CULTURAL ENCOUNTERS IN LEILA ABOULELA'S THE TRANSLATOR

Abstract

Leila Aboulea (1964-    ) is a Sudanese contemporary novelist. Her reputation as a pioneer of ‘halal fiction’ and her classification as a multicultural and postcolonial writer are the main reasons for an investigation of her novel. She is mainly concerned with the conflict evident between cultures. She always tries to find a middle way out of these cultural encounters. The Translator is an embodiment for her thought. It depicts the life of a Muslim translator in Scotland, a woman who can not assimilate with the other. This article aims to tackle the barriers which prevent her from assimilation. It also highlights the way through which Aboulea bridges the gap between the Sudanese and Scottish culture, such contradicting cultures. The narrative techniques employed by Aboulela such as contrast and allusion help the researcher to carry out her job and cover this multicultural novel. The researcher tries to relate Aboulela’s views to the theories of cultural conflict in postcolonial and multicultural contemporary fiction.