In Conversation with Juliana Steil – Reflection

Global Blake: In Conversation with Juliana Steil - 'Visions of William Blake by José Antonio Arantes'

O Matrimônio do Céu e do Inferno, seguido de O Livro de Thel, José Antonio Arantes’ translation of The Marriage of Heaven and Hell and The Book of Thel, was originally published in 1987, and has been reprinted ever since. Arantes’ translations of other nine works by Blake appeared in Visões (together with O Matrimônio and O Livro de Thel) in 2020, consolidating his position as one of the most important translators of the English poet into the Portuguese language. This presentation aims to reflect on Arantes’ “voice” as a translator (Hermans) and the role of his work in the “continuing life” (Benjamin) of Blake’s work in the Portuguese speaking context.

Blake in Brazil: Julian Steil reflects on José Antonio Arantes' translation

In the talk for the “Global Blake: In Conversation” series which took place on 19 May 2023 I had the pleasure of presenting my reflection on José Antonio Arantes’ translations of twelve books by William Blake collected in Visões (Iluminuras, 2020), and on the translator’s role in the continuing life of Blake’s work in the Portuguese speaking context.

Before I discussed Arantes’ translation of Blake’s works into Portuguese, I described Theo Hermans’ specific concepts of “translation” and “Translator’s voice”, which I applied in my analysis with the intention of tracing José Antonio Arantes’ voice in his Visões and assessing the translator’s approach to Blake’s works more generally.

I concluded that the translator’s voice in Visões is not entirely hidden behind the poetic voice. It becomes visible in Arantes’ choices for the proper names in the Songs and in his handling of different rhythmic forms throughout the book, but primarily in Arantes’ notes to the texts at the end of the book. In these notes, the translator’s voice is devoted first of all to biblical references. The translator is also interested in showing symbolic cohesion in the collected Blake books. And as a complement to the translated texts, the translator extends his voice to the notes to explain the historical references he found in the original texts. I also concluded that Visões is a milestone in the continuing life of Blake’s work in Brazilian Portuguese, because it is the first collection that gathers twelve books translated in full to this language. In a similar way to translator Manuel Portela’s project in Portugal, Arantes’ Visões means an important move towards the translation of Blake’s complete works in Brazil.

Finally, I would like to thank Sibylle, Annise and Jason for their considerate work in the planning and hosting of the event.

Juliana Steil

Juliana Steil obtained a PhD in Translation Studies from Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina. Her translations to Brazilian Portuguese include Edith Wharton’s The Age of Innocence (with Jonas Tenfen), Anthony Pym’s Exploring Translation Theories (with Rodrigo Borges de Faveri and Claudia Borges de Faveri), and William Blake’s Milton (forthcoming by Editora Universidade de Brasília). She is a Lecturer in Translation Studies at the Universidade Federal de Pelotas, Brazil.