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Translated Books & Young Adult Books
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From: Ginny Kruse <gmkruse>
Date: Mon, 04 Mar 1996 12:16:00 -600
I hope that the conversations begun last week will continue. Marc Aronson's remarks about editorial considerations surrounding the U.S. publication of Damned Strong Love and the excerpted notes from translator Elizabeth Crawford provided me with valuable insights. How about you? CCBC-NET subscriber Mary Keefer (Univ. of Wisconsin Oshkosh) told me during a phone conversation that she felt as if she had been at the "heartbeat" of the editorial process after reading Marc's comments. Someone with whom Katy Horning is acquainted wrote to her on Wednesday, 2/28, saying, "less than an hour [after subscribing] and I already feel intellectually more challenged and invigorated than a whole month at my job. Make that four months." This is due to your thoughtful comments, Marc, and to those from Roger and Nina and Katy and others who participated directly in commenting on Damned Strong Love and in discussing ways to formally acknowledge excellence in literature for young adults - however these readers can be defined by age, maturity or interests. Please continue...
For myself, I now feel an even greater commitment to finding and affirming the books of substantial length first published in languages other than English and translated for young readers in the U.S. I've been told over the years by various editors that U.S. book publishers do not break even financially on their investments in translated books for children and young adults, even the translated books brought to visibility through the Batchelder Award process. It's not the fault of that formal award that these books do not make enough money for their publishers. But future translated books can be tough to negotiate if previous ones do not pay their way. This is not new, but in this decade it's a critical matter to consider. U.S. book buyers reflect society's focus upon celebrity, upon "brand name" recognition of a few authors and series. Add to this certain elements creating distance: unique circumstances, times, places, characters' names, narrative voices. Certainly these elements challenge us by offering the opposite of celebrity, but they also offer so much more.
Translated books must be believed in every step of the way, not only by their U.S. editors, but by reviewers and the adults who find out about these books. Can we focus upon a book's strengths? Can we discover universal elements in each? What will kids miss by not knowing about these particular books as choices for their leisure reading? What might teachers do differently if they find important books such as these enjoyed first in other nations and languages and now available to English language readers?
Here at the CCBC, we also appreciated the novel Dancing on the Bridge of Avignon written by Ida Vos, translated from the Dutch and published by Houghton Mifflin. Like the three books honored by the Batchelder process, Dancing... explores a holocaust theme. The unusual narrative voice is that of a traumatized child; the author writes autobiographically - an important story for older children. What if youth in this nation did not have access to Damned Strong Love or to Dancing on the Bridge of Avignon in English? What if they never find out about either book? We can't assume that either book will become the next Diary of Anne Frank or even the next Heidi or Pinocchio - but we can assume that books such as these are important enough for reliable translators to recommend them and astute editors to want to publish them. And, actually, I think Damned Strong Love is important enough to make its way into enough visibility to endure. What will we do, now that we know about these and other translated books in which we believe? Let's continue this discussion, if possible, sharing other comments and questions about Damned Strong Love, about translated books, and about excellence in literature for teenagers of all ages.
By the end of the week, let's move to discussing a very American young adult book Slot Machine by Chris Lynch (HarperCollins, 1995). Some of the same questions will be raised in an entirely different way - and there will be different ones, as well. Cheers, Ginny
******************************************************************** Ginny Moore Kruse (gmkruse at ccbc.soemadison.wisc.edu) Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC) A Library of the School of Education University of Wisconsin - Madison
Received on Mon 04 Mar 1996 12:16:00 PM CST
Date: Mon, 04 Mar 1996 12:16:00 -600
I hope that the conversations begun last week will continue. Marc Aronson's remarks about editorial considerations surrounding the U.S. publication of Damned Strong Love and the excerpted notes from translator Elizabeth Crawford provided me with valuable insights. How about you? CCBC-NET subscriber Mary Keefer (Univ. of Wisconsin Oshkosh) told me during a phone conversation that she felt as if she had been at the "heartbeat" of the editorial process after reading Marc's comments. Someone with whom Katy Horning is acquainted wrote to her on Wednesday, 2/28, saying, "less than an hour [after subscribing] and I already feel intellectually more challenged and invigorated than a whole month at my job. Make that four months." This is due to your thoughtful comments, Marc, and to those from Roger and Nina and Katy and others who participated directly in commenting on Damned Strong Love and in discussing ways to formally acknowledge excellence in literature for young adults - however these readers can be defined by age, maturity or interests. Please continue...
For myself, I now feel an even greater commitment to finding and affirming the books of substantial length first published in languages other than English and translated for young readers in the U.S. I've been told over the years by various editors that U.S. book publishers do not break even financially on their investments in translated books for children and young adults, even the translated books brought to visibility through the Batchelder Award process. It's not the fault of that formal award that these books do not make enough money for their publishers. But future translated books can be tough to negotiate if previous ones do not pay their way. This is not new, but in this decade it's a critical matter to consider. U.S. book buyers reflect society's focus upon celebrity, upon "brand name" recognition of a few authors and series. Add to this certain elements creating distance: unique circumstances, times, places, characters' names, narrative voices. Certainly these elements challenge us by offering the opposite of celebrity, but they also offer so much more.
Translated books must be believed in every step of the way, not only by their U.S. editors, but by reviewers and the adults who find out about these books. Can we focus upon a book's strengths? Can we discover universal elements in each? What will kids miss by not knowing about these particular books as choices for their leisure reading? What might teachers do differently if they find important books such as these enjoyed first in other nations and languages and now available to English language readers?
Here at the CCBC, we also appreciated the novel Dancing on the Bridge of Avignon written by Ida Vos, translated from the Dutch and published by Houghton Mifflin. Like the three books honored by the Batchelder process, Dancing... explores a holocaust theme. The unusual narrative voice is that of a traumatized child; the author writes autobiographically - an important story for older children. What if youth in this nation did not have access to Damned Strong Love or to Dancing on the Bridge of Avignon in English? What if they never find out about either book? We can't assume that either book will become the next Diary of Anne Frank or even the next Heidi or Pinocchio - but we can assume that books such as these are important enough for reliable translators to recommend them and astute editors to want to publish them. And, actually, I think Damned Strong Love is important enough to make its way into enough visibility to endure. What will we do, now that we know about these and other translated books in which we believe? Let's continue this discussion, if possible, sharing other comments and questions about Damned Strong Love, about translated books, and about excellence in literature for teenagers of all ages.
By the end of the week, let's move to discussing a very American young adult book Slot Machine by Chris Lynch (HarperCollins, 1995). Some of the same questions will be raised in an entirely different way - and there will be different ones, as well. Cheers, Ginny
******************************************************************** Ginny Moore Kruse (gmkruse at ccbc.soemadison.wisc.edu) Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC) A Library of the School of Education University of Wisconsin - Madison
Received on Mon 04 Mar 1996 12:16:00 PM CST
