tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429560125838989988.post4354916845192244184..comments2024-03-26T23:41:10.319+00:00Comments on Authors Electric: What is the future for the book outside Europe? Post-referendum thoughts from Kathleen Jones Katherine Robertshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17196712319655603442noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429560125838989988.post-37370220690522352522017-07-05T08:49:18.765+01:002017-07-05T08:49:18.765+01:00I'm not sure why the referendum result would m...I'm not sure why the referendum result would make anyone less likely to read European books or indeed books set in Europe. I'm just about to start a binge of travel books about trips made across it e.g. Paul Therox's The Great Railway Bazaar and Patrick Leigh Fermor's travelogues. However I've found a more recent book very enlightening and topical, just rereleased and updated post-Brexit, which I definitely recommend (and not just because I'm one of the reviewers quoted inside it!) https://www.amazon.co.uk/Eurovision-History-Through-Greatest-Contest/dp/0993414990/Debbie Younghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03576840547621037195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429560125838989988.post-27529447686635047722016-07-06T11:56:45.524+01:002016-07-06T11:56:45.524+01:00BTW, Susan, I do not agree that someone is automat...BTW, Susan, I do not agree that someone is automatically entitled to their opinion. There are opinions and opinions: take racism, for example.Leehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13770069472552779217noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429560125838989988.post-78712595277920669572016-07-05T20:41:17.652+01:002016-07-05T20:41:17.652+01:00Ahhhh ... if you enjoy short stories, perhaps you ...Ahhhh ... if you enjoy short stories, perhaps you might enjoy our latest offering, Another Flash in the Pen? madwippitthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02595748471651052552noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429560125838989988.post-75620284084562373522016-07-05T18:16:41.457+01:002016-07-05T18:16:41.457+01:00Yes, I am indeed entitled to think that such an op...Yes, I am indeed entitled to think that such an opinion is a disheartening example of narrow-mindedness and arrogance -- and very possibly ignorance, for example of Spanish, Arabic, Greek, German, Chinese, Japanese literatures -- to name just a few.<br /><br />Gill's opinion is a perfect example of an Anglocentric worldview, which is not helped by the dominance of English as an lingua franca. Kathleen is absolutely right that the UK literary model is far from the only one, and some of our best writers in English have translated for themselves as an excellent means of enriching their own writing.<br /><br />For those interested in an addition to Kathleen's suggestions:<br /><br />http://www.dalkeyarchive.com/product-tag/best-european-fiction-series/<br />Though the series is inevitably uneven, and there are some notable omissions, the Dalkey Press's Best European Fiction series is a place to begin, particularly if you enjoy short stories. Which still leaves the rest of the world ...<br />Leehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13770069472552779217noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429560125838989988.post-22037951752173277842016-07-05T17:44:00.894+01:002016-07-05T17:44:00.894+01:00ladies, ladies! you sound like boris and govey! an...ladies, ladies! you sound like boris and govey! and while no one thinks shakespeare's a second rate hack, surely no one thinks modern english novelists reach the heights of our american cousins? churchill used to go further, and say the english language is the best in the world think about it. what an utterly absurd thing to say.Jan Needlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15823078224282953782noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429560125838989988.post-83941775604589572692016-07-05T17:26:54.568+01:002016-07-05T17:26:54.568+01:00Gill gives it as her personal opinions ['I thi...Gill gives it as her personal opinions ['I think..'] that English literature is the best in the world. She doesn't state it as a fact. She's entitled to that opinion as much as you're entitled to challenge it.Susan Pricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07738737493756183909noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429560125838989988.post-45697120560144176052016-07-05T17:22:58.888+01:002016-07-05T17:22:58.888+01:00Madwippitt, exactly how you conclude that from my ...Madwippitt, exactly how you conclude that from my statement is puzzling.<br /><br />Leehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13770069472552779217noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429560125838989988.post-37770593031261010572016-07-05T16:32:08.638+01:002016-07-05T16:32:08.638+01:00Goodness Lee, are you saying that Shakespeare is o...Goodness Lee, are you saying that Shakespeare is only a second rate hack?madwippitthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02595748471651052552noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429560125838989988.post-65107265935558255302016-07-05T13:42:27.809+01:002016-07-05T13:42:27.809+01:00'I do think English (UK Enlgish) literature is...'I do think English (UK Enlgish) literature is the best in the world BUT that doesn't preclude some other material being very good indeed and worth reading.'