Translation Studies · Catalan Studies · 2016
Abstract
This doctoral dissertation examines the near-impermeability of the Anglo-American literary market to translated fiction through a detailed case study of the English translations of two novels by Catalan writer Baltasar Porcel: Cavalls cap a la fosca (Horses into the Night) and Les primaveres i les tardors (Springs and Autumns).
Combining descriptive translation analysis with polysystem theory, the study reconstructs the full trajectory of these translations—from commission and institutional support to publication, reception, and critical positioning—situating them within the broader context of the “3% problem” that characterizes English-language publishing. Through close comparative analysis of source and target texts, the dissertation evaluates the translator’s strategies, with particular attention to heteroglossia, stylistic transfer, and the handling of culturally marked and sexually explicit passages.
Written in both English and Catalan and awarded an International Mention, this thesis was defended in July 2016 at the Universitat de Vic (Barcelona) and received the highest distinction (summa cum laude). It contributes to ongoing debates in Translation Studies regarding literary visibility, cultural mediation, and the structural limits faced by non-hegemonic literatures in global circulation.
Keywords: Baltasar Porcel; Catalan literature; literary translation; Translation Studies; polysystem theory; English-language publishing; translated literature; cultural mediation; Cavalls cap a la fosca; Les primaveres i les tardors
Dissertation Information:
PhD Dissertation in Translation Studies
Universitat de Vic – Universitat Central de Catalunya, 2016
International Mention · Summa Cum Laude
Suggested Citation
Borrull, Francesc. Baltasar Porcel en l’impermeable mercat editorial nord-americà: crònica i anàlisi de les traduccions de Cavalls cap a la fosca i Les primaveres i les tardors a l’anglès. PhD dissertation, Universitat de Vic – Universitat Central de Catalunya, 2016.
