Francisco Torres Oliver
Encyclopedia
The article below was translated from the Spanish Wikipedia Article
Francisco Torres Oliver (born Villajoyosa, Alicante
(Spain
), June 21, 1935) is one of the most important Spanish
translator
s. He studied “Filosofía y letras”, in the branch of Philosophy
, at the Universidad Complutense, Madrid
.
He specializes in Anglo-Saxon
fantastic
Literature. Along with the scholar Rafael Llopis
, he is one of the greater impellers of the macabre and mystery literature in Castilian language, by which, he affirms, “are the young people who feel greater curiosity”. Torres Oliver has also translated to Castilian numerous texts of history, philosophy and anthropology.
He has translated, among others, the following authors: Charles Dickens
, D. H. Lawrence
, Daniel Defoe
, H. P. Lovecraft
, James Hogg
, Jane Austen
, Lewis Carroll
, Thomas Hardy
, Thomas Malory
, Arthur Machen
, M. R. James
and Vladimir Nabokov
. Also he has translated some French works.
In 1991 he received the Premio nacional de traducción de literatura infantil y juvenil, by the book “Los perros de la Morrigan” (The Hounds of the Morrigan
) (Editorial Siruela), by the Irish author Pat O'Shea
. Later, in 2001, he won the Premio Nacional a la Obra de un Traductor of Spain, in recognition to all his professional work.
As far as the panorama of the translation in Spain, Torres Oliver recognizes that the task of the translator has changed much in the last years, nevertheless, “still is badly remunerated”.
Torres Oliver is also a painter.
Francisco Torres Oliver (born Villajoyosa, Alicante
Alicante
Alicante or Alacant is a city in Spain, the capital of the province of Alicante and of the comarca of Alacantí, in the south of the Valencian Community. It is also a historic Mediterranean port. The population of the city of Alicante proper was 334,418, estimated , ranking as the second-largest...
(Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
), June 21, 1935) is one of the most important Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
translator
Translation
Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. Whereas interpreting undoubtedly antedates writing, translation began only after the appearance of written literature; there exist partial translations of the Sumerian Epic of...
s. He studied “Filosofía y letras”, in the branch of Philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
, at the Universidad Complutense, Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
.
He specializes in Anglo-Saxon
Anglosphere
Anglosphere is a neologism which refers to those nations with English as the most common language. The term can be used more specifically to refer to those nations which share certain characteristics within their cultures based on a linguistic heritage, through being former British colonies...
fantastic
Fantastic
The Fantastic is a literary term that describes a quality of other literary genres, and, in some cases, is used as a genre in and of itself, although in this case it is often conflated with the Supernatural. The term was originated in the structuralist theory of critic Tzvetan Todorov in his work...
Literature. Along with the scholar Rafael Llopis
Rafael Llopis
Rafael Llopis Paret , Spanish psychiatrist, essayist and translator, specializing in fantasy and horror fiction.He studied medicine at the Universidad Complutense of Madrid...
, he is one of the greater impellers of the macabre and mystery literature in Castilian language, by which, he affirms, “are the young people who feel greater curiosity”. Torres Oliver has also translated to Castilian numerous texts of history, philosophy and anthropology.
He has translated, among others, the following authors: Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
, D. H. Lawrence
D. H. Lawrence
David Herbert Richards Lawrence was an English novelist, poet, playwright, essayist, literary critic and painter who published as D. H. Lawrence. His collected works represent an extended reflection upon the dehumanising effects of modernity and industrialisation...
, Daniel Defoe
Daniel Defoe
Daniel Defoe , born Daniel Foe, was an English trader, writer, journalist, and pamphleteer, who gained fame for his novel Robinson Crusoe. Defoe is notable for being one of the earliest proponents of the novel, as he helped to popularise the form in Britain and along with others such as Richardson,...
, H. P. Lovecraft
H. P. Lovecraft
Howard Phillips Lovecraft --often credited as H.P. Lovecraft — was an American author of horror, fantasy and science fiction, especially the subgenre known as weird fiction....
, James Hogg
James Hogg
James Hogg was a Scottish poet and novelist who wrote in both Scots and English.-Early life:James Hogg was born in a small farm near Ettrick, Scotland in 1770 and was baptized there on 9 December, his actual date of birth having never been recorded...
