Translingual Collective Translation II
Amara Lakhous’s novel, The Fertility of Evil
Wednesday April 1st at 5 pm
Location: HQ 136
The Department of Italian Studies & the Whitney Humanities Center
Co-sponsored by Yale Translation Initiative, Yale Departments of French, Comparative Literature, Near Eastern Languages & Civilizations, and the Yale Arabic Program.
Amara Lakhous’s latest novel, The Fertility of Evil—originally entitled in Arabic Tir Elil (The Night Bird) and longlisted for the International Prize for Arabic Fiction in 2021—was published in French by Actes Sud in 2024 and was published earlier this year in English (Other Press) and Italian (Edizioni e/o). The Fertility of Evil marks the first experiment of the Translingual Collective Translation Project, which was presented at Yale in March 2024 as work in progress. Through close collaboration with translators Alexander Elinson (English), Francesco Leggio (Italian), and Lotfi Nia (French), the project offers a remarkable opportunity to exchange ideas, challenge perspectives, and reinforce the concept that languages are like mirrors; the more mirrors we have, the better we can see ourselves. Also, the translator is the best editor and the author’s closest collaborator.
On April 1, 2026, the second Translingual Collective Translation event will focus on the final version of the translation in three languages and the work-in-progress of the second volume of the proposed trilogy, Pit of Hyenas.
Alexander Elinson, Amara Lakhous and Francesco Leggio are presenting the results of the project.
Additionally, three Yale PhD students—Giovanna de Campos Mauro, AM Lisko, and Peter Scharer—will explore the similar projects of the translingual Italaphone writers: Cristina Ali Farah, Carmine Abate, and Cristoforo Armeno.