He mēneus. Re is a de T aducción e In e p e ación Núm. 1 - Año 1999
Die inding yke idde Don Quijo e de la Mancha by Miguel de Ce an es, Gus a e Do é and
And é B ink. Cape Town/Kaaps- ad, Human & Rousseau, 1966.
Juan Miguel ZARANDONA
Uni e sidad de Valladolid
E-mail:[email p o ec ed]
The e migh be a u u e coun y in Sou he n A ica named Azania, nobody knows, bu i s
cu en name in English is he Republic o Sou h A ica, Republiek an Suid-A ika in A ikaans,
his p odigious, beau i ul, ki chen language in o igin o o me sla es and se an s. In such a
com- plica ed bu lo ely coun y And é Philippus B ink was bo n in 1935, in he O ange F ee
S a e –now F ee S a e only in he exci ing New Sou h A ica– when hings we e qui e di e en .
And é B ink is a ecognized academic (I) –Rhodes Uni e si y, Uni e si y o Cape Town
(Kaaps ad)– a alen ed w i e (II) and bo h an indus ious ansla o and a sel - ansla o (III).
I
As a academic, his s uden s, his colleagues and his audiences in a ious con inen s know him
well.
II
As a no elis , playw igh and w i e o essays, a icles and speeches, his li e a y ca ee
consolida ed in 1962 wi h Lobola i die lewe (B ide-p ice o li e), in 1963 wi h Die Ambassadeu
(The Ambassado ), in 1965 wi h O gie (O gy), and in 1967 wi h Miskien nooi (Pe haps ne e ).
He belonged o he so-called eme gen Ses ige s o A ikane li e a y gene a ion ha du ing he
six ies b ough o his adi ion a p o ound in e es in he complexi ies o human exis ence and a
o mal enewal wi h esh mode nis echniques ne e used be o e in A ikaans, such as s eam o
consciousness, ach onological p esen a ion, ypog aphical expe imen a ion, o di e en na a o s.
He also expe imen ed wi h he Thea e o he Absu d o he exis en ial hea e in plays such as
Bagasie (Baggage) (1965) and Elde s mooi wee en wa m (Elsewhe e ai and mild) (1965).
La e on, in he se en ies and eigh ies, he abandoned his expe imen ion and shi ed o a
much mo e adi ional and simple s yle o na a ion. A his s age we ha e a new g oup o no els
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He mēneus. Re is a de T aducción e In e p e ación Núm. 1 - Año 1999
en i led Engaged, wi h which he gained in e na ional ecogni ion ne e enjoyed be o e by any
A ikane w i e . Some i les no o be missed a e: Kennis an die aand (1973), ´n Oomblik in die
wind (1975), Ge ug e an eën (1978), ´n D oë wi seisoen (1979), Houd-den-Bek (1982), Die
muu an die pes (1984), Die ee s e lewe an Adamas o (1988), o S a es o Eme gency (o iginally
in English) (1988). He e we ind he And é B ink challenging he A ikane poli ical and social
powe ; he i s A ikane w i e e e o be banned; he ebellious an i-apa heid champion; he
libe al whi e in ellec ual; he dissiden p osc ibed opic ana ic: police b u ali y, Cal inis ic aboos
and ep essions, Cape Town sla e y, acial injus ice, in e acial ma iage and sex ac oss he colou
line; he man wi h he gu s o su ende his pu e li e a y pu poses o a poli ical cause, as he i les o
some o his bes essays deno e: Mapmake s: W i ing in a S a e o Siege (1983) o Li e a uu in die
S ydpe k (Li e a u e in he S a e o S uggle) (1985).
Ac ually, one o hese no els, S a es o Eme gency (1988), has equen ly p o ided a
common denomina ion o a g oup o 1980s no els, such as Nadine Go dime ´s A Spo o Na u e,
Ka el Schoeman´s Take Lea e and Go o J.M. Coe zee´s Age o I on: `s a e o eme gency no el´.
Those we e he yea s o massi e s a e ep ession and massi e popula esis ance.
III
As a ansla o we used he wo d indus ious be o e and we epea i . The Camb idge Guide
o Li e a u e in English men ions ha he can ansla e o and/o om ou languages: English,
A ikaans, F ench and Spanish.
B ink himsel has ansla ed - o ew i en - some o his majo no els om A ikaans in o
English. He has unanimously been ega ded as a pe ec bilingual w i e . The Ambassado (1964),
Looking on Da kness (1974), An Ins an in he Wind (1975), Rumou s o Rain (1978), A d y Whi e
Season (1979) (Ma in Lu he King Memo ial P ize / Hollywood ilm), A Chain o Voices (1982),
The Wall o he Plague (1985), The Fi s Li e o Adamas o (1993), e c. ha e all p e ious e sions
in A ikaans. Why did he do i ? B ink undoub edly u ned o English o each a much wide
in e na ional di usion o his ideas, and because o he banning o his wo k in A ikaans, which
mean being condemned o silence.
F om English o A ikaans B ink has ansla ed such nine een h- cen u y classics as Die
a on u e an Hucklebe y Finn (1963), o Alice se a on u e in Wonde land (1965). F om F ench
in o A ikaans epu ed w i e s such as Michel Rouze, L.N. La olle, Leónce Bou liague , Paul
Jácques Bonson, e c. And om Spanish in o A ikaans Die inding yke idde , Don Quijo e de la
Mancha (1965) and a s aged bu no ye published Bodas de Sang e by Fede ico Ga cía Lo ca. Die
A abiese Nag e (1966) is ano he o his una oidable highligh s as a as ansla ion is conce ned. I
is qui e e iden he bene icial impac ha his wo k has had on he cul u al weal h o A ikaans.
