Translating History or Romance? Historical Romantic Fiction and Its Translation in a Globalised Market

Popular romance literature has long been neglected and underestimated in the global literary context and little research on the translation of this genre has been carried out so far. The discrepancy between its importance in the publishing industry and the scarce critical attention means that little is known about the textual practices and processes that accompany the production and circulation of popular romances, including their translation. The article deals with this issue, focusing on the translation of historical romances, one of its most popular subgenres. In particular, through the analysis of the novel Outlander by American author Diana Gabaldon, it is suggested that the double filiation of historical romances, i.e. their connection to both popular and canonical traditions, may have consequences at the textual level. When these books are translated, their ambiguous generic labelling tends to be resolved, favouring either the romantic or the historical component, thus resulting in a stronger generic identity.