The curious architect

Review of Saber habitar. Oikonomikos, by Xenophon. Translation and notes by Josep Quetglas

Abstract

In The Curious Architect, Alberto Marina Castillo reviews Josep Quetglas’s edition and translation of Xenophon’s Oikonomikós (Saber habitar, Ediciones Asimétricas, 2023). The review portrays the translation as a meticulous act of reading, akin to an intimate café conversation—though not just any café, but one of old-world charm—where reader, author, and translator engage in a vivid exchange. Quetglas approaches the text with humility and precision, acknowledging the cultural and linguistic distance that separates us from Ancient Greek, while nonetheless affirming the possibility of transplanting its thought into contemporary language. Rather than offering a word-for-word rendering, his work becomes a kind of conceptual gardening, where the success of the transplant depends as much on the translator’s craft as on the reader’s soil.

Quetglas draws inspiration from translation models like that of Cesare Pavese, who preserved the visible seams of his effort to comprehend. The edition is further enriched by Quetglas’s personal touches, such as the cover photograph, and becomes an act of intellectual friendship with the reader. Marina Castillo particularly values the section on “commanding and obeying”, where a discreet yet pointed critique of Michel Foucault is developed. The reading connects seamlessly with the work of contemporary female authors such as Carmen Estrada and Adriana Cavarero. The latter, in particular, offers a feminist reinterpretation of classical texts, uncovering the concealed condition of the feminine within patriarchal structures. In this way, Saber habitar emerges not merely as a translation, but as a living space for reflection and dialogue across time, gender, and disciplines.