Leila Aboulela, The Translator

Sarah Ilott (Manchester Metropolitan University)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.09: English Writing and Culture: Postwar and Contemporary Britain , 1945-present.
Vol. editors: Gina Lyle (University of Glasgow), Graham MacPhee (University of Manchester), Kerry Myler (Birmingham Newman University), Jenni Ramone (The Nottingham Trent University)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1999

Places

Scotland (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Novel

Resources

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The Translator

, first published in 1999, is Leila Aboulela’s first novel. Focusing on the life of Sammar, a Sudanese widow living in Aberdeen, this novel marks an important new intervention in postcolonial literature through its centralisation of religion (Islam) as the defining discourse. Though the central character moves between Scotland, Egypt and Sudan, the narrative is not primarily interested in national displacement, but in religious answers to questions of identity and belonging. Moving away from migration or post/colonial binaries as the common paradigms of postcolonial identity, Aboulela posits an active Muslim faith as Sammar’s primary source of identification, prioritising the spiritual over the physical journey.

This novel has a sparse plot, and is instead driven by

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2133 words

Citation: Ilott, Sarah. "The Translator". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 01 August 2013 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=30322, accessed 25 April 2024.]

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