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Little Pixie

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    Little Pixie`s Bookshelf 2014

    in Past Book Logs

    Posted

    This article was in the Sunday Times ; I don`t think I`ve heard of most of those authors ; it`s given me lots of goodies to look up now. :smile: 

     

    Do you have that in English?  We’re missing out on too many great books


    Christina Cacouris Published: 22 June 2014


    Found in translation: Dragt’s classic Found in translation: Dragt’s classic

    It was voted best Dutch children’sbook of the past 50 years, and translated into 15 languages, with more than 1m copies sold. It has even been made into a film. Now, more than a century after its release, Tonke Dragt’s The Letter for the King (De brief voor de Koning) has finally been translated into English.

    Britain and America translate the smallest number of foreign novels in the literary world. Only 1% of children’s books sold in the UK were originally written in another language — and most are graphic novels and comics such as Tintin and Asterix. For books aimed at adult readers, the figures come in at about 5%, compared with 14% in France, 24% in Spain and 25% in Italy.

    A big chunk of the translations bought here is made up of Stieg Larsson’s Millennium trilogy, which has shifted more than 6m paperbacks and 259,000 hardbacks since the first volume appeared in 2008 in the UK. Even a relative hit such as Alaa al-Aswany’s The Yacoubian Building sold only 51,000 copies in paperback and 5,236 in hardback; for the cult French writer Michel Houellebecq’s Atomised, the figures are 168,806 and 2,674. Is this a sign of how isolationist the English-speaking world has become?

    Adam Freudenheim, who heads Pushkin Press, a specialist publisher of translations, dismisses this idea at first. “We are the exception — every European country translates more than we do — but I think there are some more obvious reasons for that, which are not as negative. With our literary culture, you’ve got people writing in English from so many countries all over the world. You’ve got all these perspectives already in English, so there is something to that.” Yet he concedes that “at the same time, we are missing out. The Letter for the King is a perfect example of that. As a culture, we aren’t really outward-looking enough.”

    Standards have to be high for translated work, especially coming into a country that prides itself on a history of great writing. James Daunt, managing director of Waterstones and the founder of Daunt Books, says: “Because of the tradition of fiction-writing in this country, if we’re going to go to the bother of a translation, we want to be pretty sure the original is exceptional. In an odd way, translated work does outpunch ours.”

    At 500-plus pages, The Letter for the King couldn’t be further from the Dr Seusses and Roald Dahls lining the shelves. It’s easy to see why it has done so well: it’s a story that is meant to be enjoyed by children and adults alike, the tale of a 16-year-old boy named Tiuri, who, on the cusp of being knighted, must break the rules, abandon his home and embark on a dangerous journey to give the neighbouring kingdom’s ruler a letter of the utmost importance. The writing doesn’t feel overly juvenile or excessively difficult, and it’s a true page-turner.

    Freudenheim says he received sections of the English translation as they were being done and read them to his children. They found the story so exciting that his eight-year-old son snuck into his office to steal the last few chapters, unable to wait any longer to hear how it ended.

    “It was a wonderful moment for me as a father, and a testament to how gripping the story is,” he says. “Readers don’t care whether or not a book is translated. We’re not publishing The Letter for the King as a great children’s book ‘in translation’, but simply as a great story.”

    Most books for children that are translated into English are graphic novels such as Asterix and Tintin (Benoit Tessier )Most books for children that are translated into English are graphic novels such as Asterix and Tintin (Benoit Tessier )

    Pushkin Press never prints the word “translation” on its covers. “We feel strongly that this is the author’s work. It’s not about tricking the potential reader — they’re smarter than that. But many people could translate a book, whereas only one could have written it. The translator is part of the equation.”

    Which is not to say the translator isn’t important; in fact, a successful one can expose publishers to new titles, as is the case with Laura Watkinson, who brought The Letter for the King to Pushkin. Daunt also cites Anthea Bell (of Asterix fame): “In one shop, we had a gentleman who would come in asking for ‘the new Anthea Bell, please’.” Because of that, Daunt agrees that translators’ names should remain off the front cover: “It is the author’s work, and we don’t want to confuse.”

    Translations for a grown-up audience are more plentiful, yet even here there are shameful gaps. Since the inauguration of France’s Prix de Flore 20 years ago, only seven winners of the prestigious prize have received English translations. And in Italy, winners of the Zerilli-Marimo prize, which targets fiction likely to be well received in America, have remained untranslated.

