The not so strange case of translated children's literature and national integration

Abstract

Literature can be considered cultural and historical artefacts of a society, reflecting the norms and ideology of the society that produced them. The focus of this paper is translated children's literature produced by one publisher that joined the flood of such books that appeared in the local market in the post-1969 period. These translations are closer to adaptations as only the plot stays intact; almost everything else had been manipulated to present an integrated, harmonious society where children of various races work together to st>lve mysteries. But not all is well in this idealistic representation. This paper will present an examination of these books, concentrating on what it purports to be and what it actually is.