<br /><br />My, how narrow-minded and arrogant, Gill. Leehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13770069472552779217noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429560125838989988.post-14313636340104817942016-07-05T13:38:08.918+01:002016-07-05T13:38:08.918+01:00Yet, when I read that same literature in its origi...Yet, when I read that same literature in its original language it is beautiful, different and worth engaging with. I do this becaue I can and because I do this I feel myself to be more European than British. What has just happened is an enormous blow for me <br />There is something rather distasteful, I think, about having a close relationship with a continent a long way away and ignoring a rich and diverse culture on our doorstep. Ironically, we've look like losing an important trade agreement with the US because of Brexit.It's important for us and for the rest of Europe. (We haven't left yet).It's probably important fo the whole world. <br />There was an EU directive back in 1988 that all EU individuals should speak three community languages up to an operational level. Oh that we hadn't ignored that because this post then would not have been possible.<br />I do think English (UK Enlgish) literature is the best in the world BUT that doesn't preclude some other material being very good indeed and worth reading.<br />Sharing a common language with the States? Think again. It isn't as close as you might think and I feel far more comfortable speaking French in France than I do UK English in the US. <br /> Gill Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13907328485580011762noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429560125838989988.post-80668108355039504152016-07-05T13:27:46.268+01:002016-07-05T13:27:46.268+01:00Bill, I admire your fluency in French - my A level...Bill, I admire your fluency in French - my A level variety can't compete! I can usually understand the sense, but the nuances remain invisible. Like Jo and Elizabeth I struggle. And even if I learned to be fluent in Italian and French, what about other languages with wonderful literature - Scandinavia, Spain, Germany, Russia . . . Wendy - I do so agree with you on translations. So much depends on the translator. Peirene Press have some wonderful ones and it does make a difference. <br />Kathleen Joneshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07645566938871914385noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429560125838989988.post-19917280945582540162016-07-05T13:19:37.563+01:002016-07-05T13:19:37.563+01:00Thanks for this, Kathleen - in a challenging time ...Thanks for this, Kathleen - in a challenging time we need something to work on. Perhaps it is time for all of us to engage in some adult education. I'd love to develop fluency of nunaced reading in another language. My French is woeful, and other languages restricted to restaurantese. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429560125838989988.post-83251971493661647352016-07-05T13:01:32.467+01:002016-07-05T13:01:32.467+01:00I feel very lucky that, probably because I was a g...I feel very lucky that, probably because I was a good mimic and could therefore manage a fair accent in French, I got nudged into languages and spent my entire working life reading, lecturing on and discussing French literature. Its phases and movements are so clear, so distinct, its rhythms so subtle, its versification so strict and the inflexible diktats of the Académie such clear invitations to rebellion. And, while I admire the work of the great translators, their job is almost impossible. It's cultural suicide to separate ourselves from the riches of Europe.Bill Kirtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16345949773423764808noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429560125838989988.post-77132169137254846602016-07-05T09:47:17.486+01:002016-07-05T09:47:17.486+01:00I try to read something by a local author wherever...I try to read something by a local author wherever I go, and my local independent bookshops is great at finding them for me - but always in translation. My languages simply aren't good enough to read in French or Spanish. JOhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03127111575563904349noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429560125838989988.post-88059143802692075702016-07-05T06:31:40.234+01:002016-07-05T06:31:40.234+01:00Interesting perspective and extremely true. If it ...Interesting perspective and extremely true. If it is possible to be extremely true that is. I have read several books in translation but these tend to be crime books. I agree they can seem somewhat stilted compared to UK books, but I think things are improving. As to reading in another language, Imwouldnt even know where to begin. Great post. Thanks Wendy H. Joneshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04022089775887274043noreply@blogger.com