Et Dukkehjem in Arabic Translation

As has often been noted, authors of original works make “national” literature, while translations (and translators) make “world” literature. Ibsen’s plays were translated from Norwegian into English, German, French, Russian, and other European languages, and only from these relay translations into languages of the world beyond. And it was in such a “world literature” framework the plays were translated into Arabic, in series such as “Masterpieces of World Drama”, “World Theatre”, and “Library of world dramatic work”. In this article, I will discuss some translations of Et Dukkehjem (A Doll’s House) into Arabic. To begin with, I shall provide a short literary, cultural/political and linguistic background for framing these translations in the Arabic literary “polysystem”. Next, I will discuss some challenges encountered when trying to map Arabic Ibsen translations and their sources, before I present “my” translations of A Doll’s House and make some textual comparisons with a focus on certain key linguistic and cultural items.