Well, I think there’s at least two straight up mistakes in my version so tolerance of that makes finishing just a little bit easier.
One thing that I thought about the French, and which especially the second of those translations seemed to not have, is that it’s pretty simple language. I think half forgotten schoolgirl French could struggle through the first verse:
Elle est retrouvée.
Quoi? - L’Eternité.
C’est la mer allée
Avec le soleil.
But those two translations try to keep a metre and some or all of the rhyming (that above is AAAA, most of it is ABAB), and are surely correct to. So despite my best 20 minutes work I still think it’s a close to impossible business. Was fun though, thanks for getting me to read French poetry.
I’m helping facilitate a virtual book club. We’re starting George Lakoff’s “Don’t Think of an Elephant” next week. I’ve read it before, but all my political junkie friends hadn’t and they voted, so here we are.
One of them is from Virginia, and they got their dem congressional candidate (Qasim Rashid) to join us for the first week, so I’m excited about that, but mostly I just want more people to read this book, so it’s a win win.
The discussion of French poetry translation was reminding me of something, couldn’t quite place it… Then I remembered, in Paul Auster’s 4 3 2 1, in one of the “tracks” the protagonist translates French poetry.
I really enjoyed this novel, highly recommend if you’re into that kind of thing. (Now that I’m thinking about it, was this book already mentioned in this thread?)
The novel is the story of Archie Ferguson told at four different times, and in four different versions.[2] Each of the seven chapters in the book is divided into four parts (1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 2.1… etc) which represent the different versions of his life. Ferguson (as he’s known in the book) grows up with the same Jewish, middle class parents, Stanley and Rose, as well as many of the same friends, including Amy Schneiderman, his girlfriend/friend. However, the relationships change with each Ferguson version. Due to the individual circumstances, his lives take very different paths.[5]
I just finished the Farseer trilogy and am starting the Magic Ship one, good stuff.
I basically have only read fantasy over the past 5 years, I’ve caught up on a lot of series or have read ones that might never be finished (ASOIAF and King Killer Chronicle ) so it’s nice to start a series that has like 15 books
Man first two books of kingkiller so fucking good. Ultimately he does share many political views as the forum. Think Trump has crushed him which I get.
A collection of the author’s Lovcraftian horror stories. I don’t know, unlike sci fi, it’s hard for me to read horror after horror story. There are a few really good ones in here though.
First to Jump: How the Band of Brothers was Aided by the Brave Paratroopers of Pathfinders Company
by Jerome Preisler
A good short history book. It’s short because there’s only so much you can right about a subset of a subset of soldiers. The book also doesn’t dive into much background or go into deep bibliographies. Within 20 pages you’re jumping into D Day.
Can you guys help me remember this scifi novel I read as a kid? It maybe takes place on Mars. People generally don’t interact in person, just virtually. The protagonist is a detective and there’s been a murder. Author must be well known. Can’t recall much else.
I recently finished The Last Bookparty (decent; great scene at the end), The Vegetarian (amazing first 1/3, great second 1/3, trash final 1/3), The Metamorphosis (holy shit), We Have Always Lived in the Castle (!!!), started and quit Ancillary Justice, and am now working on The Thirteenth Tale (cool so far).
Found it! The Naked Sun, Asimov. Doesn’t take place on Mars. I was thinking about it because of the theme of social distancing. I might have to reread it.
) so it’s nice to start a series that has like 15 books