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Transpositions: Migration, Translation, Music ed. by Alison Rice (review)

This rich and diverse collection of essays sheds light on how migration has inspired writers, musicians, playwrights, and artists to create new forms of translation in their work. Alison Rice explains in the introduction that languages and soundscapes are not only being transposed into French but are in fact transposing French. This fascinating series of studies examines the various interpretations of the term ‘transpositions’ in creative productions from the verbal to the visual, from sound to silence, and makes space for larger thematic and theoretical perspectives. Divided into five sections, the book primarily explores music, poetry, film adaptations and soundtracks, plays and performance art, while drawing inspiration from diverse sources that include multilingual and multi cultural texts in French. One of the most compelling arguments to emerge in the book is that, since some of these recent works have not necessarily been held to a high regard in French cultural studies, as a result, their many influences and interactions, as Rice puts it, “render impossible any static conception of being— or belonging” (3). The chapters discuss innovative ideas from those of Hélène Cixous to Moroccan theorist Abdelkébir Khatibi and promote new Francophone writing involving notions of exile, ethics, politics, and cultural aesthetics, which go beyond previous definitions. An engaging and informative read, Transpositions will be an asset to any French language and culture collection. It will also be a strong reference point for research focusing on issues ranging from migration and multilingual perspectives to thematic and theoretical routes that push the limits of formal composition in French, most notably the French Trans-Mediterranean, oftentimes neglected by more traditional scholarship in the field. The illustrations provide useful visual reference points and in turn offer a greater awareness of the diversity of these hybrid itineraries and interactions. This collective volume not only challenges current ideas in terms of innovative language but also emphasizes the ways in which artistic productions can expand our cultural knowledge and imagination.