Mansoureh Zarkoob; Hussein Abbassi Asl Abbassi
Volume 3, Issue 6 , March 2013, , Pages 113-139
Abstract
Naguib Mahfouz (1911-2006) is one of the greatest writers of the Arab world and the only Muslim winner of the Nobel Prize (1988). Novel, short story, autobiography, and scenario are his areas of writing, and many of his stories have been translated into many of the world languages. The Pub of the Black ...
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Naguib Mahfouz (1911-2006) is one of the greatest writers of the Arab world and the only Muslim winner of the Nobel Prize (1988). Novel, short story, autobiography, and scenario are his areas of writing, and many of his stories have been translated into many of the world languages. The Pub of the Black Cat is one of his valuable works which can be considered as a snapshot of a historical moment of his country, i.e. Egypt. The characters and characterizations as well as symbols used in this story are located together beautifully. The reader, even if unfamiliar with the conditions of that time and place, enjoys reading an interesting story. He also becomes familiar with the contemporary history of Egypt. The flips of these symbols cause him to contemplate and then he praises the accuracy and elegance of Mahfouz. In the present paper, Muhammad Reza Mar’ashipour’s translation of this story was assessed. Before assessing the translation, the status of the symbols used in this story were investigated in order to provide a solution to the problems of translating mysterious stories. Mistranslations, use of unfamiliar words, ambiguity, inaccurate translation of poems, and unfamiliarity with the popular culture and language of modern Egypt are among the shortcomings of the translation of this symbolic story.
