Ambassador of Portugal Mr. Manuel FredericoPinheiro da Silva has commended the efforts of the Pakistan Academy of Letters (PAL) for translated the internationally -renowned Portuguese author José LuísPeixoto’s novel into Urdu under the title “ViranNazar”. He was addressing as Chief Guest a ceremony that marked the 4th book-launching session organized by the PAL under the theme ‘Literature in National & International Languages.’
The event marked the release of new translations by the PAL’s Bureau of Translations, which included translations from other Pakistani languages into Urdu, international languages into Urdu, and Pakistani literature written in Persian.
The Portugal ambassador remarked that the writers were not only the custodians of humanity’s collective memory spanning centuries but also the ones who pass it on to future generations. He also spoke about formalizing collaborations between the PAL and relevant counterparts in Portugal. He expressed the hope that future translations between Urdu and Portuguese would be direct bypassing English. He also read out a message from José LuísPeixoto written specifically for the event, in which the author described the novel as an expression of his deepest identity and thanked translator Mr. AtifAleem (the translator) and the Pakistan Academy of Letters (the publisher).
In her welcome and introductory remarks, the PAL Chairperson Dr. NajeebaArif, emphasized the importance and utility of translations. She explained how translations can help bridge the gap between different regions of Pakistan by enabling people to understand each other’s thoughts and emotions, as well as how global literary translations can act as bridges between nations. She extended special thanks to the Portuguese Ambassador for his presence and for paving the way for literary connections between Pakistan and Portugal. Well known poet AkhtarUsman discussed late Dr. Aslam Ansari’s Persian works titled “Gulbang-e-Arzu” and drew parallels between it and classical works like NezamiGanjavi’s “PanjGanj” (The Quintet). He also mentioned the “ChaharMaqala”. He noted that Dr. Aslam Ansari’s five Persian mathnavis could be understood in the light of this classical tradition. While Aslam Ansari’s Urdu poetry reflects a romantic essence, his Persian poetry reveals him as a thinker, influenced by classical Persian luminaries such as Rumi, Hafiz, and Iqbal. He also noted the impact of Ibn al-Arabi’s “Fusus al-Hikam” on his work. Mr. Abdul KhaliqTaj spoke about the Academy’s publication “Shina Folk Tales”, which consists of Urdu translations of folk tales from the Shina language, an important Pakistani language spoken in Gilgit-Baltistan. He highlighted the strong tradition of storytelling in Gilgit-Baltistan and how he adapted some of these orally transmitted stories into Urdu. Ms. FarheenChaudhry shared her thoughts on “AmrikiKahaniyan” (American Stories), a collection of selected Urdu translations of short stories by the American authors, discussing each writer individually. Mr. Zaif Syed reflected on José LuísPeixoto’s Portuguese novel, translated into Urdu as “ViranNazar” by the acclaimed novelist and translator Mr. Muhammad AtifAleem. He delved into the novel’s magical realism, abstraction, postmodernism, and complex narrative style, noting the challenges of translating such a work, which AtifAleem accomplished with literary excellence.
