Dr Sheela Mahadevan, Lecturer in French and Francophone Studies, along with editor Christine Dunbar, have been shortlisted for the UK Society of Authors TA First Translation Prize. The shortlisted book is a translation of the French novel Lakshmi's Secret Diary (Columbia University Press, 2024).
We asked Dr Sheela Mahadevan a few questions about the book, what drew her to translate it, and her thoughts about being shortlisted for the prize:
Q: What types of books do you like to translate, and is there anything specific about Lakshmi's Secret Diary that drew you to it?
A: I have a deep passion for literary translation, which I think is a beautiful, complex, vital and intricate art. It can change our lives in many ways and can enrich our understanding of cultures beyond our own. I was particularly interested in translating the novel Lakshmi’s Secret Diary by Ari Gautier for various reasons. There are not many writers originally from India who write in French, and I wanted to raise awareness of this and bring this oft-neglected area of Francophone literatures to a wider readership.
Q: What's the synopsis of Lakshmi's Secret Diary?
A: The novel is set in Pondichéry, a former French territory of India, an aspect of India’s colonial history which is often overlooked. Moreover, the work exhibits many colours and tones: it is at once tragic, comic, philosophical and lyrical, and the characters have great psychological depth. The novel is very quirky and compelling, as it is narrated from the point of view of animals.
Q: Was there anything about this book that was challenging or interesting to translate?
A: There were many aspects of the novel that were complex to translate, including the multiple languages other than French that are woven into the fabric of the French narrative. This required some creative and experimental approaches, which I’ve discussed in my translator’s note.
Q: What does it mean to you to be shortlisted for this prize?
A: I feel very grateful and honoured to have been shortlisted for this prize. It’s a very unique and special prize, in that it not only celebrates the work of translators, but also the work of the editor, which often goes unnoticed.
Dr Sheela Mahadevan teaches on several modules for the newly established MA in Translation, which launched this year.