tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1911087927983597831.post6223680806828645579..comments2024-01-02T15:37:04.858-05:00Comments on Caravana de recuerdos: Historia abreviada de la literatura portátilRichardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01746599416342846897noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1911087927983597831.post-14187376105846854432013-01-28T22:22:17.981-05:002013-01-28T22:22:17.981-05:00The next time I talk to Vila-Matas (or Obooki, who...The next time I talk to Vila-Matas (or Obooki, whom I will pretend is Vila-Matas if need be) I'll fill him in on your concerns about the narrowness of your shared interests. In the meantime, I often feel like I'm pandering to a handful of uninfluential people beginning with my own Pessoa-like book blogging heteronymns!Richardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01746599416342846897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1911087927983597831.post-20106543626894151032013-01-28T22:14:20.568-05:002013-01-28T22:14:20.568-05:00It was a totally fun read, Brian, which makes it t...It was a totally fun read, Brian, which makes it too bad indeed that you could have your pick of two Portuguese translations and none in English. The 2000 <em>Bartleby & Co.</em>, available in English from New Directions, isn't a bad consolation prize at all, though, if you think you might like to get acquainted with Vila-Matas' witty storytelling schtick. Richardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01746599416342846897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1911087927983597831.post-16377029181688636762013-01-26T11:07:53.865-05:002013-01-26T11:07:53.865-05:00This really sounds like a fun read. I really like...This really sounds like a fun read. I really like the quotations that you shared above. Too bad that there is no translation. Brian Josephhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15139559400312336791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1911087927983597831.post-57803750417660185192013-01-25T00:37:27.145-05:002013-01-25T00:37:27.145-05:00See, that is why I have not read more Vila-Matas. ...See, that is why I have not read more Vila-Matas. Our interests are too close. He's as narrow as I am! It feels like flattery or pandering, but pandering to a handful of uninfluential people (like me). Knock it off, V-M, write a book about something I don't care about - I'll read that one.<br /><br />Oh no, I seem to be turning into a Vila-Matas character.Amateur Reader (Tom)https://www.blogger.com/profile/13675275555757408496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1911087927983597831.post-21709581555099536512013-01-25T00:25:00.136-05:002013-01-25T00:25:00.136-05:00I love that challenging tone of yours, Rise, but I...I love that challenging tone of yours, Rise, but I suspect that the other things you mention will probably prove true in terms of the lack of prioritization. It's really too bad on all sorts of levels--the thing's barely over 100 pages in a decent-sized font, so it's not like it would take forever to translate what's supposed to be one of V-M's signature works. Bah...Richardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01746599416342846897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1911087927983597831.post-27716645420414690892013-01-25T00:16:40.001-05:002013-01-25T00:16:40.001-05:00I was surprised to discover the Vila-Matas transla...I was surprised to discover the Vila-Matas translation omissions for all the same reasons you mention, Stu, but maybe the biggest surprise of all was seeing how many relatively low-population countries beat the U.S. and the UK to the punch as far as this particular title's concerned. Weird! Anyway, glad you got something out of the review and I hope you get a chance to judge the book for yourself some day--thought it was quite entertaining!Richardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01746599416342846897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1911087927983597831.post-75056209234155796142013-01-25T00:09:29.053-05:002013-01-25T00:09:29.053-05:00I prob. should read either Vila-Matas' La ases...I prob. should read either Vila-Matas' <em>La asesina ilustrada</em> or even his super-early first novella soon to test what I'm about to say next, but I believe <em>Historia abreviada</em> is supposed to be the first novel that set him out on the path he's still traveling on today (I'm fine with the "improvisations on the same tune" thing since I like his tune and improvisations so much to this point). By the way, your friends Andrei Bely and Karl Kraus join Broch in also making really fine cameos here; however, I'm not sure whether that would make the work more or less popular to others in the grand scheme of things (I guess I kind of feel fortunate that anyone published this also).Richardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01746599416342846897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1911087927983597831.post-90105562291969139662013-01-24T23:51:48.800-05:002013-01-24T23:51:48.800-05:00Reading as yet untranslated Vila-Matas novels stri...Reading as yet untranslated Vila-Matas novels strikes me as almost as fine a reason as any to try to brush up on one's Spanish, R.R., and the exciting thing about him for people whose Spanish is a little rusty is that he's so conversational in tone that his prose isn't difficult at all. Really enjoy his creativity and ideas, though--the three books I've read by him so far all seem so action-packed from a mind candy standpoint that they provide strong antidotes to the "cosmic justice" concerns you mention re: which works get overlooked for translation.Richardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01746599416342846897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1911087927983597831.post-72903435880618644802013-01-24T23:35:29.570-05:002013-01-24T23:35:29.570-05:00I think this book has a little more of a narrative...I think this book has a little more of a narrative arc than, say, <em>Bartleby & Co.</em>, but otherwise, yep, kind of more of "the usual stuff from V-M" indeed (which is good for me and not so good for you as I recall). Still, I wonder how many more "less popular languages" will tackle a translation of this before an English one ever appears. Perhaps we should start accepting wagers...Richardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01746599416342846897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1911087927983597831.post-23259176856460739972013-01-24T21:10:05.657-05:002013-01-24T21:10:05.657-05:00Given the other more recent award winning books of...Given the other more recent award winning books of EV-M, and the optimistic rate of one EV-M translation per year, I don't think this will be prioritized to appear in English any moment soon. *in a challenging tone directed to concerned publishers, editors, translators*<br /><br />Risehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17446964640160585194noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1911087927983597831.post-39397043849243409302013-01-24T16:51:26.224-05:002013-01-24T16:51:26.224-05:00yet again we show how behind the rest of the world...yet again we show how behind the rest of the world we are when it comes to translation ,vill matas is some one you would expect most of his books to be translated especially given the success of his recent translations ,thanks for the review Richard as I wouldn't know about it ,all the best stustujallenhttp://winstonsdad.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1911087927983597831.post-48308784401153008862013-01-24T10:18:25.985-05:002013-01-24T10:18:25.985-05:00This does sound tasty, but it also makes it clear ...This does sound tasty, but it also makes it clear that V-M has been playing improvisations on the same tune for thirty years. I think "just a few of you" is the right answer. Shandys, a fictional Herman Broch - I feel fortunate that anyone published this, much less translated it.Amateur Reader (Tom)https://www.blogger.com/profile/13675275555757408496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1911087927983597831.post-36959823469438002752013-01-24T09:58:21.002-05:002013-01-24T09:58:21.002-05:00Yet another reason to work on my Spanish. The lac...Yet another reason to work on my Spanish. The lack of English translations of works such as this combined with the torrential downpour of such "masterpieces" (sarcasm font) as '50 shades' leads one to ponder cosmic justice as it applies to the dissemination of literature. The secret society bit with Schwob et al.sounds especially wonderful. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16763659094408522105noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1911087927983597831.post-80206541957480343372013-01-24T03:24:26.477-05:002013-01-24T03:24:26.477-05:00Sounds like the usual stuff from V-M. No doubt it ...Sounds like the usual stuff from V-M. No doubt it would be quicker to get my Spanish up to scratch than await an English translation.obookihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03885121629202810216noreply@blogger.com