Autofiction as a fictional metaphorical self-translation: The case of Reinaldo Arenas' El color del verano

Abstract

In the past thirty years, autofiction has been at the centre of many literary studies (Alberca 2005(Alberca /6, 2007Colonna 1989Colonna , 2004Gasparini 2004;Genette 1982)

Exploring Intricacies in English Passive Construction Translation in Research Articles’ Abstracts by Arab Author-Translators

“…Author-translators probably think they have the freedom of not being strictly loyal to the source text structure as it is their own product and can render it by creating a new text in the target language. Panichelli-Batalla (2015, p. 17) contends, “As with many self-translations, the author makes full use of his freedom to adapt the ‘original’ text.” Similarly, Santoyo (2010) argues that self-translators enjoy the freedom of reconstructing a different version of the original text. For example, in the study of Mohammed and Kadum (2016, p. 1), the passive statements “Several TV interviews are selected and examined on the discourse level, Certain linguistic markers have been used by male speakers, Different aspects have been utilized by female speakers.” are missing in the Arabic translation.…”

“…Studies on self-translation were integrated into Translation Studies in the second half of the 20th century (Panichelli-Batalla, 2015). Much of the existing research on self-translation pays particular attention to how it works in literature (Cordingley, 2013).…”

Humorous sublimation of a dying Cuban writer in Reinaldo Arenas’ The Color of Summer

“…For you, I'm still Gabriel, for those who read what I write but can hardly ever publish, I'm Reinaldo, for the rest of my friends, with whom I escape from time to time in order to be totally myself, I'm Skunk in a Funk. (103) Indeed, Gabriel is the author's middle name 4 (Panichelli-Batalla 2015) and 'Skunk in a Funk' is the nickname Arenas received in the homosexual community because of his tragic facial expression. Throughout the novel, different parts of the story are told from the point of view of one of the three identities.…”

“…This carnivalesque story is closely related to Arenas' personal life: although clearly framed as a fictional work, the novel reveals to be a metaphor of Arenas' dilemmas and life events. The author even uses his real name for the main character, a process known as "autofiction" (Panichelli-Batalla 2015). The result is an astonishing transformation of difficult life experiences of exile and suffering in an incredibly creative work of art.…”