Perturbação, by Thomas Bernard, in Portuguese: comparing two translations

Abstract

In this article, we compare two translations of the novel Verstörung (first published in German in 1967) by the Austrian writer Thomas Bernhard: the Portuguese translation (1986, by Leopoldina Almeida) and the Brazilian translation (1999, by Hans Peter Welper and José Laurenio de Melo). The article is based on the premise that Verstörung is a book with a strong performative dimension; the disturbance which names the book is not only represented in the plot and the characterization of the characters, but also - and especially - in the style, in the language of the German text. We discuss and compare different solutions of translations in the Portuguese versions, as well as the paratexts contained in the two publications. We found two different postures in dealing with the specifics of the language in this novel, both with consequences for their performative effect. Finally, we suggest that these attitudes can be seen as reflections of different moments of literary criticism in relation to Thomas Bernhard.