Humphrey T. Davies
Humphrey T. Davies | |
---|---|
Born | London, England | 6 April 1947
Died | 12 November 2021 London, England | (aged 74)
Nationality | British |
Occupation | translator |
Notable work | The Yacoubian Building, from Alaa Al Aswany's ʿImārat Yaʿqūbīān |
Humphrey T. Davies (6 April 1947 – 12 November 2021) was a British translator of Arabic fiction, historical and classical texts.
Life and career
Born in London on 6 April 1947, Davies studied Arabic at
Davies worked for NGOs and funding institutions in a number of countries in the Arab world, including Save the Children in Palestine and the Ford Foundation in Sudan. He began translating in 1997. From the early 21st century, he focused solely on literary translation.[1][3]
He died from pancreatic cancer in London on 12 November 2021, at the age of 74.[4]
Translations
Davies translated both classical and
Davies' first published translation was a short story by
Davies said that when he translated the work of a living author, he made it his practice to call upon the author for advice.[1] His work has been published by AUC Press, Words Without Borders, and Banipal.
Other translations include:[1][2]
- Thebes at War, a novel by Naguib Mahfouz
- Friendly Fire, a collection of short stories by Alaa Al-Aswany
- Being Abbas el Abd by Ahmed Alaidy
- Pyramid Texts by Gamal al-Ghitani
- The Mahfouz Dialogues by Gamal al-Ghitani
- Black Magic by Hamdy el-Gazzar
- Tales of Dayrut by Mohamed Mustagab
- Life Is More Beautiful Than Paradise by Khaled al-Berry
- Yalo, a novel by Elias Khoury (British edition, winner of the Banipal Prize)
- Sunset Oasis, a novel by Bahaa Taher (joint runner-up for the Banipal Prize)
- As Though She Were Sleeping by Elias Khoury
- Children of the Ghetto: My Name Is Adam by Elias Khoury
- Midaqq Alley, a novel by Naguib Mahfouz
- Ahmad Faris Shidyaq
- In Darfur: An Account of the Sultanate and Its People by Muḥammad al-Tūnisī
Books
- A Field Guide to the Street Names of Central Cairo by Humphrey T. Davies and Lesley Lababidi
Awards and honours
- 2006 Banipal Prize for Arabic Literary Translation, winner for Gate of the Sun by Elias Khoury
- 2006 English PEN "Writers in Translation" award, winner for Gate of the Sun by Elias Khoury
- 2010 Banipal Prize for Arabic Literary Translation, winner for Yalo by Elias Khoury
- 2010 Banipal Prize for Arabic Literary Translation, runner-up for Sunset Oasis by Bahaa Taher
- 2010 Independent Foreign Fiction Prize, longlisted for Yalo by Elias Khoury
- 2012 Banipal Prize for Arabic Literary Translation, runner-up for I Was Born There, I Was Born Here by Mourid Barghouti
- 2014 Best Translated Book Award, shortlist for Leg Over Leg Vol. 1 by Ahmad Faris al-Shidyaq[5]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Tresilian, David (12 Jan 2012). "Davies: translator of Arabic literature". Al-Ahram Weekly. Archived from the original on 19 August 2012. Retrieved 30 November 2012.
- ^ a b c d e "Humphrey Davies". Banipal Magazine of Modern Literature. Archived from the original on 13 October 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2012.
- ^ a b c d Lindsey, Ursula (11 Feb 2010). "Crossing the language divide". Egyptian Independent. Retrieved 30 November 2012.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-12-15.
- ^ Chad W. Post (April 14, 2014). "2014 Best Translated Book Awards: Fiction Finalists". Three Percent. Retrieved April 18, 2014.
External links
- "Never at a loss for words", Iman Sherif, Gulf News, 20 Jan 2012.
- "The Humphrey Davies Interview", by M. Lynx Qualey, Quarterly Conversation, 7 Dec 2009
- Humphrey Davies In Conversation With André Naffis-Sahely
- Humphrey Davies In Conversation With André Naffis-Sahely Part II