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Books in translation
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From: Marc Aronson <75664.3110>
Date: Fri, 6 Mar 1998 15:03:02 -0500
When I had to present THE ROBBER AND ME to our sales reps, I kept trying to think about how to give them a sense of what the book had to offer. They could easily see the problems -- unknown author, translated, set in a place long ago and far away. But what was the appeal. And then I thought of this: younger readers grow up in a world of fairy tales set in places long ago and far away. Much of the traditional literature for these middle graders and below is drawn from European tradition. The voice of this book reminded me of that style, that image of how you write for children, only in a new and slightly older story. Certainly this will never be to everyone's taste, but if you enjoy European children's books, THE ROBBER AND ME seemed an excellent choice.
So, to the question of why we agreed to publish it, we knew it would not break sales records. We knew the market might be limited. But if we could reach all of those readers who enjoy this kind of fable, we'd have a very nice book that could enjoy a long life. The reviews and award helped a lot, so I think that guess was right.
What I'd like to hear from CCBC-members is how they deal with
"selling" books in translation to younger readers. Do they treat them as just one more book, hoping perhaps the child doesn't notice the odd spelling of the author's name, or do they pick readers who seem to have a taste for a different voice and perspective? How do you book talk a translated book?
Marc Aronson
Received on Fri 06 Mar 1998 02:03:02 PM CST
Date: Fri, 6 Mar 1998 15:03:02 -0500
When I had to present THE ROBBER AND ME to our sales reps, I kept trying to think about how to give them a sense of what the book had to offer. They could easily see the problems -- unknown author, translated, set in a place long ago and far away. But what was the appeal. And then I thought of this: younger readers grow up in a world of fairy tales set in places long ago and far away. Much of the traditional literature for these middle graders and below is drawn from European tradition. The voice of this book reminded me of that style, that image of how you write for children, only in a new and slightly older story. Certainly this will never be to everyone's taste, but if you enjoy European children's books, THE ROBBER AND ME seemed an excellent choice.
So, to the question of why we agreed to publish it, we knew it would not break sales records. We knew the market might be limited. But if we could reach all of those readers who enjoy this kind of fable, we'd have a very nice book that could enjoy a long life. The reviews and award helped a lot, so I think that guess was right.
What I'd like to hear from CCBC-members is how they deal with
"selling" books in translation to younger readers. Do they treat them as just one more book, hoping perhaps the child doesn't notice the odd spelling of the author's name, or do they pick readers who seem to have a taste for a different voice and perspective? How do you book talk a translated book?
Marc Aronson
Received on Fri 06 Mar 1998 02:03:02 PM CST
