Literature: Italian scholar to translate works of Pakistani writers, poets including Parveen Shakir
Will bring new audiences to noted poet’s work.
ISLAMABAD:
An Italian scholar will translate Parveen Shakir’s poetry into Italian. This was confirmed to The Express Tribune by Parveen Shakir Trust Chairperson Parveen Qadir Agha on Monday.
“Dr Sabrina Lei has agreed to translate Parveen Shakir’s works into Italian. This will be a great opportunity to introduce our beloved poet to the West,” said Agha.
Responding to a question, she said Dr Sabrina has earlier translated a number of books into Italian. “We have sent her information regarding Parveen Shakir’s life and works, and hopefully she will complete the work soon. In this way we shall be able to attract the west to genuine Pakistani voices.”
Dr Lei, an Italian writer, researcher and philosopher who converted to Islam after reading Allama Iqbal’s famous thesis, “The Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam,” is the founding director of Jay Editore, a research institute in Rome. She received degrees in Latin and Greek from the prestigious Sapienza University of Rome. She did her PhD in Wittgenstein’s concept of time in his ‘Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus.’
A few years ago, a turning point came in the scholar’s life when she was translating Allama Iqbal’s thesis. According to her, while translating the work of the poet- philosopher, she found the answers to questions that had been perturbing her.
When asked how Dr Sabrina was brought in for the project, Ms Agha said a member of the trust recently met her at a function at the Pakistan embassy in Rome and Dr Sabrina expressed her desire to learn as well as enlighten the West about Pakistani women.
It was then suggested that she translate Parveen Shakir, and she happily agreed. “Dr Sabrina is quite thrilled to find the sensitivities of Pakistani women as reflected in the late poet’s work and intends to translate other Pakistani poets and writers into Italian too,” said a beaming Agha.
Dr Sabrina says that as a western Muslim, she is uniquely positioned to encourage and conduct cross-cultural dialogue between Islam and other religions. She is deeply interested in projects that explore Islam’s relationship with the West, for instance, Islam and civil society, the image of Islam in today’s public space, true meaning of Sunna of the Prophet (SAW), regeneration of Muslim scholarship and issues related to the rights of women in Islam.
Dr Sabrina has published six books, most of which are Italian translations of the works of Muslim scholars such as Muhammad Al-Ghazali, Imam Abu Hamid Al-Ghazali, Allama Muhammad Iqbal, Muhammad Asad and Sheikh Naseruddin Albani.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 1st, 2011.
An Italian scholar will translate Parveen Shakir’s poetry into Italian. This was confirmed to The Express Tribune by Parveen Shakir Trust Chairperson Parveen Qadir Agha on Monday.
“Dr Sabrina Lei has agreed to translate Parveen Shakir’s works into Italian. This will be a great opportunity to introduce our beloved poet to the West,” said Agha.
Responding to a question, she said Dr Sabrina has earlier translated a number of books into Italian. “We have sent her information regarding Parveen Shakir’s life and works, and hopefully she will complete the work soon. In this way we shall be able to attract the west to genuine Pakistani voices.”
Dr Lei, an Italian writer, researcher and philosopher who converted to Islam after reading Allama Iqbal’s famous thesis, “The Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam,” is the founding director of Jay Editore, a research institute in Rome. She received degrees in Latin and Greek from the prestigious Sapienza University of Rome. She did her PhD in Wittgenstein’s concept of time in his ‘Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus.’
A few years ago, a turning point came in the scholar’s life when she was translating Allama Iqbal’s thesis. According to her, while translating the work of the poet- philosopher, she found the answers to questions that had been perturbing her.
When asked how Dr Sabrina was brought in for the project, Ms Agha said a member of the trust recently met her at a function at the Pakistan embassy in Rome and Dr Sabrina expressed her desire to learn as well as enlighten the West about Pakistani women.
It was then suggested that she translate Parveen Shakir, and she happily agreed. “Dr Sabrina is quite thrilled to find the sensitivities of Pakistani women as reflected in the late poet’s work and intends to translate other Pakistani poets and writers into Italian too,” said a beaming Agha.
Dr Sabrina says that as a western Muslim, she is uniquely positioned to encourage and conduct cross-cultural dialogue between Islam and other religions. She is deeply interested in projects that explore Islam’s relationship with the West, for instance, Islam and civil society, the image of Islam in today’s public space, true meaning of Sunna of the Prophet (SAW), regeneration of Muslim scholarship and issues related to the rights of women in Islam.
Dr Sabrina has published six books, most of which are Italian translations of the works of Muslim scholars such as Muhammad Al-Ghazali, Imam Abu Hamid Al-Ghazali, Allama Muhammad Iqbal, Muhammad Asad and Sheikh Naseruddin Albani.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 1st, 2011.