Maraia

Writing introductions sucks so I'm going to get straight to the point. I'm going to be talking about translated novels. And some of the things I've been thinking relating to those that was sparked by reading Murakami's works - originally written in Japanese, read by me in two other languages. (Languages are such fascinating things aren't they?! Off topic, but something I had to put in here.)

The story goes like this: I only read in English, my mother only reads in our native language. I take care of reserving books for both of us in the library. Often, I reserve the same books for each of us, with the only difference being the language it is translated into. That's what happened with some of Murakami's books. My mother's books arrived a long while before mine did. She got to reading. I, for lack of other things to do (or I just had too many productive things I should do, so I decided to do none of them) skimmed through some of them myself.

My first thought was 'Is this really the author who has been so praised on his prose?' I was quite bewildered. In my native language, the book sounded pretentious and the prose felt flat.

I was rather sceptical when I picked up the very same book translated into English but I had to make sure. I started reading. I fell in love with the prose.

Right. Okay.

Do you ever wonder if there is anything significant lost in the process of translation? Because I do that a lot. After all, each language has qualities unique to itself. A joke in one language may no longer be funny in another. A pun will no longer be a pun. Prose that might have been beautiful in one language may lose its quality in another.

That makes me kind of reluctant to pick up books that were written by foreign authors. Even though I know it's only the little things that could be lost, and with a good translator even those could be preserved in one way or another. But it is still a barrier for me to overcome.

And of course, since I'm the dramatic type of a human being, the way I would prefer to overcome it is to be able to read the book is in its original language. Which could be considered rather difficult even for such a bright mind such as myself. (And such a funny one as well.)

Or maybe I'm just generally overthinking things and I have nothing to worry about when it comes to translated books.

Anyway, did you ever wondered about prose in translated novels? Does it ever bother you or do you trust the translators to do the author's words absolute justice? Did you ever read a book in two separate languages and see a difference in how you perceive it? Anything else related to translated novels you ever thought about?

botanicality:

'Design is not just about what you see.' Andrew Spooner

The digital category consists of four entries, listed in alphabetical order.  click on the thumbnail to view the complete work and to vote for your favorite(s):

1. Mean Agava Starts Its Lecture by okatarzyna

2. Rose by fariname

3. Untitled (Fruit Plate) by fariname

4. Winterspring by kihaku-gato

 

Please remember, the judging of each category will be based upon likes and reblogs.  Each active tumblr user may vote for their favorite art pieces by clicking like or reblog on the original art post at http://botanicality.tumblr.com using the photolinks above.  Voting ends at midnight CST on May 15.  While tumblr users may like or reblog multiple entries, duplicate votes for the same artwork will be eliminated.  The entries receiving the most combined likes and reblogs will win first prize in their category and compete for Best of Show.

Here is the first of five: digital.  Get your vote on: likes and reblogs help your favorite piece take the category!

BOOK REPORT for FreakBoy by Kristin Elizabeth Clark

Cover Story: Unisex Bathroom
Drinking Buddy: All Three of You
Testosterone Level: Kind of a Tasteless Category, Don't Ya Think?
Talky Talk: Stream of Consciousness
Bonus Factors: lgbT, Mentor
Bromance Status: We're Still Bros, Even if You are a Girl

Cover Story: Unisex Bathroom

While I'm sure the artist was going for some sort of male/female motif, all I can see is the international sign for a unisex bathroom stall.

The Deal:

Brendan is dealing with a lot in his life. He's a good wrestler, but doesn't enjoy it. He has a great girlfriend, Vanessa, but sometimes has difficulty opening up to her. He has a stepfather whom he detests, and a little half-sister whom he adores.

And one more thing: a growing, incessant feeling that he was meant to be a girl. Though he desperately tries to crush these thoughts, he is becoming more and more convinced that he is female. How on earth is he supposed to deal with this? Who can he talk to?

Vanessa, meanwhile, worries that her wonderful boyfriend is becoming bored with her. After all, she's the only female on the wresting team. Ironically, Vanessa fears that Brendan thinks she's not feminine enough.

And then there's Angel, a local couselor at the LGBT youth center. Angel understands how hard it is for questioning young men. After all, she used to be one. Of course, she has her own issues. At what point on a date to you mention that you fought hard to make your outside match your insides?

