Archibald Colquhoun (1912–1964) was a leading translator of modern

Italian literature Italian literature is written in the Italian language, particularly within Italy. It may also refer to literature written by Italians or in other languages spoken in Italy, often languages that are closely related to modern Italian, including ...

into English. He studied at

Ampleforth College Ampleforth College is a co-educational Private schools in the United Kingdom, fee-charging boarding and day school in the English Public school (United Kingdom), public school tradition. It opened in 1803 as a boys' school. It is near the villa ...

Oxford University The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the second-oldest continuously operating u ...

, and the

Royal College of Art The Royal College of Art (RCA) is a public university, public research university in London, United Kingdom, with campuses in South Kensington, Battersea and White City, London, White City. It is the only entirely postgraduate art and design uni ...

. Originally a painter, he worked as director of the British Institute in

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

before the Second World War, and in

Seville Seville ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Spain, Spanish autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the Guadalquivir, River Guadalquivir, ...

after the war. He worked in British intelligence during wartime. He later headed

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the publishing house of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world. Its first book was printed in Oxford in 1478, with the Press officially granted the legal right to print books ...

' initiative to bring out Italian literary classics in translation. He scored his biggest success with Lampedusa's ''

The Leopard ''The Leopard'' ( ) is a novel by Italian writer Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa, which chronicles the changes in Sicilian life and society during the ''Risorgimento''. Published posthumously in 1958 by Feltrinelli, after two rejections by the ...

'', a translation that is still in print. He was also one of the first translators to introduce

Italo Calvino Italo Calvino (, ; ;. RAI (circa 1970), retrieved 25 October 2012. 15 October 1923 – 19 September 1985) was an Italian novelist and short story writer. His best-known works include the ''Our Ancestors'' trilogy (1952–1959), the '' Cosm ...

to Anglophone readers. He was the first winner of the PEN Translation Prize, which he won for his translation of Federico de Roberto's '' The Viceroys''. He also wrote a biography of

Alessandro Manzoni Alessandro Francesco Tommaso Antonio Manzoni (, , ; 7 March 1785 – 22 May 1873) was an Italian poet, novelist and philosopher. He is famous for the novel ''The Betrothed (Manzoni novel), The Betrothed'' (orig. ) (1827), generally ranked among ...

. According to Robin Healey's ''Twentieth-century Italian Literature in English Translation'', Colquhoun was one of the top 10 translators of Italian literature of the last 70 years, alongside

Patrick Creagh John Patrick Brasier-Creagh, best known as Patrick Creagh (23 October 1930 - 19 September 2012), was a British poet and translator.Angus Davidson,

Frances Frenaye Frances Frenaye (1908 – April 1996) was an American translator of French and Italian literature.Eric Pace ''The New York Times'', April 15, 1998. She translated work by writers including Giovanni Guareschi, Balzac, Carlo Levi, Ignazio Silone, ...

Stuart Hood Stuart Clink Hood (17 December 1915 – 31 January 2011) was a Scottish novelist, translator and a former British television producer and Controller of BBC Television. Life Hood was born in Edzell, Angus, Scotland. His father was an infant s ...

, Eric Mosbacher,

Isabel Quigly Elizabeth (Isabel) Madeleine Quigly (17 September 1926 – 14 September 2018) was a British writer, translator and film critic. Early life and education Quigly was born in Ontaneda, Spain, younger daughter of Richard Quigly, a railway engineer ...

Raymond Rosenthal Raymond B. Rosenthal (December 19, 1914 – July 24, 1995) was an American translator, best known for translating the Italian works of Primo Levi into the English language. He died of lung cancer. He also translated works by Pietro Aretino, Aldo ...

, Bernard Wall and

William Weaver William Fense Weaver (24 July 1923 – 12 November 2013) was an English language translator of modern Italian literature. Weaver was best known for his translations of the work of Umberto Eco, Primo Levi, and Italo Calvino,Bruce Webe"Willi ...

.Twentieth-century Italian Literature in English Translation, 1998
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Selected translations

- ''The Betrothed'' * Donato Martucci - ''The Strange September of 1950'' * Federico de Roberto - ''The Viceroys'' (PEN Translation Award 1963) * Francesco Jovine - ''The Estate in Abruzzi'' *

Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa Giuseppe Tomasi, 11th Prince of Lampedusa, 12th Duke of Palma, GE (23 December 1896 – 23 July 1957), known as Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa (), was a Sicilian writer, nobleman, and Prince of Lampedusa. He is most famous for his only novel, '' ...

- ''The Leopard'' *

- ''Places of My Infancy'' *

- ''The Siren and Selected Writings'' *

- ''Two Stories and a Memory'' *

- ''The Path to the Spiders' Nests'' * Italo Calvino - ''Adam, One Afternoon and Other Stories'' * Italo Calvino - ''The Baron in the Trees'' * Italo Calvino - ''The Nonexistent Knight & The Cloven Viscount'' * Italo Calvino - ''Our Ancestors'' * Italo Calvino - ''The Watcher and Other Stories'' *

Italo Svevo Aron Hector Schmitz (19 December 186113 September 1928), better known by the pseudonym Italo Svevo (), was an Italian and Austro-Hungarian writer, businessman, novelist, playwright, and short story writer. A close friend of Irish novelist and ...

- ''A Life'' *

Leonardo Sciascia Leonardo Sciascia (; 8 January 1921 – 20 November 1989) was an Italian writer, novelist, essayist, playwright, and politician. Some of his works have been made into films, including '' Porte Aperte'' (1990; ''Open Doors''), '' Cadaveri Eccellen ...

- ''The Day of the Owl'' (also as ''Mafia Vendetta'') * Mario Rigoni Stern - ''The Sergeant in the Snow'' * Mario Pomilio - ''The New Line'' *

Mario Soldati Mario Soldati (17 November 1906 – 19 June 1999) was an Italian writer and film director. In 1954, he won the Strega Prize for ''Lettere da Capri.'' He directed several works adapted from novels, and worked with leading Italian actresses, s ...

- ''The Capri Letters'' *

Mario Tobino Mario Tobino (16 January 1910, Viareggio, Province of Lucca, Tuscany – 11 December 1991, Agrigento) was an Italian poet, writer and psychiatrist. A prolific writer, he began as a poet but later wrote mostly novels. His works are characterize ...

- ''The Mad Women of Magliano'' * Renzo Rosso - ''The Bait and Other Stories'' * Teodoro Giuttari - ''White Nights in Gaol'' *

Ugo Pirro Ugo Pirro (April 20, 1920 – January 18, 2008) was an Italian screenwriter and novelist. Biography Born Ugo Mattone in Battipaglia, near Salerno, he debuted as screenwriter for director Carlo Lizzani ('' Attention! Bandits!'', 1951, and '' ...

- ''The Camp-Followers'' * ''The Lost Legions: Three Italian War Novels''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Colquhoun, Archibald 1912 births 1964 deaths 20th-century British translators Italian–English translators Alumni of the Royal College of Art People educated at Ampleforth College