Better late than never, we are finally posting the full video(s) of the panel hosted by the Library of Arabic Literature Editorial Board back in May, 2013, at the New York launch of the series. Titled “Translating the Untranslatable,” this panel was a collective effort by the Board, outlining some of the challenges board members have faced with their own edition-translations—either works in progress or (in the case of Joseph Lowry and Tahera Qutbuddin) recent publications. All the board members took turns speaking, so there’s lots to see here, including Michael Cooperson on why Ibn al-Jawzi’s text is akin to reading 19th-century Russian novels; Devin Stewart on the surprising similarity between poems in medieval Arabic texts and Broadway musical numbers; and James Montgomery on why taking a scalpel to a poem can be liberating as an academic and engaging as a reader. There was a large crowd in attendance, and as I recall, the room got a bit warm. Fortunately, you can enjoy the full panel under more comfortable circumstances!
Click more below to see the footage.
Chip Rossetti
Managing Editor, Library of Arabic Literature
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