Labour of love to be launched on Valentine’s Day
Sian Robyns comes from the world of words, starting out her career as a journalist, press secretary and communications advisor. But in 2007 she decided it was time for a break.
“It was only meant to be for a little while. I wanted to study an interest of mine, French, and have a think about what I was going to do next. But it was so rewarding I never left.”
Sian started at Victoria studying a Graduate Diploma in French, then went on to do Honours in French. During her Honours year Sian took a course in translation with Jean Anderson. The course was a step forward for Sian because it combined her experience in communications with her interest in French.
“So I decided to do a Master of Arts in Literary Translation Studies. I was lucky enough to gain two scholarships—a Victoria Masters by thesis scholarship and a New Zealand Federation of Graduate Women (Wellington Branch) Master’s by thesis Scholarship.”
On choosing a book to translate, Sian says she wasn’t very scientific about it all. “I went to the Victoria Library to find some French novels. After I gathered about ten or so books I sat down with a view of Wellington harbour and started to sort.
“I flipped through them, reading bits and pieces and putting them in yes, no and maybe piles. I was looking over Linda Lê’s book when I suddenly realised I was already around 40 pages in and I thought ‘this is the one’.”
The process was a voyage of discovery for Sian. “I was going to the heart of the text, dissecting the original word choices, and piecing it all back together to make it my own. I ended up feeling quite protective of the work—both hers and mine.”
There were also moments she would spend hours looking at Linda’s work, able to see what she was saying but struggling to find the right words in English. “It often felt like working in the dark, having to feel my way forward.”
The novel is about two psychiatric patients who meet in an institution and fall in love. Linda weaves aspects of fairy-tale and myth into the story, giving it an interesting feel.
There is also a sense that the narrator is there—watching and recording. Sian says it’s almost a commentary on the process, very much like breaking the fourth wall. “The narrator’s tone is sardonic and cynical but also deeply committed to the project.”
After completing her thesis and graduating in 2012, Sian started to look for publishers. “I did what J K Rowling did and sent out manuscripts to 20 or so publishers—two and a half years later my manuscript was accepted by Wellington-based publisher, Mākaro Press.”
Sian is extremely grateful that the book, to be launched on 14 February, Valentine’s Day, was understood by the publisher, Mary McCallum, who took it on “because she loved it”.
Sian’s interest in the work of Linda Lê continues: her doctoral thesis is an annotated translation of Le Complexe de Caliban (The Caliban Complex), a collection of essays discussing literature and identity.
If you’d like to win a copy of A tale of love email <insert email> or pre order a copy of the book online at Mākaro Press