Undying passion for writing

Sachitra MAHENDRA

Malini Govinnage translated Ignazio Silone's 'Fontamara' into Sinhala as a second year undergraduate. The setting of the novel is poverty-stricken southern Italy under Mussolini's fascist regime-but it could easily be any time, anywhere that the poor see their very existence threatened by the powers that rule and own the earth.

"We were always motivated to read differently - to find a new meaning in a text. As a result of being introduced to new literature, especially non-European fiction and poetry, I was drawn towards translating poetry and fiction."

So recalls Govinnage, 'Encounter of the Week'.

Malini Govinnage Pictures by Saman Sri Wedage

Q: You belong to the rare calibre of journalists who went beyond the usual scope into poetry, translations and publishing. Journalists who work beyond their scope are not so common at this age, unlike in the past. What do you think the reason is?

A: I doubt whether I can call myself a journalist now anymore since I have not been actively involved in the profession for the last few years. I was a poet and translator before I joined the press as a journalist. Those two skills helped me in my journalistic career. But I felt the journalist in me was slowly killing the poet inside. I think it is partly my struggle to keep all these three: journalist, poet and translator, well and alive in me and partly my exposure to the vibrant academic and intellectual atmosphere at the University of Kelaniya during the first few years of the 1970s that created the person in me whom you consider as a 'journalist with a rare calibre'.

Q: Books were the main asset during the 1970s.

A: The socio-political atmosphere in the country as well as in the world at large during the early 70s had a profound effect on us, the young, raw undergraduates who were thirsty for knowledge and impatient for change of certain things we saw as unjust. There was no TV at that time. We hardly had facilities to listen to a radio. But we had books and good teachers. The teachers like A G M Sirimanne, Gamini Hattetuwegama and Ranjith Gunawardena were different from many other lecturers at the time. They brought us the wide world outside into the class.

The Vietnam war and the student struggles in many parts of the world - new poetry and literature- works of literary and theatre personalities like Bertolt Bretcht, Garcia Lorca and Samuel Beckett, philosopher writers and theorists like Franz Fanon Andre Malraux and the likes. We saw the lion in Dr Sarachchanddra's 'Sinhabahu' in new light when our drama teacher Gamini Hattetuwegama sang Sinhaba.

Q: You have translated from English to Sinhala as well as from Sinhala to English. Which translations have more impact on Sri Lankan culture, and why?

A: Obviously, it is Sinhala translations that have more impact on Sri Lankan culture. Sinhala readers are somewhat tired of or less enthusiastic in reading original Sinhala works - Sinhala fiction - since lately. There are reasons. Readers don't find any novelty in the plots, the experience of the characters or the settings. Most of these works of fiction hardly offer reader anything let alone enjoyment of reading a work of fiction.

In contrast, Sinhala translations from English - the original work may be in a language other than English - appeal to the Sinhala reader. Cultural settings of a foreign land, true to life characters, out of the ordinary plots are some reasons for this appeal.

Q: You have chosen to translate Sinhala poetry into English, which hardly anyone dares to take up. How do you get inspiration and capacity?

A: First I should say well ahead of me many eminent writers who belong to the cream of intelligentsia in the country have translated Sinhala poetry into English. Great ladies like Dr. Lakshmi de Silva and

Dr Ranjini Obeysekera have translated Sinhala classical and folk poetry. In my case, I have translated one collection of poetry. I should say it was received well.

You ask me how I get the inspiration and capacity. As I have mentioned earlier, I was originally a poet and translator. Poetry for me is imaginative painting. Translating a poem is freezing your interpretation of the original poem. Then it is no more a 'translation' but a new creation. So is with translating fiction.

Q: The journalists have made it a habit of compiling their newspaper articles into book format. This was practised by the likes of Martin Wickramasinghe, and now it is happening quite often. Your comment.

A: It is worthwhile if the writer is a veteran in a chosen field and if his or her writing is outstanding in terms of facts and literary or socio political value. But today practically every journalist wants to publish their writings to the newspaper as a book. I feel they do it for their own satisfaction and they probably know that people do not buy such books unless as charity.

Q: You are the founding editor of Daily News Buddha Pradeepa. How do you analyze the local English readership of Buddhism?

A: Generally it is the older, English educated who read the Books on Buddha Dhamma .They are mostly retired professionals. There are others who read for research purposes. Other than that, the young or not-so-young are not interested at all. Any way there has been a steady readership for lighter writing on lighter Dhamma themes. They do not want to, or they cannot, comprehend deep aspects of Dhamma such as Abhidhamma or Paticca Samuppada.

Q: You have chosen to translate lesser known works into Sinhala. Do you have any purpose when you choose a particular work to translate?

A: Yes I choose a book with a strong purpose. Through my translation, I want to convey a message to the reader. It may be either political or social. When I translated Fontamara, Cry, the Beloved Country or Bury my Heart at Wounded Knee My purpose was political. I wanted to show a strong woman who defied male tyranny when I translated Life with Picasso.

Q:The book market is abound with Sinhala translations of various English works. Your comments.

A: It is good .But most of these translations may be not be good, worthwhile to read originals. Or the translations might not be faithful to the original works. It is the responsibility and the duty of the translator to offer a good book to his or her reader. Forming a regulatory body to check on the translations is an impossible task.