May GLLI Blog Series: Japan in Translation, No. 11 Photo credit: Greenhouse Fabrics In The Book of Tea, Kakuzo Okakura wrote that “Translation is always a treason, and as a Ming author observes, can at its best be only the reverse side of a brocade.” And so it seems to be—the art of translation is … Continue reading Translation as Treason — Michael Dylan Welch on Translating Haiku
When I think of Lavender Ink, I immediately think of two things: poetry and New Orleans. Since its inception, Lavender Ink has been a supporter of poets in and around the Big Easy. In fact, the press co-created (and continues to co-host) the New Orleans Poetry Festival and Small Press Fair, an international poetry … Continue reading Publisher Spotlight: Lavender Ink + Diálogos
May GLLI Blog Series: Japan in Translation, No. 10 Part of the joy of reading literature in translation comes from discovering new voices and enjoyable writing, and without the actual translator that wouldn’t be possible. The words we read come not from the writer but their foreign-language representative: Yoko Ogawa’s sinister prose is really that … Continue reading Literary Blogger Tony Malone on Translations of Natsume Sōseki
May GLLI Blog Series: Japan in Translation, No. 9 Editor's note: It's mind-blowing how instantly global we've become. A little more than a week ago UK blogger Zoe Toft (Playing by the Book) posted an interview with translator Avery Fischer Udagawa, who is the contributor of today's post. Avery, by the way, lives in Bangkok, … Continue reading Excerpt from Eto Mori’s DIVE!!
May GLLI Blog Series: Japan in Translation, No. 8 Almost every week, a dozen or more volumes of Japanese comics–also commonly known as manga–are released in print in translation for the North American market while even more are made available digitally on a variety of platforms. Over the last decade or so, collections of comics … Continue reading Librarian Ash Brown on Manga in Translation
May GLLI Blog Series: Japan in Translation, No. 7 (part 2) Editor's Note: This is the second part in a two-part series about the recent publication of. Ryōma! The Life of Sakamoto Ryōma: Japanese Swordsman and Visionary. Ryōma! is the first English translation of Shiba Ryōtarō’s legendary best-seller Ryōma ga yuku, which has sold more than 24 million … Continue reading Translator Roundtable on Shiba Ryōtaro’s Ryōma!, part 2
May GLLI Blog Series: Japan in Translation, No. 6 (part 1) Phyllis Birnbaum: I am very happy to announce the publication of Volume I of Ryōma! The Life of Sakamoto Ryōma: Japanese Swordsman and Visionary. This is the first English translation of Shiba Ryōtarō’s legendary best-seller Ryōma ga yuku, which has sold more than 24 … Continue reading Translator Roundtable on Shiba Ryōtarō’s Ryōma!, part 1
May GLLI Blog Series: Japan in Translation, No. 5 (part 2) For part 1 in this two-part piece, see May 4: Eve Kushner on kanji’s punning potential (Japan-in-Translation, No. 4) Mishima's Mischief Japanese writers choose whether to render terms in kanji (also known as Chinese characters because they came from China), or in its two phonetic … Continue reading Mishima’s Mischief — Eve Kushner on Kanji and Translation, part 2
Are you ready to explore the genre-rich world of Glagoslav Publications? (And when I say genre-rich, I truly mean it. This publisher of Slavic literature boasts an abundance of specialities, including sci-fi, plays, detective stories, poetry, and historical thrillers. Don’t get me started on their expansive nonfiction catalog.) Based in both the Netherlands and the … Continue reading Publisher Spotlight: Glagoslav Publications
May GLLI Blog Series: Japan in Translation, No. 4 (part 1) With my project Joy o' Kanji, I'm writing one essay about each of the 2,136 Joyo kanji, the characters the Japanese use in daily life. In the essays I explore all facets of a kanji, including its readings, the evolution of its shape and … Continue reading PUN POTENTIAL — Eve Kushner on Kanji and Translation, part 1