And é B ink has always p o ed o be e y ond o La in Eu opean coun ies (La ynse lande:
F ank yk, I alië, Spanje, Po ugal). His a el books show his e y clea ly: Semp e di i o.
I aliaanse Reisjoe naal (1963); Olé. Reisboek oo Spanje (1965); Midi. O Reis Deu Suid-F an yk
(1969); Fado. ´n Reis deu Noo d-Po ugal (1970). An an hology o all o hese was published in
1990 unde he heading La ynse Reise (La in a els).
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He mēneus. Re is a de T aducción e In e p e ación Núm. 1 - Año 1999
Concen a ing on Spain and Spanish li e a u e, B ink howe e , was no he i s Sou h
A ican w i e o a el a ound Spain, lo e he coun y and ansla e i s li e a u e in o English o
A ikaans. We ha e he genial ende ings o S John o he C oss and Lo ca by Roy Campbell
(1902-1957*), o Uys K ige´s ansla ed Spanish poe y (1910- ). We a e also especially indeb ed
o Uys K ige o his delicious Sol y Somb a (Spaanse Ske se) (1948), eco ding his a el
imp essions om Ba celona o Alme ia om No embe 1933 o Decembe 1935 jus be o e he
Spanish Ci il Wa b oke ou . K ige himsel was a suppo e o he Spanish Republic. Besides, he
o iginali y o his La in in e es s con ibu ed g ea ly o en ich a language and a cul u e, he
A ikaans, clea ly biased owa ds No he n Eu opean adi ions: B i ish, Ge man o Du ch.
B ink acknowledged his p edecesso ´s me i s in his own in oduc ion o Olé
(Ve an woo ding: Die D ie Rose): «Vi my, soos seke i alle ande , was hie die ee s e blik dié
deu die lig yke oë an Uys K ige - e al in Sol y Somb a en sy mees e like e alings an Lo ca
en ande ». Olé, which is dedica ed o he Fi s Lady o La Mancha (Vi Dulcinea del Toboso), was
published in 1965, a yea be o e his own ansla ion o Don Quijo e was published in A ikaans in
1966, bu he a el book al eady includes a quo a ion o he ansla ion a he beginning o e e y
one o i s i een chap e s. One example (Chap e 5: Cuenca):
«Wa i ´n ding is ´n dolende idde ?» a die meisie.
«Is jy so na ag e die o e da jy di nie wee nie?» an woo d Sancho. «Dan sal ek jou
e el. Om ´n lang s o ie ko e maak: ´n dolende idde wo d die een dag pimpel en
pe s geslaan, en die olgende dag maak hulle hom keise . Vandag is hy die
ongelukkigs e en a moedigs e skepsel op aa de; en mô e he hy wee, d ie konink yke
wa hy aan sy ag e ye kan ui deel.»
(Don quijo e I: XVI)
I is e iden ha he ansla ion wo k was inished o almos inished be o e 1966, and ha
he spi i o Don Quijo e lo ds o e all he pages o his book ha s a s his oman ic, pic u esque
and gas onomic Spanish wande ings om Ca alonia, and ollows h ough Cas ile, La Mancha o
Don Quijo e and Andalusia owa ds hei end in he Balea ic Islands, mainly Ibiza.
The deep impac o his Spanish wo ld classic on And é B ink can clea ly be aced in many
o his w i ings. Fo example, in his 1980 inaugu al lec u e deli e ed a Rhodes Uni e si y and
en i led Why Li e a u e?, he e e nal ques ion in ou p osaic mode n wo ld, Ce an es, Don Quijo e
and Sancho Panza a e equen ly quo ed: «Ul ima ely, his again in ol es he ela ionship be ween
man and dea h, since “ he e is a emedy o e e y hing excep dea h”, as Sancho Panza well
knew».
Un o una ely, his ansla ion o Don Quijo e in o A ikaans by And é B ink is ou o p in .
We can no longe buy he ansla ed spi i o La Mancha in he unique language o he Ka oo.
Bu we do no wan o o ge o men ion ha he e was ano he alen ed man o genius in ol ed in
he p ojec : he nine een h-cen u y F ench eng a e Gus a e Do é, whose pla es on Don Quijo e de
la Mancha a e conside ed by many o his coun less de o ees as his mas e piece, and ha e
become, in he cou se o ime, insepa able om he li e a y wo k i sel in he minds o many
eade s and o many publishe s as well: a s and le e s in pe ec combina ion. The edi ion o 1966
o he ansla ion by And é B ink cle e ly includes he epu ed illus a ions again.
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He mēneus. Re is a de T aducción e In e p e ación Núm. 1 - Año 1999
You can equen ly ind indi iduals de o ed o heo e ical s udies who claim ha he
ansla ed wo k belongs o he ansla o as much as he au ho , o e en mo e. They a e p obably
igh . Almos e e y ci izen o he wo ld can now enjoy in his o he own language he ideals and
misad en u es o his unique couple, Don Quijo e and Sancho Panza: he na i e speake s o
A ikaans oo, hanks o And é B ink. This is p obably he sup eme ewa d ha a ansla o can
ecei e. A ikaans is a language wi h a e y humble o igin bu wi h a ascina ing his o y. A spoken
pa ois good o no hing ele a ing o many yea s. Bu is has always had a s ong communi y behind
i , well de e mined o gi e i all he igh s hey conside ed i dese ed, and so i does oday agains
he mos powe ul enemies: he igh o hold he bes books he wo ld has p oduced, o example.
The Bible was ansla ed in 1932-33 and his o iginal ou pu o he human language ins inc joined
he Quixo ic club in 1966.
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