For
Modern Mrs Darcy's reading challenge, I have not just one but two
books
that were originally written in a different language. I've read both
of these in Finnish - the original language of Quo Vadis was
Polish, which I don't know at all. As for Archbishop Desmond Tutu's
book, this one was only available in our library system as a
translation, either Finnish or Swedish, and I chose my mother
tongue... :)
Then the HelMet challenge. I'm still at the easy stage where practically all the books I've read have fit into at least one new category. I've also had more time for reading than in January.
Henryk Sienkiewicz: Quo Vadis
2. A book that has been made into a
film
38. A book you have started but left
unfinished
This book has sat on my shelf for two
decades. I have started it at least twice before, but I never got past
page 100. This challenge was the nudge I needed to take it up again,
and this time I did finish it, too.
This time around, too, it was hard
going at points. Probably for the same reasons why I had dropped it
before. I found it hard to feel sympathy for the main characters. The
heroine, Lygia, seemed to me just an idealized, extremely beautiful,
superbly virtuous and innocent girl. The male main character, Vinitius,
was well depicted, but mostly a hot-tempered, selfish oaf before his
conversion. The writing style is elaborate, very "romantic."
And the cruelty and brutality of ancient Rome are described with a
little too much effective detail for my tastes.
And yet - I can see why it's a classic
and why it has been so popular. This has as much drama and romance as
a reader of historical fiction could ever wish for. It's also a vivid
picture of the life and martyrdom of early Christians in Rome. (With,
perhaps, a little too much idealization?) It's so chock-full of
cinematographic scenes that I wouldn't be surprised if someone in
Hollywood decided to do a new version or even a TV series; the 1951
film was apparently quite a success.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu:
Anteeksiantaminen - tie tulevaisuuteen (No Future Without
Forgiveness)
33. Author is not from Europe or
North America
A hard read, a good read.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu's memoirs deal
mostly with his experiences heading the Truth and Reconciliation
Commission, which was set up to try to deal with the
national traumas and the multitude of crimes against humanity committed
during the apartheid period in South Africa.
In addition to Tutu's personal experiences of
discrimination, the book has plenty of details of those crimes against humanity, i.e. acts of
violence, as quotations from the testimonies heard by the Commission.
Those were the hard parts to read. But, after all, there is also the
perspective of hope: the real changes that have happened in South
Africa, the reconciliations, the apologies, the forgiveness. Amazing things can happen when someone chooses humility and truth. "The truth hurts but silence kills," said the Commission's posters.
Rissanen,
Roy and Sirpa: Lento
jurttien yli
(Flight over yurts)
8. The
events of the book happen somewhere other than Finland
Finnish
missionary family moves to Mongolia to work for MAF, trying to get
the work started and (also literally) off the ground. Culture,
language and bureaucracy: lots of new experiences.
Lamott, Anne: Bird
by Bird. Some Instructions on Writing and Life
1. Written by
an author whose work you have not read before
I can't say I loved this, though I liked it. She is
"real" and puts things bluntly, which is not a bad thing.
It's a good insight into what it's like to be a writer, and it's
interesting for a reader to get to see the process from an author's
perspective.
I might have got
more out of the book if I was really an aspiring writer, but I'm not.
I am not bursting with something to tell the whole world. I just love
books, and playing and working with words. And as a translator, the
point is not to find "your own voice" - the point is to
convey the original writer's voice. But the advice to just get on
with the first draft, even if it's bad, is good for a translator too.
Prior, Karen Swallow: Fierce
Convictions. The Extraordinary Life of Hannah More - Poet, Reformer,
Abolitionist
22. A
memoir or a biography
McCall Smith, Alexander: Emma
17. A
retelling of a classic story
Jane Austen's Emma in modern times.
Emma's plotlines and characters work
very well in a modern setting, though it took Smith quite a big part
of the book to establish them there: how did Mr Woodhouse become who
he is, how did Miss Taylor come to the household, what was Emma's
childhood like... But I didn't really mind Mr Woodhouse and Miss
Taylor getting a bigger part of the narrative, as I liked Smith's
take on them.
However, Mr Knightley was a bit of a
cardboard character. He just didn't get enough time and action in the
story. And Emma's self-satisfied bossiness was just as annoying as in
the original.
Paris was ours: thirty-two
writers reflect on the city of light (edited by Penelope Rowlands)
24.
Set in a place you have always wanted to visit
As with any collection of writings by
multiple authors, I loved some and didn't much care for some others.
All the writers included in the collection have moved to Paris, for
one reason or another. Some still live there, some don't. Very varied
perspectives. Recommended for francophiles.
