Joan Mascaró, generally known as Juan (8 December 1897 – 19 March 1987) was a

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

translator Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. The English language draws a terminological distinction (which does not exist in every language) between ''transl ...

. He used the Spanish spelling of his name (Juan) because the Catalan spelling (Joan) is the same as that of the female English name "Joan".

Biography

He was born in Santa Margarita, Majorca to a farming family and took interest in spirituality at the early age of 13. Mascaró is responsible for one of the most popular English translations of the

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

text '' Bhagavad Gita'' (1962), and of some of the major ''

Upanishads The Upanishads (; sa, उपनिषद् ) are late Vedic Sanskrit texts that supplied the basis of later Hindu philosophy.Wendy Doniger (1990), ''Textual Sources for the Study of Hinduism'', 1st Edition, University of Chicago Press, , ...

'' (1965). He also translated, from

Pāli Pali () is a Middle Indo-Aryan liturgical language native to the Indian subcontinent. It is widely studied because it is the language of the Buddhist ''Pāli Canon'' or '' Tipiṭaka'' as well as the sacred language of ''Theravāda'' Buddhi ...

into English, a key

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

text, '' Dhammapada'' (1973). His first work, ''

Lamps of Fire ''Lamps of Fire - the Spirit of Religions'' is an anthology of religious writings compiled, and often translated, by Juan Mascaró. Synopsis After a preface by Mascaró, the book is divided into four sections each filled with numbered selectio ...

'' (1958), was a collection of religious and spiritual wisdom from across the world; a selection from the book inspired the Beatles song " The Inner Light" (1968). Though his native tongue was Catalan, he translated into English. Mascaró's obituary in ''The New York Times'' said he had, "achieved the unique feat of translation from languages not his own (Sanskrit and Pali) into another language not at first his own (English)." His interest in religion started from the age of 13 when he studied a book on occultism. After finding this spiritually misleading, he discovered an older English translation of the ''Bhagavad Gita''. This inspired him to study Sanskrit in order to gain a better understanding of the text, as the available translation was quite poor. Mascaró studied modern and oriental languages at

Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III of England, Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the world' ...

and spent some time lecturing on the Spanish Mystics. He then went to Ceylon where he was Vice-Principal of Parameshwara College at

Jaffna Jaffna (, ) is the capital city of the Northern Province of Sri Lanka. It is the administrative headquarters of the Jaffna District located on a peninsula of the same name. With a population of 88,138 in 2012, Jaffna is Sri Lanka's 12th mo ...

. Later, he became Professor of English at the

Autonomous University of Barcelona The Autonomous University of Barcelona ( ca, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona; , es, Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona; UAB), is a public university mostly located in Cerdanyola del Vallès, near the city of Barcelona in Catalonia, Spain. ...

. He settled in England after the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, link ...

and there made his translations of the ''Bhagavad Gita'' and ''Upanishads'', as well as returning to Cambridge University, where he was a supervisor of English and lectured on "Literary and Spiritual Values in the Authorized Version of the

Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts ...

." He was made ''doctor honoris causa'' by the

University of the Balearic Islands The University of the Balearic Islands ( ca, Universitat de les Illes Balears, UIB; es, Universidad de las Islas Baleares ) is a Balearic Spanish university, founded in 1978 and located in Palma on the island of Majorca. The university is funded ...

. He married Kathleen Ellis in 1951 and had a twin son and daughter. He died in 1987 at his home in

Comberton Comberton is a village and civil parish in South Cambridgeshire, England, just east of the Prime Meridian. History Archaeological finds, including a Neolithic polished stone axe (found to the south of the current village) and a Bronze Age bar ...

, Cambridge.Mascaró, Joan (1999). (retrieved 2018-01-22). Bayeux Arts. .

Bibliography

* ''

''/''Lámparas de fuego'' (1958) . * ''

The Bhagavad Gita The Bhagavad Gita (; sa, श्रीमद्भगवद्गीता, lit=The Song by God, translit=śrīmadbhagavadgītā;), often referred to as the Gita (), is a 700-Sanskrit prosody, verse Hindu texts, Hindu scripture that is part o ...

'' (1962) . * '' The Upanishads'' (1965) . * '' Dhammapada'' (1973) * '' The Creation of Faith'' (1993) . * '' Himalayas of the Soul'' (1938) . * '' A Star from the East, An Appreciation of Bhagavad Gita'' (1954). * '' El ser y el amor (Ensayos sobre el Apocalipsis)'' (1973). * '' Cartes d'un mestre a un amic'' (1993) .

References

External links

Webpage devoted to Juan Mascaró at LletrA (UOC), Catalan Literature Online
(Catalan) * Margalida Munar

* Climent Picornell. Joan Mascaró i Fornés i The Beatles (o George Harrison) http://jcmllonja.balearweb.net/post/112757 {{DEFAULTSORT:Mascaro, Juan 1897 births 1987 deaths People from Mallorca Translators from Catalonia Translators from Hindi Translators from Pali Translators from Sanskrit Translators to English Academic staff of the Autonomous University of Barcelona Alumni of the University of Cambridge 20th-century translators People from Comberton