"Last days of the victim": A case study in translating Argentine crime fiction

Abstract

This thesis is based on the author's English translation of key passages of an Argentine crime novel: Jose Pablo Feinmann's Ultimos dias de la victima (1979). The thesis establishes a theoretical framework revolving around the original text and its translation. This theoretical framework examines the novel's place in the history of the crime fiction genre in Argentina, translation's role in this history, the socio-political context in which the novel was created, and the linguistic, cultural, stylistic, and interpretive challenges of its translation. Most importantly, this thesis will examine how the novel can be translated for an audience who might not be aware of the socio-political situation that provides the context for a number of interpretations of this story.