4 The RAPS Sheet December 2021 ‘Out of Vogue/Loin de l’Air du Temps’: French, English—you choose CLAUDINE FISHER says the inspiration for her new book, Out of Vogue/Loin de l’Air du Temps, came from five short stories she found in the bottom of a desk drawer. Out of that inspiration grew a collection of 22 short stories published in September. Presented in both English and French, the format of Out of Vogue/Loin de l’Air du Temps allows learners of French—or English—to read without hunting through a dictionary. Professor Fisher taught at Portland State for more than 30 years and served for 14 years as the Honorary Consul of France for the State of Oregon. Among her books are Little Muratou (2020); Call Me Carole (2019); and the Paris In Paris Out trilogy, The Reluctant Paris Rebel (2016), Southbound French Settlers (2017), and The Breton Black-Foot (2017). Born in Algiers, she lived in Provence, Bordeaux, and Paris, where she received her doctorate from the University of Paris in 1970. She joined the Portland State faculty in 1972. How did you come to write Out of Vogue/Loin de l’Air du Temps? After I finished six historical novels, I was wondering what to focus on next for a theme for my next adventure in writing. I found in my drawer two short stories in French and three short stories in English. So, the idea came to me to write short stories, though the genre is not fashionable these days. I would have to translate the texts as they were written in a different language. Since I was going to translate them, I might as well create new stories and present them in parallel texts in French and English, face-to-face for bilingual people and learners. A teacher always remains a teacher, and I had taught M.A. classes in translation at PSU. How would you describe the book? It a combination of fun and work for the reader! As it was fun and work for me. The stories are diverse in theme, setting, time, and tone. Some tales are sad, some are funny. The short story allows for a vast variety of mood. What challenges did you face? I can’t think of any challenge except the one of translation. With “Google Translate” anyone has access to easy translation, but for literary texts the translations are often approximative, wrong, or hilarious. Good human translators are needed still, for better or worse, to express varied nuances, difficult concepts, idiomatic expressions, or hidden meanings. This is the theme of one of my stories. Another story is what bilingualism does to your brain. Who is the audience? Anyone who wants a quick read, a person who wants to refresh his/her French, a student or an expert who wants to see if my translation is up to par (ha-ha!), a French person who wishes to improve one’s English. What do you hope the book accomplishes for its readers? That answer is beyond me. You author a book and let it go. It flies or not. It takes on a life of its own without me, just like for a child. And the meaning of the title? I was afraid of the ambiguity of “Vogue” with the magazine. But I let it go on purpose. In French, I use an idiomatic expression that I like which is “far from the air of time,” meaning “not in, out of fashion.” In English, it does mean “outmoded, out of date, out of style.” Just like the older generation who is out of step with the new! Out of Vogue/Loin de l’Air du Temps: Fisher, Claudine: 9798481307305: Amazon.com: Books RAPS Awards Committee invites 2022 nominations ARE YOU AWARE of a RAPS member who has been active in community service, University affairs, or professional activity? Of course you are. Why not nominate her or him for the 2022 Outstanding Portland State Retiree Award? A nomination form appears on page 5 of this edition of the RAPS Sheet. But you don’t need a form—nominations on ordinary paper or by email are fine. RAPS also bestows Special Recognition awards to any person, often a current PSU employee, who has aided RAPS and also is engaged in community or university affairs. Please mail your nominations to the Retirement Association of Portland State—RAPS, Portland State University, PO Box 751, Portland OR 97207-0751 or by email (you don’t have to use the form) to Eben Yemoh, RAPS Office manager, at rapsmail@pdx.edu. The deadline for receipt of nominations is Wednesday, March 2, 2022. Members of the current RAPS Board are not eligible for nomination. Questions? Please contact Steve Brennan, chair of the Awards Committee, at the.steve.brennan@gmail.com or 503-889-0146.
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