Photo: O Estadão
On May 15, the New York Public Library in the United States hosted the launch of the new English translation of “Macunaíma: The Hero Without Any Character,” one of the most significant literary works of Latin American modernism, written by the renowned Brazilian author Mario de Andrade. The new English edition was published by New Directions and translated by Katrina Dodson.
The novel *Macunaíma* had already been translated into English by E. A. Goodland and published in the U.S. by Random House in 1984. However, translator Katrina Dodson went beyond a mere translation and devoted six years of her life to researching the aspects of Indigenous and Afro-Brazilian culture depicted in the work. In addition, she immersed herself in Mario de Andrade’s archives in São Paulo to produce a translation that was as faithful as possible.
The launch of the new English edition was part of an initiative by the “Brasil Em Suas Próprias Palavras” project, which aims to give greater visibility to Brazilian literature and authors in the North American market. According to Vânia Carvalho, founder and coordinator of the project, “Mario de Andrade was a revolutionary for placing people of African descent and Indigenous peoples in a central role in Brazilian literature. Nearly a hundred years after its publication, *Macunaíma* remains relevant to our culture and is an essential work for foreigners interested in Brazil.” The event was supported by the New York Public Library (NYPL), the Brazilian Consulate in New York, the Guimarães Rosa Institute, and the NGO Ticun Brasil.
The Challenge of Translating “Macunaíma” into English
Katrina explains that she spent a great deal of time studying the book’s terminology and references before translating them into English. She says her biggest challenge was first deciphering the original language and then striking a balance in the translation between colloquial English—which would reflect typical American speech and be less “Europeanized,” full of regionalisms and slang—while also preserving traces of the Indigenous and African terms that are difficult to understand.
The translator has long-standing ties to Brazil; in 2015, she translated a collection of short stories by Clarice Lispector into English for a volume titled *Complete Stories*, for which she won the PEN Translation Prize for her outstanding translation.
