Literary Shifts. The Obscene Bird Sings Again: Tale of a Tortured Translation

This essay examines the translation history of José Donoso’s The Obscene Bird of Night and its impact on the novel’s reception in the English-speaking world. Spanning four decades, the translation saga involves significant omissions and alterations by Hardie St. Martin and Leonard Mades, which compromised the text’s structural and thematic integrity. The essay juxtaposes the flawed original translation with Megan McDowell’s recent corrective effort, highlighting her success in restoring critical omissions without producing a full retranslation. Using Deleuze and Guattari’s rhizomatic theory, the analysis positions Donoso’s masterpiece as a text that defies hierarchical structures, embracing multiplicity, connection, and asignification. It further argues that translation, as an extension of the rhizome, should preserve these qualities. Ultimately, this essay calls for a renewed appreciation of The Obscene Bird of Night as a polyphonic and meticulously constructed work of art, and it reflects on the broader implications of translation practices for literary masterpieces.