Publishing, Translation and Truth
Publishing, Translation and Truth
Patrice Lumumba, the Congolese prime minister assassinated soon after the country's independence from Belgium, remains a highly contested figure in world history. This essay examines some of the ways in which the structures and traditions of international publishing, and of the publishing of translations within that system, combine to shape perspectives on Lumumba and the events surrounding his death. We argue that ideas of prestige are central in constructing these perspectives, and thus a historical record. The attempt to deploy prestige is clear in an account of the independence ceremonies by a highly partisan eyewitness, but is undone by a competing account that was translated into English and accessed the global anglophone market. Questions of prestige and publishing remain important today, though mediated differently, as we seek to show by comparing two translations of Aimé Césaire's play Une saison au Congo.
Keywords: Publishing, Césaire, Congo, Hammarskjöld, Manheim, Spivak
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