#onreading

[syllviere]

Fully ready to lay down my entire life for this couple, my babies 😭💕

[makikominowa]

Coming soon!

[scottymcgeesterwrites]

A Guide to the Best Editions and Translations of Some Classic Literature

TWENTY THOUSAND LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA BY JULES VERNE

IMPORTANT: Whatever you do, DO NOT BUY the edition translated by Lewis Mercier. In fact, NEVER buy any translation of ANYTHING by Lewis Mercier. Mercier’s translation is unfortunately the most “standard” and popular translation. This translation is said to have removed about 20-25% of the original novel, and also removes a lot of Verne’s original meaning. In short, it was a botched translation that somehow became very popular and accessible up until the 1970′s, but always still check for before buying. Barnes and Noble still has his translation lying around for sale.

If the name of the translator isn’t on the cover or back cover of the book, you can check the first few pages where they write the publication history. It might be in fine print.  Frankly, any translation that is NOT by Lewis Mercier is good. The pictures I have attached here are of the edition I bought published by The Franklin Library. It was translated by Mendor T. Brunetti. It also includes the original illustrations, which is cool.

THE HOLY BIBLE

Oof. This one can get really dicey. But I’ll explain it the best I can.  There have been dozens of translations of the Bible, if not hundreds. Not everyone uses the same one, especially evangelical groups like Pentecostals and Jehovah’s Witnesses. These more radical groups have willingly altered the Bible to further their views. So, a Bible that a Jehovah’s Witness holds is not the same Bible that a Roman Catholic priest holds.  The King James Bible (KJV, or King James Version) has often been considered the most popular version of The Bible throughout modern history. Many of the Bible’s most memorable quotes are directly taken from the King James Bible. It’s considered dignified, poetic, and beautiful. It’s also wrong. So very, very wrong. It’s quite possibly the worst translation of the Bible ever made. I grew up in Catholic school and even there we never once touched the King James Bible. The problems with the King James Bible include certain “theological biases” (i.e. implying Jesus appeared somewhere when he didn’t) and all-around bad translations (i.e. it says there were unicorns but the real meaning is supposed to say “horned beasts”) (see ReligionForBreakfast). The other annoying thing about the King James Bible is that quotation marks are not used. This can be very confusing for readers as it becomes unclear who is speaking.  If you’re curious to see how an exact literal translation of the Bible into English goes, check out the Interlinear Bible. It has the original Hebrew and Greek text with the English words underneath (or besides). You will quickly realize just how complicated translating the Bible is, as Hebrew does not have many words. The English prose in the Interlinear Bible therefore can read like gibberish.

If you want to read the Bible with as close to the original intent and meaning as possible while also being readable, then go for the New American Standard Bible. It can still be a bit difficult to read though. The current popular edition is the New Revised Standard Version. This newer edition from 1989 is considered the most neutral of all translations, as it does not hold any denominational bias. The translators even placed gender-neutral words, such as “people” instead of “mankind”. 

FRANKENSTEIN BY MARY SHELLEY

The original 1818 text by Mary Shelley has been given more spotlight as of late. The text that we are most commonly familiar with from 1831 had the story toned down because of course it would be scandalous for a woman to write about such things at the time. Mary Shelley had suffered critical outrage and pressure for editorial changes from her husband Percy for her original vision. For the 1831 edition, she was forced to edit the novel so that Dr. Frankenstein would be a more moral character, whereas the original Dr. Frankenstein in the 1818 text did not go through much moralizing. 

Penguin Books recently released an affordable edition of the 1818 text.

THE THREE MUSKETEERS BY ALEXANDRE DUMAS

There are numerous translations but I want to highlight the one I read by Richard Pevear. This made the story very readable while also remaining faithful to the story. Pevear didn’t censor Dumas’s original meanings at all like previous translations did for their time. I thoroughly enjoyed his translation and was lucky enough to get the hardcover of his first edition back in the day. My mom completely surprised me by buying that book for me, and it ended up happening to be the best translation. The best thing about Pevear’s edition is that it includes footnotes for archaic terms. The original hardcover of Pevear’s edition is difficult to find by now, but his translation has been re-released by other publishers. As of a few years ago, a new translation by Lawrence Ellsworth has been released. I have not read that one but have heard good things. The publishers of the Ellsworth translation have also been republishing ALL of the Musketeer stories to provide a series of consistent editions, which has always been rare for the Musketeer saga. 

HOMER’S ODYSSEY, ILIAD, and VIRGIL’S AENEID

First off, read these epics in verse form. I cannot believe there are editions out that written in prose form. I’m sorry but that should be illegal. I grew up reading Robert Fagles’ translation, which is pretty damn good and is the standard in schools. However, also look for Richmond Lattimore’s translation. Lattimore translated The Odyssey and The Iliad in the original rhythm that Homer intended. Fagles wrote in freeform for the sake of being easier to read. Both translations retain the original meaning, so it’s up to you really what you prefer. As for The Aeneid (Lattimore only translated Greek classics), go with Fagles.

