A critical look at the English and French translations of the 1973 Iranian novel My Uncle Napoleon that aims to determine if the comedy of the novel is dependent on its cultural context. The analysis was conducted using Hewson's method of translation criticism, examining 4 passages in detail from the micro- to the macro-structural level, tentatively classifying the translations into one of four categories that determine how “close” they have remained to the original. Additionally, an analysis was conducted on the register of one character, and the anaphoric references of another character, as these elements are very relevant to the “voice” of the novel. Though different, both translations were categorized as “divergent similarity”, the categorization closest to a “perfect” translation as possible (since a perfect translation is impossible). It was also determined that the comedy is not entirely dependent on the cultural context, but rather is sub-textually strengthened by it.