I've been tapped at the last minute by a "Multicultural Academic Workshop" to replace a professor who can't attend. There are not many guidelines about the prrsentation. I've attended such a workshop a few years ago, and the quality was really uneven. Some presentations were so jargon-ladder that they would put Fredric Jameson to sleep. On the other hand, the biology professor was fascinating. He focused on pollution and business within the city, and how it correlates with lower income neighborhoods. So I am not very sure what I will talk about, but knowing myself, I'll try to ruffle a few feathers. And maybe convinced the gender studies English professor that Isabel Allende s**cks.
Back to my cry for help: I've been thinking that a good starting point would be Fuguet's prologue to the McOndo anthology. It's bombastic and sometimes innacurate, but it is a great text to start shattering stereotypes. The big problem is that I only have a copy in Spanish, and the course is entirely in English. I don't even know if it has been translated into English. So my question (more like begging)is: do you know if there is a copy somewhere of that Prologue in English? If so, do you have access to it? Is there any place where I can find it online? Seriously, if you know where to find a copy of Fuguet's work, I'll be forever grateful. And remember that I need it by Monday.
PS: even if you do not find the complete text, anything you can bring me will make incredibly happy.
Have you talked to your campus librarians? Ours can work wonders. (Otherwise, well, I'm 400 years behind, so I'm no use at all.)
ReplyDeleteI will talk to them. I don't think an official translation exists. What I was hoping for was that a random professor decided to use it in hir Literature in translation course, translated it hirself (it's not too long, and even relevant fragments would be enough) and then put it online. Maybe a reader was aware of the existence of such document. I would translate relevant passages myself if it wasn't for the fact that writing in proper English (as opposed to this blog where I don't care too much about my grammar mistakes) takes me an enormous amount of time.
ReplyDeleteI know there's a version out there on the web (or at least part of it) translated as "I Am Not a Magical Realist". There's also a similar piece (it's not the prologue, but it makes similar points) that he published in English in _Foreign Policy_. It's titled "Magical Neoliberalism", and it's the first thing that comes up when I search for the title in JSTOR.
ReplyDeleteHope this helps!
Ok, just found the link I was thinking of. It was published on Salon.com It's not the prologue either but again makes a lot of the same points:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.salon.com/1997/06/11/magicalintro/
Thanks!!! I think it will serve its purpose...the ideas are what matters
ReplyDeleteWhen is the presentation? If it's not too soon, I might take a crack at translating it myself. I might to it anyway, just to keep in practice.
ReplyDeleteIt's on Monday, and you've read the developments. So I don't know if I'm even going to present something. But if you decide to translate it, please share. It would be immensely helpful in the future. I use that Prologue a lot.
ReplyDeleteAh. Not enough time for me to produce something for your use now, but I will definitely pass on a finished piece when I can. It will be a fun summer project for me.
ReplyDeleteThat's great! Do you have a copy of the original? I am almost possible that I have the Prologue on PDF. Let me know if you need it, and I'll look for it.
DeleteI believe I found a copy of the prologue online, but a definite original in PDF format is preferable.
ReplyDeleteYou can email it to me at generalridley@gmail.com
Thank you!
I will as soon as I trace it to the correct folder in any of my 2 computers.
DeleteI found it and already emailed it! Have fun translating it.
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