DON QUIXOTE BY MIGUEL DE CERVANTES

Read the translation by Edith Grossman. That’s all I can say. I devoured that book in days. Grossman did to Don Quixote what Pevear did to The Three Musketeers. It’s just that good and readable. Ormsby is the second-best, being the most scholarly of all translations. The translation is the most accurate but the humor can be dry and doesn’t pack the same punch as Cervantes probably intended. The translations to avoid like the plague are by Motteux, Smollett, and John Phillips. SHERLOCK HOLMES BY SIR ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE

Surely, most people reading this have a copy of the Sherlock Holmes tales in one form or another. But which is the best?  Every text out there is the same no matter the publication, but I prefer to read the way it was originally formatted with all the illustrations. The automatic assumption people might have is that all the original Sherlock Holmes stories were published in The Strand Magazine. This wasn’t the case. There were several stories published in other magazines at the time, such as A Study in Scarlet and The Sign of Four, to name a few. Therefore, if you find an edition boasting to have “all The Strand illustrations” it probably only has the stories that were published in The Strand Magazine. More confusing yet, some editions do say “All the Strand illustrations” but also include A Study in Scarlet and The Sign of Four.  Keep in mind this magical number: 60 Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote a total of 56 short stories and 4 novels with Sherlock Holmes. If the copy you are holding does not add up to 60 stories, don’t bother. You might get a copy that comes in two or three volumes. 

[justawanderingbabbit]

Readers rant about things like cliches, petty details, or research failures that throw them out of a story; what are some things that buckle you, personally, into a story?

Things that pull me into a story can vary from writer to writer, but I think one constant of mine is my fondness for moments of absurdity in the middle of a dire or difficult situation. For example, a character is chased through a maze by a giant snake, traps herself on a chandelier and when the maze’s owner reassures her that “Monster doesn’t bite”, her response is “As far as I can tell, Monster has no teeth.”

It’s a tiny bit of business. Blink and you’ve missed it. Yet it captures the characters’ personalities so well that you know what sort of person Jamethial Knorth of the Kencyrath is. You already know she’s honor bound and perfectly honest. But now you know, beyond a doubt, that she’s also brave and snarky, when faced with something absolutely terrifying.

(BTW: P.C. Hodgell’s Kencyrath is an incredible series and I highly recommend it.)

I also like to see writers who have a genuine affection for their worlds and characters, while still knowing that they have flaws and dark undersides. Discworld was that sort of place, full of people who felt like people. (#GNU PTerry Pratchett, btw)

There’s probably plenty of other things that will draw me in, of course, but these two are the first that come to mind.

[ezgihoscan]

Andre Kertesz: On Reading | Berger: “Okuma ediminin uçuculuğu! Kendimiz okurken de bunu hissederiz. Daha önce farkına varmayıp Kertesz’in resimlerinden öğrendiğim, bu uçuculuğun okumakta olan bir kimsenin hareketlerinde ve bedeninde gözlenebileceği. Bu iç görüden dolayı, bir kez daha Macar fotoğrafçıya minnet borcumuz var.” #andrekertesz #onreading #johnberger https://www.instagram.com/p/B2yziCWBUjM/?igshid=1oiw74mb1xz3r

[bookaddict24-7]

My friend @hayliemaria was super sweet and got me this cute pin for my birthday! ❤️❤️😍

[sugururyuzaki]

ON READING黒田さんが展示総括をまとめてくださいました。 @on_reading 【展示記録】 2017年3月29日（水）～4月17日（月） Suguru RYUZAKI Photo Exhibition 『Broken, Your Ray / new map from another country』 . ギャラリーの壁を埋め尽くすような大判のモノクロコピーと、柱の陰や扉の裏など、ところどころに貼られたカラープリント。 . 龍崎俊さんは「手紙」「地図」というキーワードや、アウトプットの方法など、自らの身体と分かちがたい「写真」というものとそれを表現とすることについて、常に考え、そして自分自身の活動基盤をも作り出している。（そのあたりについて伺ったインタビューはこちら。http://liverary-mag.com/column/58193.html ） . 作品や表現というのは結局のところ、その人自身の中からしか出てこないのだから、どうしたって撮る対象やテーマは、パーソナルな部分との結びつきが強くなると思う。というか、そうでしかありえないのではないかとも。 . であれば、写真を見る私たちは、おそらく「それを撮った理由」は本当にはわからないだろう。もちろん、そこに作家がいれば、一枚一枚に付随する「その時」については聞くことができるけど、本当のことが語られるかなんてわからないし、作家自身、他人にわかるように完璧に言葉にできるとは思えない。（「もしできるなら小説家になってるわ」と言った人もいた。） . でもそれは説明の放棄やあきらめとは違う。龍崎さんは写真を「手紙」に似ていると言う。ここにいない恋人や家族へ、地上の出来事を収集する大ガラスへ、まだ見ぬ誰かへ、うまく届くかどうかわからないけれど、届けることができるかもしれないポジティブなメディアであると。 . 龍崎さんは、モノクロコピーによってディティールが失われてしまった、ある種不完全に見えるイメージにこそ、リアリティが宿っているように感じていると言う。その時の、日差しやにおい、五感にまつわるすべて。それを見て私たちはたとえば、「この感じ、知ってる」と思うかもしれない。わかちあえないはずの断片的な他人の記憶をきっかけに、私たちは自分の中から何かを取り出すだろう。それこそが、見ず知らずの誰かから、自分に届いた手紙なのだと思う。 . 龍崎さんの写真を見て、「愛ですね～」といった人がいた。笑ったけど、そのとおりだなと思った。その瞬間を掴もうとした人がいた。届くかどうかわからない手紙を出した人がいた。 . 陳腐に聞こえてしまうと思うけど、それを愛と呼ばなくてなんといえばいいのだろう。 . #SuguruRyuzaki #BrokenYourRaynewmapfromanothercountry #onreading #photograph

[syllviere]

Reading this manhwa and this chick stabbed the shit out of her ex enough for her to be covered in his blood, turned to her current lover, and started making out with him. They fucked in the same room with the ex's corpse until sunrise while covered in her ex's blood.

And you know what? This is the kind of fucked up shit I'm here for, pop off, manhwa authors 😌