roland Topor Roland Topor (7 January 1938 – 16 April 1997) was a French illustrator, cartoonist, comics artist, painter, novelist, playwright, film and TV writer, filmmaker and actor, who was known for the surreal nature of his work. He was of Polish-Jewis ...

: ''Leonardo Was Right''. 1978 * Herbert Le Porrier: ''The Doctor From Cordoba''. 1979. * Simone Benmussa: ''The Singular Life of Albert Nobbs''. 1979 *Robert Pinget: ''Fable''. 1980. *Nathalie Sarraute: ''It is There and other plays''. 1980 *Simone Benmussa: 'Appearances' in ''Gambit'' No. 35. 1980 * Muriel Cerf: 'Blitz-Fortune' in ''Real Life – Writers from Nine Countries Illuminate the Life of the Modern Woman''. 1981 *Raymond Queneau: ''We Always Treat Women Too Well''. 1981 *Robert Pinget: ''Between Fantoine and Agapa''. 1982. *Robert Pinget: ''That Voice''. 1982. *Nathalie Sarraute: ''The Use of Speech''. 1982 *Nathalie Sarraute: ''Childhood''. 1983 *

Romain Gary Romain Gary (; 2 December 1980), born Roman Kacew (, and also known by the pen name Émile Ajar), was a French novelist, diplomat, film director, and World War II aviator. He is the only author to have won the Prix Goncourt under two names. He i ...

: ''King Solomon''. 1983 *

Michel Tournier Michel Tournier (; 19 December 1924 − 18 January 2016) was a French writer. He won awards such as the ''Grand Prix du roman de l'Académie française'' in 1967 for '' Friday, or, The Other Island'' and the Prix Goncourt for '' The Erl-King'' i ...

: ''The Fetishist and Other Stories''. 1983 *Robert Pinget: ''Someone''. 1984. * Henri Guigonnat: ''Daemon in Lithuania''. 1985 *Eugène Ionesco: ''Journeys Among the Dead.'' 1985 *

René de Obaldia René de Obaldia (22 October 1918 – 27 January 2022) was a French playwright and poet. He was elected to the Académie française on 24 June 1999. Biography He was the great-grandson of José Domingo de Obaldía, the second President of Panam ...

: ''Monsieur Klebs and Rosalie'' in ''Plays'' Vol. 4. 1985 *Michel Tournier: ''A Garden at Hammamet.'' 1986 *Robert Pinget: ''The Apocrypha''. 1986. *Pierre Albert-Birot: ''The First Book of Grabinoulor''.1986 *Robert Pinget: ''Abel and Bela.''. 1987. *Michel Tournier: ''The Golden Droplet''. 1987 *Raymond Queneau: ''Pierrot Mon Ami''. 1987. *Robert Pinget: ''Monsieur Songe'' with ''The Harness, Plough''. 1988. *Robert Pinget: ''A Bizarre Will.'' 1989. *

Elisabeth Badinter Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to: People * Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name) * Elizabeth (biblical figure), mother of John the Baptist Ships * HMS ''Elizabeth'', several ships * ''Elisabeth'' (sch ...

: ''The Unopposite Sex an/Woman: The One is the Other'. 1989 *Raymond Queneau: ''The Last Days''. 1990. *Raymond Queneau: ''Alfred'' in ''Journal of Literary Translation. vol. XXIII''. 1990 * Liliane Siegel: ''In the Shadow of Sartre''. 1990 *Nathalie Sarraute: ''You Don't Love Yourself''. 1990 *Robert Pinget: ''The Enemy''. 1991. *Michel Tournier: ''Totems''. 1991 *Michel Tournier: ''The Midnight Love Feast''. 1991 *

Pascal Quignard Pascal Quignard (; born 23 April 1948) is a French writer born in Verneuil-sur-Avre, Eure. In 2002 his novel ''Les Ombres errantes'' won the Prix Goncourt, France's top literary prize. ''Terrasse à Rome'' (Terrasse in Rome), received the Fren ...

