A brief tour through the world of Arabic literature in translation, as seen through the eyes and career of one of its most prolific English translators. Johnson-Davies does not try to provide a deep analysis of different literary themes or traditions in the Arab-speaking lands, and this is also not a detailed autobiography. Nevertheless, the arc of his career and his interactions with some of the region's most distinguished writers offer insights into how difficult it has been to attract readership for Arabic-language works in other lands and how both the Arabic literary scene and the world as a whole is the poorer for this neglect. I was particularly struck by the author's comment that for most of his career, he had to earn his actual living through jobs in other fields like journalism or consulting, while translating was simply a hobby that paid virtually nothing in return for the amount of effort invested in it. Some of his tales of translation problems or conflicts with different bureaucracies are also quite funny, although at times one wishes for a bit more detail on either his own work or those parts of the Arabic literary tradition that are less visible to readers in translation. This is a quick but entertaining read, especially for anyone who has already read some of the translated authors and volumes that are referred to in the book. ( )

Denys Johnson-Davies is a respected Arabic-English translator with more than 30 translated volumes to his credit. In recognition of this contribution to Arabic literature, he was awarded the 2007 Sheikh Zayed Book Award for Personality of the Year in the Field of Culture. According to Wikipedia, this award is “one of the most prestigious and well-funded prizes in the Arab World” and is valued at around $300,000.

Johnson-Davies spent his early childhood years in Egypt, Sudan, Uganda and Kenya, until amebic dysentery caused him to be sent back to England at age twelve. Passing the admissions test to Cambridge at age fourteen, he spent a year at the School of Oriental Studies before being admitted to Cambridge at age sixteen, where he studied Hebrew and Arabic. The latter led to an offer of employment with the Arabic section of the BBC, where he became proficient in Arabic. His involvement with translation progressed while living intermittently in England and various Middle Eastern countries, during periods of employment as a teacher of translation, college professor, American oil company representative, lawyer, publisher and writer.

Johnson-Davies’ memoir is organized primarily by significant influences and Arabic authors, of whom I was only familiar with Naguib Mahfouz and Tayed Salih. Interwoven with his discussion of the authors with whom he worked are brief references to issues encountered with translation, some general and some specific to Arabic-English translation. He describes his philosophy of translation as the art of taking the Arabic text and reworking it, not into an exact translation, but rather into acceptable English. Using as an example Salih's The Season of Migration, a book translated into 21 other languages, he notes that those translating Arabic works into other languages often actually work from the English translation, rather than the original Arabic. Examples are also included of the manner in which political and religious issues impact Arabic writers and translators, even on the level of decisions such as whether to use colloquial language or classical Arabic.

Johnson-Davies describes the process of selecting works for translation as significantly different in the case of Arabic writing versus more common languages, such as French and German. In the latter instance, the selection is often made by a publisher, who then seeks out an appropriate translator. His process of choosing Arabic works for translation was generally the opposite, as mainstream publishers did not employ individuals interested in or fluent in Arabic. Therefore, his role as a translator often began with seeking a commitment from a publishing house. Johnson-Davies’ interactions with the Nobel Laureate, Naguib Mahfouz, was offered as an interesting example of this dilemma. Despite being the first to translate a Mahfouz short story, Johnson-Davies declined Mahfouz's request that he translate his novels, feeling that they would likely not draw an English audience. Mahfouz later signed a contract with the American University in Cairo (AUC) Press, who approached Johnson-Davies about assisting with a team approach to translation of his novels. He once again declined, believing that translation should be performed solo. Although he did eventually translate some of Mahfouz's works, in the end, the mainstream publication of Mahfouz’s considerable volume of works through AUC Press was likely a major factor in his being awarded the Nobel Prize.

I enjoyed this memoir as a fast, light read that was written largely in an anecdotal style, although I would have gotten more out of it had I been familiar with more of the authors. I also wish that Johnson-Davies had gone into greater depth regarding his experience and insights regarding the translation process itself.