The translation of Fredrik Backman’s latest novel, ‘My Friends’, arrived in bookstores.
According to the reporter of Iran’s Book News Agency (IBNA) in Mashhad, Amirbehrouz Ghasemi Kermani, a young translator of contemporary world literature, is a name that has become known in recent years for his precise and insightful translations of works by authors such as Haruki Murakami, Fredrik Backman, and Han Kang. He is a translator who considers translation a form of dialogue; a dialogue between two languages, two cultures, and two people who might never meet, but who connect deeply within a text.
Having previously published his translation of Backman’s novel “It’s Not a Yes” to positive critical feedback, he has now, on the eve of the 33rd Iranian Book Week, translated Backman’s latest work, “My Friends”, which has been released to the market by Khizran Publications. Once again, he has recreated Backman’s sensitive and humane world in Persian. When we sat down to talk with him about his linguistic and intellectual concerns in approaching this work, he spoke about the starting point of this translation: “After translating ‘It’s Not a Yes’, I felt that Backman was no longer just an author to me, but a part of my inner dialogue. His works create a mutual understanding with the reader, somewhere between sorrow and hope, between wound and redemption. When the original version of My Friend was published, I bought it from Amazon on the same day and started reading it.”
The translator added: “There came a moment when I realized I had to translate it, not simply for publication, but to re-experience that human closeness found in its words. After that, it was natural for Khizran Publications, with whom I’ve had successful experiences before, to become the home for this book.”
The Necessity of Preserving the Book’s Spirit in Translation
He, who placed great emphasis on the voices and tone of the characters in his translation of “It’s Not a Yes,” remarked concerning “My Friends”: “‘My Friends’ is calmer and more personal in tone. Here, Backman has hidden all his humor and sarcasm beneath layers of silence. For this reason, translating it was more like walking on thin ice; every word could upset the balance. I wanted the Persian-speaking reader to feel the same silence, that small gap between laughter and tears. For example, the places where Backman speaks of childhood memories appear simple, but a world of emotion flows within them; something that, if lost in translation, would mean the book’s spirit no longer remains.”
A Translator Must Sometimes Convey the Author’s Silence in Another Language
In response to the question, “Why did you refer to the term ‘silent art’ in the book’s foreword?”, he said: “At the heart of the story, there is a seemingly childlike painting that becomes a symbol of being seen. Backman with this simple image speaks about the nature of art, that sometimes art is just an effort to speak, not to be heard. For me, translation has the same meaning. A translator is someone who conveys the author’s silence to another language. This ‘silent art’ was with me throughout the entire process.”
Backman’s Language Has Complex Emotional Structures
Stating that Backman’s language appears fluid, he clarified: “On the other hand, beneath this simplicity, it has complex emotional structures. Each sentence must stand somewhere between everyday speech and poetic prose. I usually write several initial drafts for each chapter, then step away and listen again to how the ‘voice’ sounds in Persian. My goal isn’t just to have an accurate translation, but to make the characters’ voices reach the Persian reader, like real people. In ‘My Friends,’ this was more important than ever, because the narrative is based on human relationships, not external events.”
Amirbehrouz Ghasemi mentioned that among the characters in the story, Louisa engaged him the most, saying: “Louisa’s character is the point of convergence between child and adult, where suffering shapes personality. In translating her, both the simplicity of childlike expression and the complexity of a wounded person’s emotions had to be preserved. For me, Louisa was the embodiment of honesty, and this honesty made the work difficult. When you accompanied her, you couldn’t remain neutral. Translating her dialogues felt like writing a confession, not a translation.”
The Distinction of This Novel
In response to the question of what distinguishes “My Friends” from Backman’s other works, the translator stated: “In this novel, Backman deals less with society and more with the human interior. ‘A Man Called Ove’ was about redemption in society, ‘My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry’ was about imagination and belief, but ‘My Friends’ is about our relationship with our memories. This book reminds us that what saves us is something small like friendship. It is this simple, yet invisible, friendship around which Backman’s entire world revolves.”
He mentioned that he is currently translating the latest work by László Krasznahorkai, saying: “He is a Hungarian author who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2025. The book has a mysterious title, ‘Herscht 07769’. This work is a complex, multi-layered, and philosophical novel that moves at the boundary between mysticism, mathematics, and the mental breakdown of man.”
Ghasemi Kermani continued: “This work, in a way, continues Krasznahorkai’s unique literary path: fluid prose, long sentences, and a permanent tension between order and chaos. The main theme of the book is isolation and humanity’s struggle to find meaning in a world where language, logic, and civilization have reached a point of exhaustion.”
He added: “Translating this novel for me is like passing through a labyrinth in the dark. Krasznahorkai’s language is so unique in its musical and philosophical aspects that one must constantly decide between translating words and conveying feeling. He is an author who believes that ‘sentences, like breathing, must continue,’ and this very sentence explains the logic of his work.”
