Nexus of Loss and Gain in Translating Memory, Traumatized Memory and Memorized Trauma in Partition Literature: A Comparative Study of Ghatak, Manto, and Haque - Shahnaj Parvin

Nexus of Loss and Gain in Translating Memory, Traumatized Memory and Memorized Trauma in Partition Literature: A Comparative Study of Ghatak, Manto, and Haque Shahnaj Parvin, PhD Fellow, BUP & Assistant Professor, Department of English Studies, State University, Bangladesh shahnajparvinshammee@gmail.com Abstract: This research explores the complex phenomena of “loss and gain” in terms of translating memory; the unique challenges prevailed in partition diaspora literature. The research gap identified lies in the under-explored area of how diaspora writers, who act as translators of their own memories, navigate through the intricacies of cultural and linguistic loss in narrating personal and collective trauma. This study shows that partition literature reflects a translated testimony of memory and traumatized memory, where loss is inevitable, and any potential gain, particularly the reclamation of a lost homeland, remains elusive. Through a descriptive-analytical methodology, the research examines selected works of Ritwik Ghatak, Saadat Hasan Manto, and Hasan Azizul Haque, aiming to uncover how diaspora writers translate not only historical events but also personal and collective traumas. The study also assesses how memory, particularly when it is both traumatized and memorized, affects the translation process. Analyzing the nexus of loss and gain the findings suggest that while loss dominates the translation of such experiences, any notion of gain is symbolic, representing the unreachable desire to reconnect with a lost identity. This research contributes to the discourse on translation studies by proposing that the "gain" in translating such memories is not in recovering what was lost but in preserving the authenticity of the trauma. No word but silence can compensate for this irreparable loss. The conclusion emphasizes the significance of partition literature as a vessel for understanding the diasporic experience of loss, memory, and identity where translation suffers from chronic loss and gain is almost unreachable like the gain of lost home. Keywords: Partition Diaspora Literature, Translation, Memory, Traumatized Memory, Memorized Trauma, Loss and Gain