Translation in the Dark. Part 1 “I Won’t Be Born”

The first issue in the series TRANSLATION IN THE DARK features the first and only translation from Amharic into English of selections of Ethiopian novelist Abe Gubegna’s seminal novel “I Won’t Be Born” (1962). Part 1 also proudly features a new translation (Amharic into English) of poetry by contemporary Ethiopian artist and poet Mihret Kebede. As a series, TRANSLATION IN THE DARK embarks on a mission to employ unorthodox translation methods with the intention of honoring the misunderstandings, mishearings, missed translations, and misinterpretations that multiply and deepen meaning. As a fundamental part of this aim, the series offers a method for the redistribution of roles of author, translator, publisher, editor and reader.

Publishing Class is an imprint of DAI Publications, a collection of artists’ books jointly published by the Dutch Art Institute (DAI) and – Office for Art, Design and Theory in collaboration with the Werkplaats Typografie.