Drinking Buddy: All Three of You

I kept having to remind myself that Brendan, Vanessa and Angel are fictional characters and I don't need to worry about them. Lord, I just wanted to sit down with them (over a beer) and tell them everything was going to be okay. And more to the point, get them to open up. All three of them are carrying demons inside that a simple conversation could exorsise.

Vanessa needs to hear that Brendan loves her, and that his personal problems aren't due to a lack of interest. Vanessa drives herself nuts trying to figure out what went wrong with their perfect relationship.

Angel is feeling horrible guilt over the fact that she's counseling Brendan outside of the office. True, all they're doing is playing video games, but that's still a no-no. But she continues to put her career on the line, rather than ask Brendan to come see her at the center and risk scaring him off.

And Brendan. He knows that if his secret ever gets out, his life will never be the same. But by living a lie, you're hurting a lot of people...and Brendan is at the top of that list.

Testosterone Level: Kind of a Tasteless Category, Don't You Think?

I mean, testosterone is the very thing making Brendan unhappy.

Other than some wrestling scenes, this isn't a high-action book. Brendan is a very angry, confused young man. His stepfather is a jackass who recently paid for Brendan's mother to get breast implants (but does he make the same offer to Brendan? Noooo). His coach is a dick who constantly calls him a girl and refers to him as 'Brenda' (sigh). And when Angel gently suggests he come to the LGBT center, he reacts in a typical angry, confused way.

The action in this book isn't physcial, it's mental. And it left me exhausted.

Talky Talk: Stream of Consciousness

This is not a typical novel. Each chapter is narrated by Brendan, Vanessa, or Angel, just talking about what's on thier mind. While this may be offputting to some readers, it make for an easy to read book. Though it's over 400 pages, I finished this novel in one day. The author also avoided easy solutions to everyone's problems. This situation is going to be hard for everyone, but it's by no means hopeless.

Bonus Factor: lgbT

While LGBT rights have been increasing by leaps and bounds recently, that last letter is often lagging behind. There are hundreds of books for gay youth, but maybe half a dozen about transgender teens. I'm glad to see that Clark is making an effort to fill that void. Brendan is a very likable character, and readers unfamiliar with transgenderism can still sympathize with his struggles. How do you tell someone who loves you that things are not going to work out? How do you tell the world that you're not the person they expect you to be? How do you react when people you thought were your friends refuse to stand by you during the rough times?

I especially liked that the author made Brendan's attraction to Vanessa genuine. Gender identity and sexual identity are two different things, something not everyone understands.

Bonus Factor: Mentor

When researching Almost Perfect, I interviewed a lot of transpeople. The most common theme I heard, especially among those who came of age before the internet era, was that no one understood their issues. And it's not that people didn't try to understand or want to help, but many people have simply never met someone who's external gender conflicted with their insides. That's why Angel is so great.

She doesn't force Brendan to talk about things he still can't admit to himself. When Brendan screws up, she doesn't demand payback. And when he finally does open up, Angel doesn't insist that he buy a dress and change his name, nor does she try to get him to suppress his feelings. Angel helps Brendan understand that he is who he is. Maybe he's a boy, maybe he's a girl. Maybe he's a boy who likes to look pretty. Maybe he's a woman with male genitalia. That's up for Brendan to discover, and there's no hurry. But now he has a friend he can talk to. And to LGBT youth, that can make all the difference in the world.

Angel herself is one of my favorite YA characters of all time. She's sassy and in your face, but not a mincing drag queen. She's dealt with an abusive stepfather and a brother who has disowned her. She's been homeless and has been forced to sell her body. She's been assaulted and feared for her life. But she's overcome all that to become a role model for kids who need her.

Halfway through the book, she celebrates her twentieth birthday.

You go, girl.

Bromance Status: We're Still Bros, Even if You are a Girl

I think this book and I are destined to be friends for a long time. And I don't care if you're my bro or my sister, friendship is friendship.

Disclosure: Farrar, Straus and Grioux sent me a copy of this book for free, but totally ignored my hints for a kickback. Freakboy comes out in October.