, Jane Austen
Jane Austen
Jane Austen was an English novelist whose works of romantic fiction, set among the landed gentry, earned her a place as one of the most widely read writers in English literature, her realism and biting social commentary cementing her historical importance among scholars and critics.Austen lived...
, Lewis Carroll
Lewis Carroll
Charles Lutwidge Dodgson , better known by the pseudonym Lewis Carroll , was an English author, mathematician, logician, Anglican deacon and photographer. His most famous writings are Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and its sequel Through the Looking-Glass, as well as the poems "The Hunting of the...
, Thomas Hardy
Thomas Hardy
Thomas Hardy, OM was an English novelist and poet. While his works typically belong to the Naturalism movement, several poems display elements of the previous Romantic and Enlightenment periods of literature, such as his fascination with the supernatural.While he regarded himself primarily as a...
, Thomas Malory
Thomas Malory
Sir Thomas Malory was an English writer, the author or compiler of Le Morte d'Arthur. The antiquary John Leland as well as John Bale believed him to be Welsh, but most modern scholars, beginning with G. L...
, Arthur Machen
Arthur Machen
Arthur Machen was a Welsh author and mystic of the 1890s and early 20th century. He is best known for his influential supernatural, fantasy, and horror fiction. His novella The Great God Pan has garnered a reputation as a classic of horror...
, M. R. James
M. R. James
Montague Rhodes James, OM, MA, , who used the publication name M. R. James, was an English mediaeval scholar and provost of King's College, Cambridge and of Eton College . He is best remembered for his ghost stories, which are regarded as among the best in the genre...
and Vladimir Nabokov
Vladimir Nabokov
Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov was a multilingual Russian novelist and short story writer. Nabokov wrote his first nine novels in Russian, then rose to international prominence as a master English prose stylist...
. Also he has translated some French works.
In 1991 he received the Premio nacional de traducción de literatura infantil y juvenil, by the book “Los perros de la Morrigan” (The Hounds of the Morrigan
The Hounds of the Morrigan
The Hounds of the Morrigan is a novel by Irish writer Pat O'Shea. It was published in 1985, having taken O'Shea ten years to complete. The novel centers on the adventures of 10-year-old Pidge and his younger sister, Brigit. Many characters in the book are culled straight from Celtic mythology...
) (Editorial Siruela), by the Irish author Pat O'Shea
Pat O'Shea
Pat O'Shea , was the pen name of Patricia Mary Shiels O'Shea, an award-winning and best-selling children's fiction writer. She was born in Galway and was the youngest of 5 children. Her first novel was the best-selling The Hounds of the Morrigan, which took 13 years to complete...
. Later, in 2001, he won the Premio Nacional a la Obra de un Traductor of Spain, in recognition to all his professional work.
As far as the panorama of the translation in Spain, Torres Oliver recognizes that the task of the translator has changed much in the last years, nevertheless, “still is badly remunerated”.
Torres Oliver is also a painter.
Selected bibliography
- Histoire des religions, translated as Las religiones en la India y en el Extremo Oriente: formación de las religiones universales y de salvación, by André BareauAndré BareauAndré Bareau was a prominent French Buddhologist and a leader in the establishment of the field of Buddhist Studies in the 20th century. He was a professor at the Collège de France from 1971 to 1991 and Director of the Study of Buddhist Philosophy at L'École Pratique des Hautes Études.-External...
[et al.] (Editorial Siglo XXI) - Never on a Broomstick, as Historia de la brujería, by Frank DonovanFrank DonovanFrank J. Donovan was a Welsh footballer who represented Great Britain at the 1948 Summer Olympics. Donovan played amateur football with Pembroke Borough.-References:...
(Alianza Ed., 1978) - The Death of Arthur, as La muerte de Arturo, by Thomas MaloryThomas MalorySir Thomas Malory was an English writer, the author or compiler of Le Morte d'Arthur. The antiquary John Leland as well as John Bale believed him to be Welsh, but most modern scholars, beginning with G. L...
(Ed. Siruela, 1985) - Watership Down as La colina de Watership, by Richard AdamsRichard AdamsRichard Adams was a non-conforming English Presbyterian divine, known as author of sermons and other theological writings.-Life:...
