Today, we are happy to bring you our conversation with Skyler Artes, translator of A Waltz

What inspired you to translate this book? 

While Lynda Chouiten is a new voice, her literary production is considerable: essays, poems, novels. Chouiten opts for various expressive styles. Winner of the Prix Assia Djebar, A Waltz had immediate appeal. The central storyline is accessible; the themes are complex.

What did you learn and what are you hoping readers will learn from your book? 

This book offered me the opportunity to explore different aspects of the main character’s experience. For me this meant side projects in researching maps of Algeria, becoming more familiar with Kabylia’s socio-political and linguistic history, and listening to the songs that form the main character’s acoustic surroundings.

What I hope readers will take away from this book and Mildred Mortimer’s Afterword is a new perspective on the fortitude it takes for artists to refine and share their art. Chahira, being both a woman who defies limiting expectations of her and an individual struggling to produce art while navigating psychosis, leads her life with a level of clear-eyed determination that is inspiring.

What surprised you the most in the process of translating this book? 

As the process of translation requires, for me at least, several full readings of the original manuscript and dozens of passages through certain sections, I was surprised by the nuances present in Chahira’s relationship with the voices in her head. Some episodes carry overwhelming emotion, some carry a certain tenderness. With each rereading, I came to more deeply appreciate the way in which the author created a dynamic community of sorts within Chahira’s mental space.

What’s your favorite anecdote from translating (or episode within) the book?

One of the most powerful moments for me in the book is found in the series of events that lead to the main character becoming a seamstress and clothing designer. This episode includes Chahira’s poetic self-expression leading to her removal from secondary school and her defiance of rules to cover her hair while in public. These two events bring her under the tutelage of a strict seamstress who empowers Chahira to create, to rebel and to find freedom in her art.

What’s next? 

It has been my great fortune to have translated works from three outstanding writers. Through this process, I have developed a preference for working in the space of North African novels written in French. I am currently working with Mildred Mortimer on a translation of Leïla Sebbar’s Lettre à mon père (Letter to my father). After this, I’ll start looking for a new project.