I confess that while I loved the concept of Inkheart, I didn't enjoy it as much as I'd have liked owing to the fact that I felt it wasn't terribly well translated - at times I found the English somewhat clunky. (Maybe I've been spoiled by the translations of Cornelia Funke's books, I don't know...)
Well, not everybody likes everything! :-) And translations are an odd thing - some concepts don't quite come over. I seem to remember someone once saying something similar about Inkspell - although I am pretty sure that Anthea Bell won an award for translating Inkheart, so... these things are all highly subjective!
And it is a lovely concept, yes. (I love how much in love with actual, physical books she is, and not only the power of imagination.
That sounds brilliant! I do like German's kids books. I'm a big fan of Michael Ende and Otfried Preußler. My German isn't nearly as good as I'd like but I find if I have dual language I can usually get something out of the German. So will try and find a German and an English translation. The quotes sound lovely! And like something I could totally relate to :) *cough my house has piles of books EVERYWHERE*
Oh, that would be interesting, if you could make a comparison. I don't know any other language well enough to read a book in it, so if you do I'd be interested to know if there are any major differences - or if either is better/worse written!
I really like the way German is written, particularly for kids books. They have so many great sounding spooky words. Though while I was looking for copies there was a German student who said the translation was very good so that's encouraging! I found copies in German on amazon (but not at our library- though they did have many english translations) so won't have to wait till I go back to Berlin to get a copy :)
"Stories never really end, even if the books like to pretend they do. Stories always go on. They don't end on the last page, any more than they begin on the first."
I agree with that so much. It seems to me that books give us a glimpse into a portion of people's lives, and that they're living and breathing and being before and after too. I try to give that quality to any original characters I bring into my fanfic. That they're real; you're just getting a tiny snippet of their lives as they interact with canon characters.
Thanks for the rec for Inkheart. It sounds very intriguing and uh, yes, it'll be read on my Kindle! :oD
:lol: Well, e-readers are nice, too - and extremely useful in many ways.
I hope you enjoy it - it's got a rather old-fashioned feel to it, but I like it - I love how much the author and everyone in it loves books.
It seems to me that books give us a glimpse into a portion of people's lives, and that they're living and breathing and being before and after too. I try to give that quality to any original characters I bring into my fanfic. That they're real; you're just getting a tiny snippet of their lives as they interact with canon characters.Yes. I've no idea where the author stands on that sort of thing, but Inkheart really does express why we play with other people's characters (indeed, in the story, the author is the one who's the most clueless about the reality they've acquired through being read, and he repeatedly causes trouble as a result, especially in the sequels) and, indeed, you could say that Meggie saves the day by writing fanfic
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Have you read Jo Walton's 'Among Others'? It's all about the magic of books (esp SF) and their effect on a lonely and different girl.
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No, I haven't *notes* It sounds v interesting!
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And it is a lovely concept, yes. (I love how much in love with actual, physical books she is, and not only the power of imagination.
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:-)
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:-)
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I agree with that so much. It seems to me that books give us a glimpse into a portion of people's lives, and that they're living and breathing and being before and after too. I try to give that quality to any original characters I bring into my fanfic. That they're real; you're just getting a tiny snippet of their lives as they interact with canon characters.
Thanks for the rec for Inkheart. It sounds very intriguing and uh, yes, it'll be read on my Kindle! :oD
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I hope you enjoy it - it's got a rather old-fashioned feel to it, but I like it - I love how much the author and everyone in it loves books.
It seems to me that books give us a glimpse into a portion of people's lives, and that they're living and breathing and being before and after too. I try to give that quality to any original characters I bring into my fanfic. That they're real; you're just getting a tiny snippet of their lives as they interact with canon characters.Yes. I've no idea where the author stands on that sort of thing, but Inkheart really does express why we play with other people's characters (indeed, in the story, the author is the one who's the most clueless about the reality they've acquired through being read, and he repeatedly causes trouble as a result, especially in the sequels) and, indeed, you could say that Meggie saves the day by writing fanfic ( ... )
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