(Ultramar, 1986) - (Ghost stories), as Relatos de fantasmas, by Edith WhartonEdith WhartonEdith Wharton , was a Pulitzer Prize-winning American novelist, short story writer, and designer.- Early life and marriage:...
(Alianza, 1987) - (Ghost stories), as La tía de Seaton y otros relatos, by Walter de la MareWalter de la MareWalter John de la Mare , OM CH was an English poet, short story writer and novelist, probably best remembered for his works for children and the poem "The Listeners"....
(Alfaguara, 1987) - The Hill of Dreams, as La colina de los sueños, by Arthur MachenArthur MachenArthur Machen was a Welsh author and mystic of the 1890s and early 20th century. He is best known for his influential supernatural, fantasy, and horror fiction. His novella The Great God Pan has garnered a reputation as a classic of horror...
(Siruela, 1988) - (Ghost stories), as La casa vacía, by Algernon BlackwoodAlgernon BlackwoodAlgernon Henry Blackwood, CBE was an English short story writer and novelist, one of the most prolific writers of ghost stories in the history of the genre. He was also a journalist and a broadcasting narrator. S. T...
(Siruela, 1989) - A Vision, as Una visión, by W. B. Yeats (Siruela, 1991)
- The Food of the Gods, as El alimento de los dioses, by Arthur C. ClarkeArthur C. ClarkeSir Arthur Charles Clarke, CBE, FRAS was a British science fiction author, inventor, and futurist, famous for his short stories and novels, among them 2001: A Space Odyssey, and as a host and commentator in the British television series Mysterious World. For many years, Robert A. Heinlein,...
(C.E.C.I., 1991) - A Christmas Carol, as Canción de Navidad, by Charles DickensCharles DickensCharles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
(Vicens-Vives, 1994) - The Monk, as El monje, by Matthew Gregory LewisMatthew Gregory LewisMatthew Gregory Lewis was an English novelist and dramatist, often referred to as "Monk" Lewis, because of the success of his classic Gothic novel, The Monk.-Family:...
(Valdemar, 1994) - Winter's Tales, as Cuentos de invierno, by Isak Dinesen (RBA, 1994)
- Melmoth the Wanderer, as Melmoth el errabundo, by Charles Robert Maturin (Valdemar, 1996)
- Jude the Obscure, as Jude el oscuro, by Thomas HardyThomas HardyThomas Hardy, OM was an English novelist and poet. While his works typically belong to the Naturalism movement, several poems display elements of the previous Romantic and Enlightenment periods of literature, such as his fascination with the supernatural.While he regarded himself primarily as a...
(Alba, 1996) - Mansfield Park, by Jane AustenJane AustenJane Austen was an English novelist whose works of romantic fiction, set among the landed gentry, earned her a place as one of the most widely read writers in English literature, her realism and biting social commentary cementing her historical importance among scholars and critics.Austen lived...
(Alba, 1996) - Of Mice and Men, as De ratones y hombres, by John SteinbeckJohn SteinbeckJohn Ernst Steinbeck, Jr. was an American writer. He is widely known for the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Grapes of Wrath and East of Eden and the novella Of Mice and Men...
(Vicens-Vives, 1996) - Drácula, by Bram StokerBram StokerAbraham "Bram" Stoker was an Irish novelist and short story writer, best known today for his 1897 Gothic novel Dracula...
(Ediciones B, 1997) - (Complete stories), as Corazones perdidos: cuentos completos de fantasmas, by M. R. JamesM. R. JamesMontague Rhodes James, OM, MA, , who used the publication name M. R. James, was an English mediaeval scholar and provost of King's College, Cambridge and of Eton College . He is best remembered for his ghost stories, which are regarded as among the best in the genre...
(Valdemar, 1997) - The house on the Borderland, as La casa en el confín de la tierra, by William Hope HodgsonWilliam Hope HodgsonWilliam Hope Hodgson was an English author. He produced a large body of work, consisting of essays, short fiction, and novels, spanning several overlapping genres including horror, fantastic fiction and science fiction. Early in his writing career he dedicated effort to poetry, although few of his...
