Warm Bodies

I have just heard that Isaac Marion's book Warm Bodies is being turned into a film. Even with my usual book-film sceptism, I am excited. I really enjoyed the book and thought it was pretty original. It's usually categorised as a zombie romance, which admittedly sounds horrendous. But it's not. It is set in a post-apocalyptic world where most of the population has transformed into zombies, and the last surviving humans run and hide from these monsters. Although I am a fan of pst-apocalyptic stories, the interesting thing about this one is the main charcter, known only as R. Throughout the book, he slowly retains his consciousness and with it, his humanity. Its a classic case of a monster in search of redemption, and he certainly makes you care about him. It is so much more than a horror story with more gore than substance, which is what you may expect from the premise. Warm Bodies makes you think about life, and meaning and what matters most. Zombies are apparently the new vampires, and if this is the kind of offering we can expect, all the better.

Have you read any good supernatural stories lately?

World Literature Weekend 11

So I went down to London this weekend for the Literature Weekend and had a really good time. The first night we went to see Kitty Garden play an acoustic set in a variety of languages. There was a great atmosphere- the venue was this little dark room off an alley that seemed very fitting. The next night Monooka's Caravan played a more lively set. Led by a Romanian gypsy (who looked every inch the part), the band consisted of double bass, guitar and electric violin (who was incredible!) They did a mix of emotive ballads and some more energetic songs. There were also puppets. If you think I'm joking, I have proof.
It was really interesting to hear music in different languages, something I haven't really experienced before, and definitely worth it.








Sunday morning we headed to the London Review bookshop- floor to ceiling books in beautiful covers, armchairs and cake- what more could you possibly want? I was very excited to be there.




We went to the Literary Kaffeeklatsch event, where two publishers held a discussion about their latest publications translated from foreign languages. The two short books were Beside The Sea and Down The Rabbit Hole. We were treated to brief excerts from each and they sounded intriguing. They both looked at parent-child relationships gone wrong due to a distorted perception of reality, and focused on the importance of strength of voice in a short book.

Afterwards there was a Live Translation event, held in the British Museum, where two English translators compared their interpretations of a German novelist's work. Not even one line of the text was identical in the two translations, demonstrating what a difficult and variable task translating must be. The panel also discussed how faithful a translator should be to the original, how they made decisions concerning certain words or structures and the importance of accuracy balanced with a feel for the flow of the book. Google's Babelfish translation showed how bad translation can be by lacking the common sense that a human translator uses automatically.

They talked about their experiences collaborating for a translation, and how this can be challenging. A close relationship with the author was considered an advantage to producing a good translation. The author, Daniel Kehlmann, who was also present, reported that he reads the first draft of his translators text and questions her over the parts where he feels she has not completely caught the meaning of what he wanted to say. Sometimes changes will be make, but ultimately the decision is in the hands of the translator. Kehlmann also mentioned the difficulty with translating humour into different languages, as well as the differences in using direct speech.

The event was very educational on the topic of translation, as well as being highly entertaining. I bought my first translation of a book by Cees Nooteboom, and am looking forward to reading it. The knowledge that it is not in its original language will make me wonder how different the text is, and what changes in nuance have been made. It is clear that translation is a personal exercise, yet how far does the responsibility for the book lie with the translator? In some way they have re-created the book, so what degree of ownership should be allocated to them?

The Spy Who Came In From The Cold

Just finished this book and really enjoyed it. I don't read that many spy novels, and the traditionally complicated plot may be one reason for that. The multiple twists and turns meant that it was difficult to keep track of who was on which side. However, this didn't diminish from the book, it just means I will be able to read it again (several more times) to properly understand it. It was very well written and kept me enthralled right to the last page. The idea of a person wearing an act so long that it actually becomes part of who they are is fascinating, and when your life depends on your ability to uphold this act, it becomes more and more ingrained in your personality. Humans are very good at adapting to all number of horrible conditions, which we must tolerate in order to survive, and this book showcases a few ways in which this can happen.

The author awakens

I'm going to write a book. I realise that this sort of sweeping statement is usually supported by an idea, a plan, some sort of concept; not me. Its just that recently I was struck with this thought. It hit me when I was settling down to relax with Anne of Avonlea (the sequel, because I've read the first one too many times). I am embarrassed to admit this. If you don't have any idea what I'm talking about then that's probably a blessing, but the title shows just how twee the book is. Anyway I love the series, have done since I was a little girl, and as I started reading I realised that I wanted to write a book. Not anything like the one I had in my hands, but hopefully one I would enjoy as much.

The idea of writing a book has always been a vague ambition of mine, but only lurking in the back of my mind, and has never translated into actual action. This time I've started to scribble ideas down, and the more I think about it, the more I want to do it.

