Charles Bukowski’s 'Women' : feminist translation, censorship and sexual taboo

Abstract

This dissertation seeks to give a definition of feminist translation, and then redefine it in the local context, linking it with censorship and the taboo of sex due to the target culture the text in question is translated into. It centres around the translation of extracts from Charles Bukowski’s 1978 novel Women, a semi-autobiographical novel in which the narrator, Henry Chinaski, recounts his sexual experiences with several women, which he claims to have had as research for the writing of the novel. It starts off with a brief look at censorship with regards to literature in Malta, mainly by focusing on two events which took place around 10 years ago: the censorship of Alex Vella Gera’s story “Li Tkisser Sewwi” and the censorship of the play Stitching, produced by Unifaun Theatre. The following chapter sheds some light on the Maltese sexual taboo and how this is reflected in language. Feminist translation does not only deal with sexual language and literature, but misogyny can be particularly evident in literature on sex. The fourth chapter details the origins of feminist translation and its evolution through time. Another chapter gives insight into Bukowski’s background and upbringing, as well as his relationship with women, some of which ended up featuring in the novel itself. Discussing these issues, as well as the women’s reactions to the novel Women, helps the readers gain a better understanding of how Bukowski’s work can be considered misogynistic. The methodology chapter outlines the choice of segments for translation and the method in which they are translated. The actual translation of 13 segments from Women from English into Maltese follows the methodology, and the reasoning behind this translation is given in the analysis in the following chapter, in which the salient points are the translation of the language of sex from English into Maltese and how gender may have affected me when translating Charles Bukowski’s work. Once these two issues are established, I go on to discuss the effects of my translation on the polysystem of Maltese literature, considering the background given in the chapters on censorship and taboo. The dissertation then ends with an outlook on the whole project, the intended attempt at intrusive feminist translation and the decision to abstain from it, as well as what could be done in the future with regards to feminist translation in Maltese literature.