Novel: L’ascaro (The Conscript) by Ghebreyesus Hailu

3 Replies

After almost 100 years, the anti-colonial novel “The Conscript” has finally appeared in Italian translation, thanks to the work of translator Uoldelul Chelati Dirar and funding obtained by Alessandra Ferrini.

Originally written in Tigrinya in 1927, an English translation by Ghirmai Negash appeared in 2012, while an Arabic version by Faraj al-Tarhouni has come out in recent years in Libya. The author, Gebreyesus Hailu (1906–1993) was a prominent and influential figure in the cultural and intellectual life of Eritrea during the Italian colonial period and in the post-Italian era in Africa. He earned a PhD in theology, was vicar general of the Catholic Church in Eritrea, and played several important roles in the Ethiopian government, including as cultural attaché at the Ethiopian Embassy in Rome.

The original Tigrinya version of the novel is not in print but a PDF has been made available by Ghirmai Negash, the English translator, and can be found here.

3 thoughts on “Novel: L’ascaro (The Conscript) by Ghebreyesus Hailu”

  1. Ghirmai Negash

    Hello,

    Thank you for this great brief about “The Conscript”! I am the translator of the book into English. It is very inspiring to see my work forming the source for translations into several other languages. The cover and the pdf of the Tigrinya original posted on your website are also from my personal library; the scribblings on its pages are from my hand.

    Ghirmai Negash

    Translator of “The Conscript”

    Like

    Reply ↓
    1. AB Post author

      Thank you for your comment. I did not realize the Tigrinya PDF was of your copy—I believe I got it online perhaps originally from the OSU Press website. Is it OK to continue to make the original PDF available on my site?

      Like

      Reply ↓
      1. Negash, Ghirmai

        Thank you for the quick and thoughtful email. It is OK to continue making the original PDF available. Just to discourage piracy, it would be helpful to add something along the lines, “PDF made available by Ghirmai Negash”. That would be much appreciated.

        Ghirmai Negash

        Professor of English & Postcolonial Literatures

        Director, African Studies Program

        Past President African Literature Association 2020-2021

        https://vimeo.com/440427190

        Ellis Hall 332 Yamada House 113

        Dept. of English Center of International Studies

        Ohio University Ohio University

        negashg@ohio.edu 740-593-1832

        Like

Leave a comment