Urso de Óculos has a new website, with a blog of its own, and a new section dedicated to The Spectacled Bear.
So, we’re moving. Hope you can come too, and that you like the new home!
Last year, I wrote this post about the launch of several new Portuguese parallel text editions of English classic titles. Among them was Jane Austen’s Persuasion, with a Brazilian Portuguese translation signed by Fábio Cyrino, editorial director of Landmark Press.
I still haven’t read Cyrino’s translation, but I have told several people about it in the last year. So, I was very intrigued to read recent allegations that Landmark’s 2007 text is practically identical to a translation by Isabel Sequeira, published in 1996 by Europa-América in Portugal.
I heard about the controversy from São Paulo based translator and blogger Denise Bottmann, of Não Gosto do Plágio (I don’t like Plagiarism) where you can read a detailed analysis of this case.
Denise was made aware of the issue by the author of the blog Jane Austen em português, after members of reading group Chá com Jane Austen noticed striking similarities between the 1996 and 2007 translations.
And Denise’s post certainly makes interesting reading. Here are some examples of the similarities she found in the two translations (relevant phrases are in bold):
Thirteen years had seen her mistress of Lellynch Hall, presiding and directing with a self-possession and decision which could never have given the idea of her being younger than she was. For thirteen years had she been doing the honours, and laying down the domestic law at home, and leading the way to the chaise and four, and walking immediatly after Lady Russell out of all the drawing-rooms and dining-rooms in the country.
Há treze anos que era a senhora do Solar de Kellynch, supervisionando e dando ordens com uma autoconfiança e decisão que nunca poderiam ter dado a idéia de ela ser mais nova do que realmente era. Durante treze anos tinha feito as honras da casa, repreendendo, tomando a dianteira ao dirigir-se para o coche e seguindo imediatamente atrás de lady Russell ao sair de todas as salas de visitas e de jantar do país. (isabel sequeira)
Há treze anos que era a senhora do Solar de Kellynch, supervisionando e dando ordens com uma autoconfiança e decisão que nunca poderiam ter dado a idéia de ela ser mais nova do que realmente era. Durante treze anos tinha feito as honras da casa, repreendendo, tomando a dianteira ao dirigir-se para o coche e seguindo imediatamente atrás de lady Russell ao sair de todas as salas de visitas e de jantar do país. (fábio cyrino)
————————
He [...] at fifty-four, was still a very fine man.
Ele [...] aos 55 anos, ainda era um homem muito atraente. (isabel sequeira)
Ele [...] aos 55 anos, ainda era um homem muito atraente. (fábio cyrino)
——————————–
She was fully satisfied of being still quite handsome as ever [...]
Sabia que ainda era muito bonita [...] (isabel sequeira)
Sabia que ainda era muito bonita [...] (fábio cyrino)
——————————————–
“For they must have been seen together”, he observed, “once at Tattersal’s, and twice in the lobby of the House of Commons.”
“Porque nós devemos ter sido vistos juntos”, comentou ele, “uma vez no Tattersal e duas vezes no trio da Câmara dos Comuns.” (isabel sequeira)
“Porque nós devemos ter sido vistos juntos”, comentou ele, “uma vez no Tattersal e duas vezes no trio da Câmara dos Comuns.” (fábio cyrino)
——————————–
Such were Elizabeth Elliot’s sentiments and sensations; such the cares to alloy, the agitations to vary, the sameness and the elegance, the prosperity and the nothingness of her scene of life; such the feelings to give interest to a long, uneventful residence in one country circle, to fill the vacancies which there were no habits of utility abroad, no talents or accomplishments for home, to occupy.
