Alberto Lista, translating Alexander Pope: The Dunciad and El imperio de la estupidez

Abstract

This paper deals with the Spanish version of the satirical poem The Dunciad by the talented Sevillian writer Alberto Lista, the original version of which was written by the English poet Alexander Pope. Lista wrote the poem in his youth; it is the only Spanish version of this poem, possibly due to the great difficulty of translating a poem of more than 1700 lines in length into Spanish, which is replete with allusions to writers and specific locations in England. It is a challenge that Lista overcomes by changing allusions and replacing them with the names of well-known Spanish figures. It is an entirely free version, as Lista reveals in his “Translator’s Preface”, achieved by means of modifying the thoughts from the source text and supressing or replacing certain passages entirely. Lastly, the essay devotes a section to the analysis of the possibility that Lista was inspired by, or followed the example of, a French translation in making his own version.