“De Rode Draad”
The Red Thread: A Masterful Translation of Visual and Emotional Complexity
In her translation of Guida Joseph’s graphic memoir “The Red Thread,” Marjolijn de Jager demonstrates once again her remarkable ability to navigate complex emotional terrain while preserving the unique voice of the authors she translates.
This translation marks de Jager’s first venture into the graphic novel format, presenting distinctive challenges that she handles with characteristic sensitivity and precision.
Joseph’s memoir unfolds through a dual narrative structure that explores the twin strands of family trauma. The first half delves into her Jewish father’s concentration camp experiences, weaving together historical documentation with excerpts from his own memoir. De Jager’s translation here is particularly notable for how it preserves the stark, matter-of-fact tone that survivors often employ when recounting unimaginable horror. The language feels authentic and unembellished, allowing Joseph’s illustrations to carry the emotional weight that words alone might struggle to convey.
In the second half, focusing on Joseph’s alcoholic and increasingly senile mother, de Jager captures the complicated mixture of frustration, obligation, and unexpected tenderness that characterizes caregiving relationships. The translation excels in rendering the shifting emotional registers as Joseph moves between past and present, between being a daughter and becoming a caretaker. De Jager masterfully preserves the wry humor that Joseph employs as both shield and illumination, ensuring that English readers experience the same cathartic balance found in the original Dutch text.
What makes this translation particularly impressive is how de Jager honors the interplay between text and image that defines graphic storytelling. The verbal elements never overwhelm the visual components but instead complement them, maintaining the delicate balance Joseph created. Technical terms related to both the Holocaust and eldercare are handled with precision, while the more colloquial exchanges between family members retain their natural cadence and cultural specificity.
For readers unfamiliar with Dutch cultural references, de Jager makes subtle adjustments that illuminate the story without explanation, allowing Joseph’s deeply personal tale to resonate with a broader audience. The result is a seamless reading experience where the translation itself becomes invisible, allowing the raw power of Joseph’s illustrated memoir to shine through.
“The Red Thread” represents a significant addition to the growing body of graphic memoirs dealing with intergenerational trauma and end-of-life care. Her ability to adapt her considerable skills to the unique demands of the graphic novel format demonstrates why she remains such a vital bridge between Dutch-language literature and international audiences.
This translation confirms what readers of de Jager’s previous work already know: her meticulous attention to both linguistic detail and emotional nuance ensures that nothing essential is lost when moving between languages, even when the original combines words and images in such complex and revealing ways.
About the Author
Guida Joseph (b. 1949 in Amsterdam) works as an illustrator of children’s books, magazines and for television. She trained at the Rietveld Art Academy.
Guida Joseph won the first Holocaust Literature Prize for her book De rode Draad (The Red Thread), a graphic memoir published in 2020.
Review Source:
1: Dutch Foundation for Literature, “The Red Thread” by Guida Joseph, author profile and book information, published on letterenfonds.nl. Available at: https://www.letterenfonds.nl/en/books/the-connecting-thread
2: Amazon Books Review, “De rode draad” by Guida Joseph, translated from Dutch consumer review, Amazon.com product listing, ISBN: 9789038808628. Available at: https://www.amazon.com/rode-draad-Guida-Joseph/dp/9038808623/
