Hoi polloi can now read Stieg on the cheap!
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About Me
- Reg / Steve
- Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States
- Freelance literary translator from Swedish, German, Danish & Norwegian.
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Reg-- I know it's hard to say what Stieg's work had been like had he lived for final publication, but do you think he would have made changes? The first chapters of "Dragon Tattoo" are incredible - the same with "Played with Fire" and the "Hornets'Nest." Any ideas, or as the translator could you take liberties to interpret what you thought changes Stieg would make?
ReplyDeleteHave you read JO NESBØ? What do you think of is work and the tranlations. _Mark m.maurin@comcast.net
Hi Mark,
ReplyDeleteStieg did live long enough to approve the editing done by his Swedish editor at Norstedts of the first book in the series. How do you mean the first chapters are incredible -- good or bad?
I did not change anything except minor alterations where necessary to fit English syntax -- in fact, I translated into American English in the hope that a US publisher would take the books on. What was done after they were bought by England instead I had no say over, hence the Britishisms.
For the third volume I worked from a manuscript before it was edited by Norstedts, so a number of changes were made, I'm sure. Stieg had even left blank certain items that he intended to check on later, such as Lisbeth's blood pressure after being airlifted out of the woods with bullets in her. Unfortunately there was no later.
I have read a little Nesbø in Norwegian and Swedish, and enough in English to love Don Bartlett's translations -- the best UK translator working in Norwegian and Danish, bar none!
P.S. Jo Nesbø is presently on tour in the U.S. I think he's still in Seattle. Watch for him in your town!
ReplyDeleteThanks Reg! By incredible, I meant exceptionally good. I read an excerpt of “Dragon Tattoo” that only included the Prologue and part of Chapter 1. I was immediately hooked and bought the book, leading to an uninterrupted read into the wee hours.
ReplyDeleteNext “Played with Fire,” again a read going into late night. Of course the ending of “Played with Fire” led to ordering “Hornets’ Nest” from amazon.com UK. I read “Hornets’ Nest” at a very slow pace, simply because this was the last time I would be a part of the world of Mikael and Lisbeth. I do intend on getting “Hornets’ Nest” when Knopf publishes the U.S. edition in May, for comparison and to let our paths cross once again.
I’m looking forward to Eva Gabrielsson’s autobiography, and secretly hope Millennium IV will emerge one day. Here’s a link to Eva’s tribute to Stieg, in case you haven’t seen it. --Mark
http://www.thefirstpost.co.uk/54145,people,news,stieg-larsson-remembered-by-eva-gabrielsson
Thanks for the info about your reaction to the books, and for the link. Let's hope the whole case resolves itself favorably soon.
ReplyDeleteHis movie The girl with dragon tattoo is awsome...the lisabeth ..noomi rapace is smoking brilliant ....did a really good job....you can consider me a fan.......
ReplyDeleteNoomi kicks ass and takes names, as we benighted Americans would say.
ReplyDeleteNo, that wasn't Rozovsky, but this is. I saw a trade paperback of the TGWTDT in a bookshop today. I also saw that the movie listings in my newspaper give the Swedish title alongside the English for the movie. Could get some American moviegoers asking questions about titles.
ReplyDelete==========================
Detectives Beyond Borders
"Because Murder Is More Fun Away From Home"
http://www.detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot.com/
Hi Peter R, that's great that Stieg's title is also appearing after all this time. I think the Brits thought it sounded too much like a self-help book, so dreamed up the catchy "Girl" series, where Stieg had used the term only in the title of the second book. And hadn't we decided that female persons at age 24 are called women, oh, around the 70s I think it was...
ReplyDeleteHi Bajwa, I totally agree, though I've only seen the 2nd one, in Copenhagen, still waiting for #1 to get to New Mexico. Noomi rocks!
ReplyDeleteThe ad gives the Swedish title in Swedish, so not everyone will get it. Still, the similarities with our own Germanic tongue ought to let some entreprising souls figure out that something interesting is up.
ReplyDeleteMMaurin, I just noticed your question to Reg about Jo Nesbø. I recently posted a two-part interview with Nesbø here.
==========================
Detectives Beyond Borders
"Because Murder Is More Fun Away From Home"
http://www.detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot.com/
Reg—Thought you might be interested in this NYTimes review of Edith Grossman’s “Why Translation Matters.”
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/11/books/review/Howard-t.html?nl=books&emc=booksupdateema3
If the link doesn’t work, it will be published in Sunday Book Review (11 April 2010)
Mark m.maurin@comcast.net
Hi-Reg,
ReplyDeleteYou have my admiration --- to be a good translator is indeed rigorous work --- but to be a translator of prose, from beginning to end, while preserving the integrity of the piece requires major gifts of writing and language and is not for the faint of heart! I'm working on an academic thesis - in my own language....and it is stressful, to be sure--trying many times to say things the right way!!
Thank you for your excellent work and for creating this blog -- vastly interesting!
I read Larsson's first book and was totally capitvated with his characters. I bought the "Fire" novel and was unable to put it down--I have pre-order a copy of the third novel.
All the very best,
Caroline
Mark, thanks for the tip. Tiina just read the book, thought it said more about the profession than Rabassa's. (And the Millennium paperbacks are moving up the charts in the NYT).
ReplyDeleteWelcome Caroline, and thanks for the kind words. Fire was my favorite, but #3 (originally The Castle in the Air That Was Blown Up -- by guess who) is just as good and wraps up the story very neatly, considering there were supposed to be 7 more books!
ReplyDelete