    A film adaptation helps, as was the case with the 2009 bestseller La Délicatesse (Delicacy), by David Foenkinos; the movie was nominated for multiple Césars, and only then did the book make it into English. Foenkinos has written many other hits — but no film adaptations, so no English translation.

    Even a prominent writer such as Spain’s Jose Maria Merino has only a few works available in English. And in the Netherlands, De Avonden (The Evenings), written by Gerard Reve in the 1940s and hailed as one of the greatest Dutch books of all time, has not been picked up for translation by an English-language publisher.

    Pushkin Press will go on bucking the trend.“Ninety per cent of what we publish is in translation,” Freudenheim says. “This is our focus. We use languages as bridges. My associate, Stéphanie, who is French, has discovered an incredible number of Japanese books through reading the French translations. I feel a bit of missionary zeal.”

    Little Pixie`s Bookshelf 2014

    in Past Book Logs

    Posted

    Woohoo for free books :). I've read one book by Joanna Trollope,The Book Boy, I quite enjoyed that so I hope you like these two (and of course the other books) :).

     

    I haven`t read any of those authors ( though I have another book by Val McDermid, and I think one by Robert Goddard .. ) Looking forward to expanding my reading horizons. :smile:

    Athena's Reading List 2014

    in Past Book Logs

    Posted

    Thanks :D!

     

    I hadn't heard of commiserations, that'll be my new word for today. There are several medications you can take which will calm down your brain. What they believe is going on, how my doctor explained it, is that when transferring a signal from one neuron to the next, vestibules go to the end of the neuron and release dopamine in the gap (this happens with everyone). It then transfers to the next neuron. But in ADD the 'vacuum cleaners' that clean up the dopamine in the gap, are too strong, so the signal might not get through to the next neuron. One of the medications available makes these 'vacuum cleaners' (the doctor's words) less strong so more signals get through. I've read that for a lot of people with ADD or ADHD they can help a lot. It might take a while to fine tune. How high the dosage is needed per person and how often they need to take it is different for everyone so it might be some time to get the best effect. These medications work for several hours, but how long depends on the person. Once it stops working you need to take the next one (this is what I've read in a book). So if the medication works 6 hours on you, you need to calculate how to spread it on the day to have the best effect. Well, this is just what I've read, I will need to talk with the nurse when I have the appointment. I'm kind of happy that they should be able to help me better.

     

    Fingers crossed that they hit on the right dose early on ! :D

     

    I wonder how many books you`ll be able to read with the new meds. :o  Drug-assisted reading. ;)

    Little Pixie`s Bookshelf 2014

    in Past Book Logs

    Posted

    I got some used books from a neighbour, which was a nice surprise. :smile:  

     

    Trick of the Dark - Val McDermid

    Into the Blue - Robert Goddard

    The Flight - MR Hall

    The Lady Elizabeth - Alison Weir

    Daughters in Law - Joanna Trollope

    Second Honeymoon - Joannna Trollope

    What magazines do you read?

    in General Chat

    Posted · Edited by Little Pixie

    I get Oprah magazine ( lots of good articles on improving your psyche, and the book section`s always good ) , American Vogue ( nice essays ) and Australian Women`s weekly ( it`s a monthly - good columnists, good recipes, good books` section ) . :smile:

     

    I used to get Empire, and some of the Sci-Fi magazines, like SFX.

    Little Pixie`s Bookshelf 2014

    in Past Book Logs

    Posted

    Been a bit busy lately ; I`ve had dizziness on and off for ages, thought I`d mention it again when I was getting a migraine prescription at my Doctor`s - she referred me to the Ear/Nose/throat consultant - he found I have some hearing loss and sent me off for an audiological MRI - had that on Monday - today, just had a physio appt. and have some exercises to do to help with balance. The physiotherapist says you can get something called vestibular migraines ( where your balance goes ), which I`d never heard of. :blink:   Tbh, I wasn`t aware till quite recently that I was getting migraines, `cos I just get pain around my right eye ; apparently, there are all different types.

