Horace Engdahl faces criticism for Handke's translation

Last week, Nobel laureate Peter Handke was interviewed by German newspaper Die Zeit. This week, Aftonbladet published a translation of the interview made by Academy member Horace Engdahl.

But the translation is now being met with criticism because of a rewrite of the controversial term "Muslim Serbs", writes DN.

In part of the Die-Zeit article, according to several observers, Handke says "Orthodox and Muslim Serbs". But Horace Engdahl has instead written "Serbian Orthodox and Muslims".

One of those who strongly criticize Horace Engdahl is Jasenko Selimović, former European Parliamentarian for the Liberals. On Twitter, he writes:

“This is not true! Horace Engdahl translates Handke's interview and washes what Handke says! In the interview, Handke talks about "Serbian Muslims" (mimicking Milosevic) but Horace washes it and translates with "Muslims". What is going on?!"

Selimović believes that Engdahl "beautifies the problematic expression".

- Academy members should not. Talking about "Muslim Serbs" has been done to deny the existence and history of Bosnian victims, Selimović told the DN.

Criticism has also come from Expressen's Anna Hellgren who writes that "... Engdahl's reversed order opens a wasp nest of possible interpretations in the worst possible position for the Swedish Academy". And on Twitter, the newspaper's deputy head of culture, Jens Liljestrand, questions that Aftonbladet even used Engdahl's translation.

In the Aftonbladet, Horace Engdahl has responded to the reactions, which he thinks are "strangely aggressive and misguided".

"It is true that the end of the sentence can be interpreted grammatically in two ways in my translation, either that it is about Serbian Orthodox and Serbian Muslims or that it is about Serbian Orthodox and Muslims in general. Although the latter interpretation seems quite frankly a bit crucified. "