Andre Lefevere
Encyclopedia
André Alphons Lefevere was one of the most important translation theorists of the second half of the twentieth century. He had studied at the University of Ghent (1964–1968) and then obtained his PhD at the University of Essex
in 1972. When he died he was Professor of Germanic Studies in the University of Texas at Austin
.
,he theorized translation as a form of rewriting produced and read with a set of ideological and political constraints within the target language cultural system. Lefevere developed the idea of translation as a form of rewriting, which means that any text produced on the basis of another has the intention of adapting that other text to a certain ideology or to a certain poetics, and usually to both.
Lefevere, along with Gideon Toury, James Holmes and Jose Lambert can be considered among the foremost scholars who have made translation studies an autonomous discipline. Together with Susan Bassnett
he has envisaged that "neither the word, nor the text, but the culture becomes the operational ‘unit’ of translation". This has been hailed by Edwin Gentzler
, one of the leading synthesizers of translation theory, as the "real breakthrough for the field of translation studies"; it epitomized what is termed "the coming of age" of the discipline; an increasing intercultural or multicultural trend, that might be termed the postcolonial turn.
University of Essex
The University of Essex is a British campus university whose original and largest campus is near the town of Colchester, England. Established in 1963 and receiving its Royal Charter in 1965...
in 1972. When he died he was Professor of Germanic Studies in the University of Texas at Austin
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
.
Thought and influence
His most important contribution is in the area of comparative literary studies and translation studies in particular. Drawing upon the notions of the polysystem theorists like Itamar Even-ZoharItamar Even-Zohar
Itamar Even-Zohar is an Israeli culture researcher and professor at Tel Aviv University. Even-Zohar is a pioneer of polysystem theory and the theory of cultural repertoires.-Biography:...
,he theorized translation as a form of rewriting produced and read with a set of ideological and political constraints within the target language cultural system. Lefevere developed the idea of translation as a form of rewriting, which means that any text produced on the basis of another has the intention of adapting that other text to a certain ideology or to a certain poetics, and usually to both.
Lefevere, along with Gideon Toury, James Holmes and Jose Lambert can be considered among the foremost scholars who have made translation studies an autonomous discipline. Together with Susan Bassnett
Susan Bassnett
Susan Bassnett is a translation theorist and scholar of comparative literature. She served as pro-vice-chancellor at the University of Warwick for ten years and taught in its Centre for Translation and Comparative Cultural Studies, which closed in 2009...
he has envisaged that "neither the word, nor the text, but the culture becomes the operational ‘unit’ of translation". This has been hailed by Edwin Gentzler
Edwin Gentzler
Edwin Gentzler is an American Germanist, comparative literature and translation scholar.-Biography:Gentzler first obtained his BA in English at Kenyon College, Gambier, Ohio in 1973. After studying Germanistics at the Free University of Berlin, 1974-1977, Gentzler obtained his PhD in Comparative...
, one of the leading synthesizers of translation theory, as the "real breakthrough for the field of translation studies"; it epitomized what is termed "the coming of age" of the discipline; an increasing intercultural or multicultural trend, that might be termed the postcolonial turn.
Publications
- Constructing Cultures (with Susan BassnettSusan BassnettSusan Bassnett is a translation theorist and scholar of comparative literature. She served as pro-vice-chancellor at the University of Warwick for ten years and taught in its Centre for Translation and Comparative Cultural Studies, which closed in 2009...
). London: Multilingual Matters, 1997 - Translating Literature: Practice and Theory in a Comparative Literature Framework. New York: MLA, 1992
- Translation, Rewriting, and the Manipulation of Literary Fame. London/New York:Routledge, 1992
- Ed. Translation: Culture/History: A Source Book. London/New York: Routledge, 1992
- Essays in Comparative Literature. Calcutta: Papyrus, 1989
- Nederlandse Poëzie. Amsterdam: Coutinho, 1989
- Translating Literature: The German Tradition. Assen: Van Gorcum, 1977
- Literary Knowledge. Assen: Van Gorcum, 1977
- Translating Poetry: Seven Strategies and a Blueprint. Amsterdam: Van Gorcum, 1975