The Translator by Leila Aboulela is one of my primary texts for my Masters thesis (in progress) so although I may discover more interesting interpretations and analysis through the course of my research, I thought I would share a quick review of the novel now. It was first published in 1999 but my edition is from 2008, published by Polygon. This was Aboulela's first novel and is 196 pages and 23 chapters long. I will explore some of the key themes of the novel as well as its socio-historical significance. I will also briefly discuss the choice of genre but firstly I will add the blurb of the novel.
The Translator is a story about love, both human and divine. Sammar is a young Sudanese widow, working as an Arabic translator at a British university. Following the sudden death of her husband and estrangement from her young son, she drifts- grieving and isolated. Life takes a positive turn when she finds herself falling in love with Rae, a Scottish academic. To Sammar, he seems to come from another world and another culture, yet they are drawn to each other.
As indicated above, this is a novel of love, loss and healing where faith plays a central role. Sammar marries her childhood sweetheart and first cousin, Tarig but after his death she has to renegotiate her notion of love and heal herself in order to be able to love again. Aboulela manages to write about the grieving process in a delicate and careful manner and illustrates some of the "extreme" decisions that may be taken in grief but also shows how invaluable a strong support network is, since her trauma meant that she was incapable of being a mother to her child. Slowly she reveals what she considers to be some of the underlying factors in love, such as gratitude, feeling understood, respected and safe.
The relationship between the East and the West is a strong theme in the novel. Aboulela deals with the Orientalist tension, which is voiced via her colleague Yasmin, and attempts to remove the division between the two worlds by indicating a "crossing" or exchange of the two. While Yasmin is critical of Western academia, Sammar attempts to engage with it (via Rae) to deepen the understanding of Islam in the Western context. This is while Sammar herself negotiates her faith and its practise in the secular context of Aberdeen and the culture shock of enjoying practising her faith freely and openly in Sudan to the secret prayers in the UK. This theme highlights the central role of religion in a practising Muslim's everyday life, as opposed to it being a random disposable hobby. The importance of faith is highlighted again when Sammar is faced with the reality of her situation: that she loves a non-Muslim man, who she cannot marry unless he converts. This predicament is in many ways symbolic of the relationship between the East and the West and it challenges contemporary notions of romance and the romance narrative.
In terms of the writing style itself, Aboulela writes in a largely linear chronology, making use of occasional flashbacks and memories to fill in gaps in the reader's knowledge. The novel is narrated with a slow and careful pace with a third person voice with the majority of the novel focalised from Sammar's perspective and occasionally from Rae's. In terms of genre, it parallels Jane Eyre and the nineteenth-century domestic novel in many ways, although Aboulela clearly adapts the story to suit the changed context and protagonists.
This novel, having been published in 1999, illustrates the tense relationship the West has had with Islam from before a 9/11 era, which people often use as the benchmark of when islamophobia began. Although 9/11 may have led to increased discrimination towards Muslims, there is a deeper history behind hostility towards Muslims and it goes beyond simplistic conclusions of one or two terrorist attacks. This novel strongly implies the difficulties Muslims in the West have to face in order not to perpetuate imposed stereotypes and for how long these stereotypes have existed.
Overall, this novel is a serious, calm and sombre reflection of the experience of a Muslim woman in Britain. The secular prejudice that is criticised in the novel, still exists in academia today, almost 20 years later, thus making it relevant to contemporary struggles. The Translator challenges Orientalist discourse but does not seek to create a divide between the East and the West but rather looks at positive exchange and a new approach to their relationship. It was a thoughtful novel that quietly dealt with deep social and personal issues. I personally found that the technological restrictions of the time illustrated the nature of patient perseverance and it added an extra charm to the relationship.
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Have you read this novel or anything else by Leila Aboulela? What did you think? Let me know in the comments below or message me via instagram.
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