Caught in translation power relations The curious case of Sister Maria do Céu (1658-1753)

Abstract

Sister Maria do Céu, one of the most outstanding Portuguese writers of the Baroque period, left behind a voluminous bilingual œuvre which circulated in Portugal, but throughout the eighteenth century three anthologies also got published in Madrid. In this essay I will focus on the underlying translation power relations at various levels: (1) the Iberian networks that have led to the translations of Sister Maria do Céu’s works; (2) the paratexts written by the translators and censors which contain interesting clues on translation, linguistic prestige, and the status quo of women; (3) the literary and linguistic patterns used by the translators.