I'm grateful for any tips you can offer, or similar experiences you are willing to share. My current list of writing essentials includes;

• someone you trust to discuss ideas with, without them laughing 
• pen and paper (as wonderful as technology is, there's nothing quite like writing till your hand aches when you have an exciting idea)
• being open to changing your mind
• an idea you really believe in
• limited expectations (not being a perfectionist, I have no pressure for this to be published, or very good, or even finished. It's just something I want to do for fun. I can always try again, so I have nothing to lose.)

Global English

Although Chinese may be spoken by more people, English is the language spoken in the highest number of different countries. As it becomes more dominant, the advantages to learning English increase, as there are more and more people who can use it and speak it with you. For business, a lingua franca is very useful for communication and saves the need for several different translators. In terms of literature, books or papers that get published in English have access to a greater audience across the world, and so can increase publicity and sales. The idea of one language that everyone can understand is appealing, as it would allow an incredible amount of knowledge and information to be shared, and allow links to be created regardless of geographical location or ethnicity. However, it also results in a loss of hundreds of minority languages, whose speakers are too low in number and the applications too limited to ensure the survival of their mother tongues. The myriad of nuances that are lost to translation also lead to an overall loss of meaning. English cannot describe the entire range of experiences avaialble to the world, as it is a language native to a small island. Yet a world where everyone speaks exactly the same language is still improbable. As fast as English is spreading, new dialects are breaking off, creating variations of the language which can be mutually incomprehensible in some instances. I feel that this wealth of differences is something to be protected and encouraged, although I also understand that language can be unpredictable and difficult to control, whichever way that control is aimed.

Do you think books should all be printed in English, regardless of their original language?

Foreign Phrasebooks

I like taking phrasebooks with me on holiday if I don't speak the language of my destination. Yet all things considered, they don't actually seem to be much help. Most people only learn a few key phrases; hello, goodbye, thankyou, please and help! are good starters. The rest of the vocabulary lies untouched, for a variety of reasons. It can seem like too much effort to learn a totally new language by yourself, especially for a place you may only visit once, or if the language is quite obscure. The rise of English as a global language has cut the motivation to learn anything different- we can rest safe in the knowledge that enough people will be able to understand us almost anywhere we choose to go.

Phrasebooks also tend to assume an all or nothing approach- they can teach you useful phrases that are practically useless if you remain unable to comprehend the response. Questions such as 'how deep is the water?' are valid enough, but further require a knowledge of the number system and measurements to ensure successful communication.

Additionally, the 'phonetic' pronunciation guide can be tricky. The same English letter combinations can produce a variety of sounds, meaning this form is not the most helpful for determining the correct pronunciation. Unless you know the I.P.A, nothing beats hearing a teacher, or native speaker pronouncing the words so that you can copy the sounds.

One thing that is positive about phrasebooks is the display of stress on certain syllables. That and their dinky size.

Multiple Perspectives

Some books like to split the narrative between several main characters, with each chapter or so told in the voice of a different person. This can make the story more realistic, as people's perceptions of the same events can differ drastically. It can also show the direct effects of one person's actions or words on another. Many great books employ this device to good effect; it keeps it interesting and allows the use of different writing styles to represent the different characters.

However, there is always one 'voice' which you prefer to read, a favourite character or style, and the deviations from this can, in some cases, diminish the story. Particularly if certain perspectives are actually irritating, or worse, boring, this can make you want to skip certain chapters until you reach your favourite again.

Yet it is also possible that the only reason you are able to appreciate a certain character to such a degree is the fact that their narrative is surrounded by 'lesser' accounts. It's the old idea that we need to experience the bad to truly recognise the good.

On the other hand, if a book could be full of more or less equally good viewpoints, then so much the better. The fact that this evaluation of character is an entirely subjective exercise makes it difficult for a writer to please everyone with every voice they choose to use. Multiple perspectives- do you love or hate them?

The book is better than the film

This is a phrase I hear myself saying reguarly. It's an adage I firmly believe in; more often than not, the book precedes the film and so is the original. Books can go into more detail than films, and allow the imagination free reign. Annoying characters are found far less in writing as we have the ability to shape them, rather than being handed a fully-formed personality by an actor who may have different perceptions of how to interpret that character. They say that a picture speaks a thousand words, yet one word can also elicit a thousand different pictures when read by different people, in different circumstances and moods. Being able to choose how the character appears allows wonderful variation from reader to reader, making the experience more personal for each of them. Also, sometimes when turning a book into a film, odd and seemingly unecessary changes are made to the plot which can leave many readers perplexed and annoyed. I do love films as well, but usually enjoy them more if they aren't based on a book, or at least not one that I've read.

However, there are some exceptions to this rule. As mentioned before, I think the film of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is better than the book. Another major example is Hannibal Rising by Thomas Harris. I'd seen the film first, and while it wasn't as good as Silence of the Lambs, it was alright. I was expecting the book to go into more depth and to further explore the character of a psychopath. I was disapointed. It read exactly like the film, employing none of the techniques available to books for better effect, no inner monologues or exact description to highlight certain aspects of a scene. It felt more like a script than a book, and in this case the horror and violence was better portrayed on film.

Do you know any other films that beat the book?