     

      Meh, could be worse. ;)

     

    Anyhoo, the MRI was entertaining ; the hospital was pretty much deserted `cos it was after hours, so a bit creepy to go along all those long corridors. The ground floor has big picture windows which look out onto atria ( nothing exciting, just gravel and prickly bushes ), but the atrium near the Scanning Dept has a family of ducks living in it ( one Mummy Duck and three almost-grown ducklings, which all quacked at people and looked cute ) - someone`s put a paddling pool in there for them, aww. :doowapstart:

    Julie 2014

    in Past Book Logs

    Posted · Edited by Little Pixie

    Really, really happy for you, Julie. :D  Sending you lots of good wishes for July. :flowers2:

     

    Can your Grandson come over and cook for you ? :smile:

    Little Pixie`s Bookshelf 2014

    in Past Book Logs

    Posted

    Well , whatever secret you have come up with, it's sure working !  You are doing great . Is this the most books you think you've ever read in a year ?

     

    A couple of years ago, I finished the year at 132 or so ( my book`s upstairs with my book lists, but that sounds about right ). 150+ looks doable for this year. :o

    pontalba's 2014 Reading List

    in Past Book Logs

    Posted

    Dixie City Jam by James Lee Burke 5/5

     

    Vintage Burke. If noir married beautiful prose, and was couched in some of the most beautiful countryside in the world, you'd have James Lee Burke's Dave Robicheaux detective series.

     

    This 7th in the series finds Dave Robicheaux battling both the bad guys and the corrupt police. Everyone seems to be after a sunken Nazi submarine off the Louisiana coast. What does it carry, and why do so many polar opposite types want it? And, why are they all converging on Dave?

     

    Robicheaux has to defend his life and his wife's life and sanity in this complicated tale.

     

    Recommended

     

    I`ve never read any of his books ; I`ve ` Kindle sampled ` The Neon Rain. :smile:

    pontalba's 2014 Reading List

    in Past Book Logs

    Posted

     

    I'm not sure I can explain what attracts me so much about Southern Authors , unless it's the way they go about telling a story. It's almost like listening to your Grandma tell you a story , sitting on her back porch with the crickets in the background and lightning bugs blinking in the dark.

     

    Lovely ! :D  My Grandma had stories about escaping from the Ukraine, not a fun thing. ;)

    Athena's Reading List 2014

    in Past Book Logs

    Posted

    I counted up a few months ago, and I believe my ratio was about 2/3rds male, and 1/3rd female authors.  I think the male count goes up more than that in other years though.

     

    Gaia, I really like the sound of Quirkology.  Great reviews, all! :)

     

    Mine`s about 20% male this year, though I think that`s `cos I do like a cosy mystery and most of those seem to be written by the ladies.. :smile:

    Julie 2014

    in Past Book Logs

    Posted

    I had to look up where Lake Erie was ( or is ;)  ) - I vaguely thought it was near Chicago, and I was vaguely right. :blush2:

     

    What a great hobby/career path your Grandson has. I hope he has the book gene too.  :smile:  

     

    Thinking of you, Julie, as everyone else is. :empathy:

    Little Pixie`s Bookshelf 2014

    in Past Book Logs

    Posted

    Hi Julie ! :D

     

    I`ve had a really good year for books ; it also helps that I`ve been going to bed earlier, and thus reading more ( plus, I`ve read a lot of myestery books, and you end up thinking that you might as well finish them off once you get to 60-100 pages from the end... ). Oh, and now that I`m keeping a record of my `books bought`, I do feel obliged to actually read them. :blush2:

    Steve's Bookshelf 2014

    in Past Book Logs

    Posted

    So I just turned on the wi-fi on my Kindle and the damn thing downloaded a bunch of books I'd forgotten I'd bought :doh:

     

    The Price of the Stars - Debra Doyle & James MacDonald

    The Time Traveller's Almanac - various

    The Door Into Summer - Robert A Heinlein

    Roma - Steven Saylor

    Prince of Darkness - Sharon Penman

    The October Horse - Colleen McCullough

    Antony and Cleopatra - Colleen McCullough

    The Song of Troy - Colleen McCullough

    All the Windwracked Stars - Elizabeth Bear

     

     

    Bloody Kindle . . . :giggle2: 

     

     

    Ooh, lovely booksies ... :D

    Little Pixie`s Bookshelf 2014

    in Past Book Logs

    Posted · Edited by Little Pixie

    Wow! You'll certainly get to a hundred by the end of the month at that rate...so that will be at the half year! Impressive! :D

     

    Thanks - it`s my most readingest year ever ! :D  I`ve been very fortunate to come across some new authors ( like Patricia Moyes, Diana Gabaldon and Louise Penny ), so that`s helped.  

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