Berman, Reader of Benjamin: Romanticism and Metaphysics of Translating

• Grant number: 24/13008-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Master's degree
• Start date: December 15, 2024
• End date: March 14, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Linguistics, Literature and Arts - Literature - Modern Foreign Languages
• Principal Investigator: Adriana Zavaglia
• Grantee: Bruno Bicalho Lage Silva
• Supervisor: Alberto da Silva
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Filosofia, Letras e Ciências Humanas (FFLCH). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Université Paris-Sorbonne (Paris 4), France
• Associated to the scholarship: 23/08374-9 - Berman as a Reader of Benjamin: Translation and Literalness, BP.MS

Abstract

This research project aims to investigate the presence of the German philosopher Walter Benjamin in the work of the French translation scholar Antoine Berman. We posit that Benjamin played a double role in relation to Berman: not only was Benjamin a key intermediary through whom Berman engaged with German Romanticism-consider Benjamin's doctoral thesis 'The Concept of Criticism in German Romanticism', frequently referenced in 'L'Épreuve de l'étranger', Berman's seminal work on romantic theory of translation-but he also served as the catalyst for Berman's metaphysical exploration of translation, evident in Berman's concept of the Idea of translation. The objective of this study is to delineate these two roles or functions, and to trace the development of the relationship between these two thinkers over time. Given the difficulty of accessing a significant number of texts by Berman and his commentators in Brazil, we propose a research internship at CRIMIC (Sorbonne Université). This international stint would also allow us to benefit from the center's members' discussions on translation theory, as well as Professor Alberto da Silva's expertise on Benjamin's thought.