Journey in a W(H)interland

Résumé du livre

"Journey in a W(H)interland is a translation of the French work of fiction Le Voyage d'hi(v)er accompanied by a critical preface that examines the biographies and bibliographies of the original's two authors, Georges Perec and Jacques Roubaud; the "mathematico-literary" group to which both belonged, the Oulipo (short for ouvroir de littérature potentielle); the Oulipo's use of formal constraints to generate literature; and the translation issues that arise from oulipian works and, in this particular case, from a joint authorial effort containing both verse and prose. I situate Le Voyage d'hi(v)er within the oulipian oeuvre, which I evaluate in turn within the larger context of twentieth-century French literature and literary and critical theory. My objective was twofold: I wished to pen a translation that read fluently and replicated the original's tone and poetic particularities without recourse to footnotes or other means of extratextual elucidation. I also wished to reflect critically and at length on the process of translation and the myriad deliberations it entails. Hence the preface, in which I argue that literary chronology and genealogy deserve the heterodox treatment the Oulipo grants them; that the oulipian notion of "plagiarism by anticipation" productively engages the issues of linguistic potential and literary originality; and that translation functions as a metastatement rendered all the more poignant when plagiarism and constrained writing techniques form an integral part of the original. Finally, I argue that my translation improves upon previous English renderings of Le Voyage d'hi(v)er - an argument that hinges in large part on my preservation of the original's rhymed verse and the way its title functions within the narrative."