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Humphrey T. Davies

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Humphrey T. Davies (6 April 1947 – 12 November 2021) was a British translator of Arabic fiction, historical and classical texts.[1] Born in Great Britain, he studied Arabic in college and graduate school. He worked for decades in the Arab world and was based in Cairo from the late 20th century to 2021. He translated at least 18 Arabic works into English, including contemporary literature.[1] He is a two-time winner of the Banipal Prize.[2]

Humphrey T. Davies
Born(1947-04-06)6 April 1947
London, England
Died12 November 2021(2021-11-12) (aged 74)
London, England
NationalityBritish
Occupationtranslator
Notable workThe Yacoubian Building, from Alaa Al Aswany's ʿImārat Yaʿqūbīān

Life and career

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Born in London on 6 April 1947, Davies studied Arabic at Cambridge University and the American University in Cairo's Centre for Arabic Studies Abroad (CASA) in the 1960s.[1][3] After working in the Arabic world and as a translator for years, he completed a PhD in Arabic in 1981 at the University of California, Berkeley.[1][2]

Davies worked for NGOs and funding institutions in a number of countries in the Arab world, including Save the Children in Palestine and the Ford Foundation in Sudan. He began translating in 1997. From the early 21st century, he focused solely on literary translation.[1][3]

He died from pancreatic cancer in London on 12 November 2021, at the age of 74.[4]

Translations

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Davies translated both classical and colloquial Arabic texts and noted in particular his "respect for colloquial Arabic."[3] He worked in collaboration on the El-Said Badawi Dictionary of Egyptian Arabic.[3] Davies began translating while working on a critical edition and lexicon of Yusuf al-Shirbini's Hazz al-Quhuf bi-Sharh Qasid Abi Shaduf (Brains Confounded by the Ode of Abu Shaduf Expounded), a 17th-century Egyptian text on Ottoman rural culture. This is considered a valuable source for the period's colloquial Egyptian Arabic.[1][2]

Davies' first published translation was a short story by Sayed Ragab, which appeared in Banipal magazine in 2000.[2] Subsequent translations included several well-known works of Arabic literature, including Alaa Al-Aswany's The Yacoubian Building (Arabic: عمارة يعقوبيان, ʿImārat Yaʿqūbīān, 2002). His 2004 translation was voted one of 50 outstanding translations in the last 50 years by the British Society of Authors. His translation of Lebanese writer Elias Khoury's novel Gate of the Sun (Arabic: باب الشمس, Bab al-shams), won the English PEN "Writers in Translation" award and the Banipal Prize for Arabic Literary Translation.[1]

Davies said that when he translated the work of a living author, he made it his practice to call upon the author for advice.[1] His work has been published by AUC Press, Words Without Borders, and Banipal.

Other translations include:[1][2]

Books

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  • A Field Guide to the Street Names of Central Cairo by Humphrey T. Davies and Lesley Lababidi

Awards and honours

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Tresilian, David (12 Jan 2012). "Davies: translator of Arabic literature". Al-Ahram Weekly. Archived from the original on 19 August 2012. Retrieved 30 November 2012.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Humphrey Davies". Banipal Magazine of Modern Literature. Archived from the original on 13 October 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2012.
  3. ^ a b c d Lindsey, Ursula (11 Feb 2010). "Crossing the language divide". Egyptian Independent. Retrieved 30 November 2012.
  4. ^ Asfour, Nana (2021-12-13). "Humphrey Davies, Noted Translator of Arabic Literature, Dies at 74". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-12-15.
  5. ^ Chad W. Post (April 14, 2014). "2014 Best Translated Book Awards: Fiction Finalists". Three Percent. Retrieved April 18, 2014.
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