Writers, Etc. Constance Borde & Sheila Malovany-Chevallier in conversation with Urvashi Butalia

Writers, Etc.

Constance Borde & Sheila Malovany-Chevallier,

the two translators of Le Deuxième Sexe by Simone de Beauvoir

In conversation with Urvashi Butalia

Tuesday, 10 January 2012, 6.30pm

M. L. Bhartia Auditorium, Alliance Francaise de Delhi

Alliance Française de Delhi and the French Embassy in India is proud to present the two translators of Le Deuxième Sexe by Simone de Beauvoir as our January month guest on Writers, etc, who will be in conversation with the talented writer Urvashi Butalia.

Constance Borde and Sheila Malovany-Chevallier both attended Douglass College (Rutgers University) in the 1960s and have been friends and working partners ever since. They have both been living in France for over 40 years, teaching literature and American civilization and writing English grammar and other books for French speakers. In the 70s, they both studied and got degrees in linguistics, one at the University of Vincennes, and the other at Nanterre, in Paris. They both had long and active teaching careers at Sciences Po. Notable among their publications have been a series of grammar books; a video series, for Disney to teach children English; Focus on American Democracy, explaining the American system of government, and several French cookbooks on American food. All along, they have been translating from French to English: social science, art, and feminist writings. Feminism and politics, as well as understanding and knowledge of France and its culture, led them to the translation into English of Le Deuxième Sexe, by Simone de Beauvoir. They did this phenomenal work, the new complete translation of Le deuxième sexe in English for Random House (Cape in London, Knopf in New York and Vintage Books in Paperback) which now replaces the previous truncated translation.

Urvashi Butalia is a feminist writer and publisher. Co-founder of India’s first feminist publishing house, Kali for Women, she is now Director of Zubaan, an imprint of Kali. She has written and published widely, and her best known work is the award winning oral history of Partition, The Other Side of Silence: Voices from the Partition of India. She has worked on several different books: a Reader on India’s history, culture and politics, a family memoir about Partition and a book on sexuality and citizenship.

Don’t miss this unique occasion of discovering these immensely talented and promising authors. Watch out for Writers, etc. The first Thursday of every month