Flaubert for all

The characters of Leon and Emma in Flaubert’s work. Pics/Getty Images

About 25 years ago, translator and professor Dr Jayant Dhupkar undertook the task of penning down by hand the translation of Gustave Flaubert's Madame Bovary, one of the most influential pieces of French literature of all time, into his native tongue Marathi. The aim was to make global literature available and accessible to a country like India that was characterised by diversity of culture and language. "World classics need to be studied in detail and brought to the people, because there are people who want to read about it, and there are those who wish to read the direct translations to develop their own thinking and perspectives of the stories," says Dhupkar.

French novelist Gustave Flaubert is the author of Madame Bovary

Tomorrow, on Flaubert's bicentenary, Dhupkar and professor Dr Ujjwala Joglekar will be part of a virtual discussion hosted by the LitClub of the Asiatic Society of Mumbai and the department of French at the University of Mumbai. Titled The Challenges of Translating Flaubert's Madame Bovary, the session will talk about the limitations of translating such literature and the importance and need for such work. "Back then, tools available to translators were limited. I remember having to submit three different handwritten copies to the publishers. As a middle-class Marathi man then, my exposure to Christianity was also limited. There were several aspects of the language and wording that were tough to draw parallels to," he recalls.

Dr Jayant Dhupkar

The session hopes to be interactive throughout, and will see both academics bringing to the fore their experiences and the impact of direct translations. "I'm really interested to know what the readers are thinking, especially the women. I want people to join in and ask me about how much society has changed over the years. I may not have the answers to all their questions. I too am looking forward to some enlightenment from the audience regarding these issues," he concludes.

On: Tomorrow, 6.30 pm onwards
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