Paradigms of Power in Postcolonial Translation

This essay examines Mohammad Rabie’s Otared (Arabic 2014; English 2016) and Ahmed Saadawi’s Frankenstein in Baghdad (Arabic 2013; English 2018) with an emphasis on the transformation of dystopia. I argue that Rabie and Saadawi have constructed their dystopian novels under the influence of Western literature while being directly affected by the dire political situations that they find themselves in. Rabie engages with the Arab Spring and the far-reaching impact of colonialism, whereas Saadawi deals with Iraq’s sombre realities against the backdrop of the American-led invasion in 2003. Their respective accounts are not merely a recycling of Western genres but are also profoundly impacted by the prevailing circumstances while being portrayed on the global stage via translation. In this way, they manifest a powerful insight into the translation of Arabic dystopian fiction, which is shaped by colonial and postcolonial power relations. In the proliferation of Arabic dystopian fiction, translation acts as a double-edged sword. On the one hand, translation specifies how colonialist forces impose Western influence upon the Arabic culture. On the other hand, it becomes a powerful tool to expose Western readers to the Arab people’s harrowing postcolonial and post-revolutionary experiences.