Översättandets lesbiska eros

Eva Alexanderson som översättarförfattare

Abstract

The lesbian eros of translation. Eva Alexanderson as an author-translator

This article explores Eva Alexanderson’s dual role as both author and translator, focusing on her autobiographical novel Kontradans (1969) and her Swedish translation of Violette Leduc’s La bâtarde (published as Oäktingen the same year). Drawing on theoretical frameworks from Queer Translation Studies, it examines how Alexanderson’s translation practice enriches and extends her literary authorship, particularly in relation to depictions of lesbian desire, subjectivity, and gender. Through close readings of key passages, the article shows how Alexanderson’s translations do more than render meaning; they reframe, intensify, and queer the source text. Strategic choices, such as the translation of séparation as “skilsmässa” (“divorce”) and the use of the gender-neutral word “älskade” (“beloved”), highlight how translation becomes a site of lesbian expression and subversion.

The concept of a “lesbian eros of translation” is introduced to describe translation not as a secondary, reproductive act but as an intimate, erotic, and political practice. Alexanderson’s work challenges conventional hierarchies between author and translator, original and copy, and instead presents translation as a co-creative process. The translated text emerges as a “lesbian child” – a collaborative product born out of the translator’s and author’s shared desire and artistic engagement.

By foregrounding translation as an integral aspect of Alexanderson’s writing practice, the article proposes new ways of understanding queer authorship, linguistic boundary-crossing, and the creative potential of translation. It advocates for the inclusion of translated texts in literary analysis, especially when thematic and linguistic interconnections deepen our understanding of the author’s voice and subjectivity.