JORGE LUIS BORGES’İ SUSTURMAK: DI GIOVANNI ÇEVİRİLERİNİN HAKSIZ YERE BASTIRILMASI

Yıl 2025, Cilt: 3 Sayı: 2, 405 - 450, 19.12.2025

Çevirmen: Gürkan Küçük

https://doi.org/10.62124/kluhfd.1782540

Öz

Jorge Luis Borges İspanyol Edebiyatı tarihinin en önemli yazarlarından biri olduğu için öyküleri, şiirleri ve denemeleri çok sayıda çevirmen tarafından İngilizceye çevrilmişken sadece bir çevirmen, Norman Thomas di Giovanni, Borges ile Buenos Aires’te yıllarca beraber çalışarak yazarın etkin iş birliğiyle çeviri yapmıştır. Bu durum, Di Giovanni'nin çevirilerini benzersiz kılmaktadır. 1909 tarihli Telif Hakkı Kanunu’yla ikisinin adına müşterek şekilde teliflenen bu çeviriler, bazılarınca yazarın İngilizcedeki en özgün sesi olarak düşünülmektedir. Buna rağmen, Borges bu çevirilerden gelen gelirleri di Giovanni’yle yarı yarıya paylaştığı için işbu mali düzenleme Borges’in mirasçılarının ve yayıncısının tepkisini çekmiştir. Borges öldükten sonra mirasçıları ve yayıncısı tüm eserlerinin yeni çevirilerini yaptırmış, di Giovanni çevirilerinin basımının durdurulmasına sebep olmuş ve di Giovanni’nin çevirilerini yeniden yayımlama veya tekrar basma girişimlerinin her birini engellemiştir. Artık di Giovanni çevirileri yok olmaktadır; çevirilerin baskıları tükenmiş olup bulunmaları çok zorlaşmıştır, bazı durumlardaysa çeviriler fahiş fiyatlara satılmaktadır. Borges’in İngilizcedeki sesinin bastırılması sanatsal ve etik açıdan rahatsız edici niteliktedir. Bu makale bunun aynı zamanda hukuka aykırı olduğunu ileri sürmektedir. Bu makale, 1909 tarihli Telif Hakkı Kanunu’na göre di Giovanni’nin çevirilerinin bastırılmasının müşterek yazar olarak sahip olduğu hakları ihlal ettiği sonucuna varmıştır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Jorge Luis Borges , Telif Hakkı , Müşterek Yazar , Edebiyat , Çeviri , Norman Thomas Di Giovanni , Edebi Eserler

Teşekkür

Bu çeviriyi mümkün kılan Wes Henricksen'e ilgisi ve yardımları için teşekkür ederim.

Silencing Jorge Luis Borges: The Wrongful Suppression of the di Giovanni Translations

Öz

Because Jorge Luis Borges is one of the most important writers in the history of Spanish language literature, his stories, poems, and essays have been translated into English by numerous translators. However, only one translator, Norman Thomas di Giovanni, worked side by side with Borges for years in Buenos Aires to craft translations with the author’s active collaboration. This makes the di Giovanni translations unique. These translations, which were jointly copyrighted in both men’s names under the Copyright Act of 1909, are considered by some to be the author’s most authentic voice in English. Nevertheless, because Borges split the royalties generated by these translations fifty-fifty with di Giovanni, the financial arrangement drew the ire of Borges’s estate and publisher. After Borges died, his estate and publisher commissioned new translations of all his works, forced the di Giovanni translations out of print, and quashed every effort by di Giovanni to republish or reprint his translations. The di Giovanni translations are now disappearing—they are out of print and have become difficult to find and, in some cases, exorbitantly expensive. This suppression of Borges’s voice in English is offensive from an artistic and ethical standpoint. This Article argues it was also illegal. Under the Copyright Act of 1909, this Article concludes that the suppression of di Giovanni’s translations violated his rights as a joint author.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Jorge Luis Borges , Copyright , Joint Author , Literature , Translation , Norman Thomas Di Giovanni , Literary Works

Teşekkür

I thank Wes Henricksen, who made this translation possible, for his interest and assistance.

Kaynakça

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