: ''Georges de La Tour''. 1991 *

(with

): ''

''. 1991 *

Patrick Modiano Jean Patrick Modiano (; born 30 July 1945), generally known as Patrick Modiano, is a French novelist and recipient of the 2014 Nobel Prize in Literature. He is a noted writer of autofiction, the blend of autobiography and historical fiction. I ...

: ''Honeymoon''. 1992 *Jean Hamburger: ''The Diary of William Harvey''. 1992 *Robert Pinget: ''Be Brave''. 1994. *Robert Pinget: ''Theo, or The New Era''. 1994. *

Alberto Giacometti Alberto Giacometti (, , ; 10 October 1901 – 11 January 1966) was a Swiss sculptor, painter, draftsman and printmaker. Beginning in 1922, he lived and worked mainly in Paris but regularly visited his hometown Borgonovo to see his family and ...

: ''The Dream, The Sphinx'' and ''The Death of T. in Grand Street'' in ''Space'' No. 54. 1995 * Coline Serrau: ''Lapin, Lapin''. 1995 *

Samuel Beckett Samuel Barclay Beckett (; 13 April 1906 – 22 December 1989) was an Irish novelist, dramatist, short story writer, theatre director, poet, and literary translator. His literary and theatrical work features bleak, impersonal and tragicomic expe ...

: ''

Eleutheria The Greek word "ἐλευθερία" (capitalized Ἐλευθερία; Attic Greek pronunciation: ), transliterated as eleutheria, is an Ancient Greek term for, and personification of, liberty. Eleutheria personified had a brief career on coins ...

''. 1996 *

Jean Rouaud Jean Rouaud (born 13 December 1952) is a French author, who was born in Campbon, Loire-Atlantique. In 1990 his novel ''Fields of Glory'' (French: ''Les Champs d'honneur'') won the Prix Goncourt The Prix Goncourt (french: Le prix Goncourt, , ...

: ''Of Illustrious Men''. 1996 *Nathalie Sarraute: ''Here''. 1997 *Jean Rouaud: ''The World, More or Less''. 1997 *Stefan Themerson: ''Fragments From Darkness''. 1998 *Robert Pinget: ''Traces of Ink''. 1998. * Aude Yung-de Prévaud: ''Jacques & Lotha''. 2000 *Simone Benmussa: ''Three Plays.'' (''The Singular Life of Albert Nobbs, Appearance'' and ''The Death of Ivan Illich'') in collaboration with

Donald Watson Donald Watson (2 September 1910 – 16 November 2005) was an English animal rights advocate who co-founded The Vegan Society. Early life Watson was born in Mexborough, Yorkshire, the son of a headmaster in a mining community. As a child, Watso ...

2000 *Raymond Queneau: ''Five Stories: Panic; Dino; At the Edge of the Forest; A Blue Funk; The Trojan Horse''. 2000. *Pierre Albert-Birot: ''31 Pocket Poems''. 2003 *Raymond Queneau: Introduction and comments with extracts from ''Zazie'', ''Pierrot'', and ''The Flight of Icarus'', in "Tolling Elves 5" February 2003 to celebrate Queneau's centenary. *Robert Pinget: ''Trio'' (''Between Fatoine and Agapa'', ''That Voice'', ''Passacaglia''). 2005. *publication of script for radio adaptation of ''Exercises in Style'' broadcast on 25 December 1959 by the BBC with introduction by Barbara Wright. 2006. *Robert Pinget: ''Film script: 15 Rue des Lilas''. in Renouard & Kelly. 2013 Wright also wrote various plays, libretti (three by

Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his ra ...

), artists' manifestos, composers' programme notes, introductions, forewords and postscripts.

References

External links

*
Finding aid to Barbara Wright's papers
at Lilly Library, Indiana University, Bloomington.
Wright-ing the Untranslable
introduction to Barbara Wright's papers at Lilly Library, Indiana University, Bloomington. {{DEFAULTSORT:Wright, Barbara 1915 births 2009 deaths People from Worthing People from Hampstead Commandeurs of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres English translators 20th-century British translators French–English translators