(Valdemar, 1998) - Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus, as Frankenstein o El moderno Prometeo, by Mary ShelleyMary ShelleyMary Shelley was a British novelist, short story writer, dramatist, essayist, biographer, and travel writer, best known for her Gothic novel Frankenstein: or, The Modern Prometheus . She also edited and promoted the works of her husband, the Romantic poet and philosopher Percy Bysshe Shelley...
(Alianza, 1998) - Fantastic fables, as Fábulas fantásticas, by Ambrose BierceAmbrose BierceAmbrose Gwinnett Bierce was an American editorialist, journalist, short story writer, fabulist and satirist...
(Valdemar, 1999) - A General History of the Pyrates, as Historia general de los robos y asesinatos de los más famosos piratas, by Daniel DefoeDaniel DefoeDaniel Defoe , born Daniel Foe, was an English trader, writer, journalist, and pamphleteer, who gained fame for his novel Robinson Crusoe. Defoe is notable for being one of the earliest proponents of the novel, as he helped to popularise the form in Britain and along with others such as Richardson,...
(Valdemar, 1999) - Lady Chatterley's Lover, as El amante de lady Chatterley, by D. H. LawrenceD. H. LawrenceDavid Herbert Richards Lawrence was an English novelist, poet, playwright, essayist, literary critic and painter who published as D. H. Lawrence. His collected works represent an extended reflection upon the dehumanising effects of modernity and industrialisation...
(Alianza, 2001) - Curso de literatura europea, by Vladimir NabokovVladimir NabokovVladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov was a multilingual Russian novelist and short story writer. Nabokov wrote his first nine novels in Russian, then rose to international prominence as a master English prose stylist...
(C. de Lectores, 2001) - The Case of Charles Dexter Ward, as El caso de Charles Dexter Ward, by H. P. LovecraftH. P. LovecraftHoward Phillips Lovecraft --often credited as H.P. Lovecraft — was an American author of horror, fantasy and science fiction, especially the subgenre known as weird fiction....
(Valdemar, 2002) - Gulliver's travels, as Los viajes de Gulliver, by Jonathan SwiftJonathan SwiftJonathan Swift was an Irish satirist, essayist, political pamphleteer , poet and cleric who became Dean of St...
(Valdemar, 2003) - Through the Looking-Glass, as Alicia en el País de las Maravillas: a través del espejo, by Lewis CarrollLewis CarrollCharles Lutwidge Dodgson , better known by the pseudonym Lewis Carroll , was an English author, mathematician, logician, Anglican deacon and photographer. His most famous writings are Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and its sequel Through the Looking-Glass, as well as the poems "The Hunting of the...
(Akal, 2003) - Treasure Island, as La isla del tesoro, by Robert L. Stevenson (Valdemar, 2004)
- (Cthulhu Mithos), as Los mitos de Cthulhu, by H. P. LovecraftH. P. LovecraftHoward Phillips Lovecraft --often credited as H.P. Lovecraft — was an American author of horror, fantasy and science fiction, especially the subgenre known as weird fiction....
(et al.) (with Rafael Llopis, Alianza, 2005) - Anecdotes of Painting in England, as El arte de los jardines modernos, by Horace Walpole (Siruela, 2005)
- (Complete narrative), as Narrativa completa, I, by H. P. LovecraftH. P. LovecraftHoward Phillips Lovecraft --often credited as H.P. Lovecraft — was an American author of horror, fantasy and science fiction, especially the subgenre known as weird fiction....
(et al., Valdemar, 2005) - The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket, as El relato de Arthur Gordon Pym, by Edgar Allan PoeEdgar Allan PoeEdgar Allan Poe was an American author, poet, editor and literary critic, considered part of the American Romantic Movement. Best known for his tales of mystery and the macabre, Poe was one of the earliest American practitioners of the short story and is considered the inventor of the detective...
(Valdemar, 2006) - (Complete narrative), as Narrativa completa, II, by H. P. LovecraftH. P. LovecraftHoward Phillips Lovecraft --often credited as H.P. Lovecraft — was an American author of horror, fantasy and science fiction, especially the subgenre known as weird fiction....
(with Juan A. Molina Foix, Valdemar, 2007)