Estes eram os sentimentos e as sensações de Elizabeth Elliot; estas eram as preocupações que a incomodavam, a agitação que perturbava a monotonia, a elegância, a prosperidade e o vazio da cena da sua vida – estes eram os sentimentos que conferiam interesse a uma longa e rotineira residência em uma pequena localidade, preenchendo o vazio que não podia ser ocupado com hábitos de serviço no estrangeiro nem com talentos ou feitos levados a cabo no país. (isabel sequeira)
Esses eram os sentimentos e as sensações de Elizabeth Elliot; essas eram as preocupações que a incomodavam, a agitação que perturbava a monotonia, a elegância, a prosperidade e o vazio da cena da sua vida – esses eram os sentimentos que conferiam interesse a uma longa e rotineira residência em uma pequena localidade, preenchendo o vazio que não podia ser ocupado com hábitos de serviço no estrangeiro nem com talentos ou feitos levados a cabo no país. (fábio cyrino)
———————-
The examples above could well imply that Fábio Cyrino did not even look at the original English when preparing his translation.
A serious allegation indeed for a publisher trying to gain credibility for its original translations of English classics.
Read the discussion (including Landmark’s response to the accusations) and keep up to date with more stories about Landmark and other revelations at Não Gosto do Plágio.
Posted in Brazil, brazilian books, Jane Austen, literary translation, translation
Would Clarice Lispector get a blog commission if she were alive today?
This was my first thought when I started reading A Descoberta do Mundo, a collection of articles by Lispector commissioned for the Jornal do Brasil between 1967 and 1972, first published as a collection in 1984, and now with a new 2008 edition published by Rocco.
For six years, Lispector wrote regular pieces for the paper, with her reflections on daily life, maternity, the nature of existence, and many other themes, also occasionally giving gems of insights into her personal life.
The new edition marks 25 years since the articles were first published in book form, and really is a delicious read for fans of Lispector and anyone new to her writing.
Shortly after the beginning of her commission, Clarice told her readers that she felt uneasy about writing to order, something she had only previously done anonymously.:
“Assinando, porém, fico automaticamente mais pessoal. E sinto-me um pouco como se estivesse vendendo minha alma.”
“Signing my name, however, I automatically make it more personal. And I feel a little as though I am selling my soul.”
From “A Descoberta do Mundo” by Clarice Lispector.
(translation of quotation by Sarah)
Reading the book I cannot help thinking of Clarice in front of a computer screen, trying to get a commissioned article finished for a deadline, with the online editor waiting eagerly for delivery, knowing that anything by Clarice is guaranteed to get the clicks.
A DESCOBERTA DO MUNDO
Clarice Lispector
Editora Rocco, 2008
ISBN: 85-325-0951-7
Click here for past posts about Clarice Lispector.
The Spectacled Bear, thought by many to be close to extinction, is now back.
Since my last post, I have been busy developing the bookstore, the translation career, plus plenty of sport and other healthy diversions!
But in my absence from the blog, my ear has remained on the ground for evidence that culture is alive and well, and have been happy to discover that plenty of people, of all nationalities, actually do enjoy reading fiction and talking about it, for no reason other than pleasure.
However, earlier this year I happened to be in Itapuã, Salvador. I decided to check out for myself the bronze statue of Vinicius de Morães, the demise of which I wrote about here last year.
I was disheartened, but not really surprised, to see that the statue has not been repaired. The chair is still broken and the spectacles are gone. I took this photo in June 2008:
So, I thought to myself, nobody in Salvador cares enough about public art or manifestations of culture to make enough noise for the statue to get repaired. Even more reason for not to continue writing about culture in Brazil on this blog.
Then, about a month ago, I met a volunteer from the Punho Forte Association in Itacaré, who turned up at my bookshop to ask if he could organise an afternoon activity session in the bookshop for local kids from Itacaré, similar to an activity I had previously organised for adult evening students from a local school.
The Punho Forte project began when Itacaré residents Marcio Carvalho and Wanderson Panniset decided to open the doors of their house every Saturday evening to around fifty kids from nearby neighbourhoods for soup. A simple idea that developed into Associação Punho Forte, now aiming to mentor and educate children from the poorer neighbourhoods of this beautiful city in North-eastern Brazil.
And so it came to pass, last Saturday a group of kids between the ages of five and ten came to Urso de Óculos. Most of the children in the group had very little first hand experience of books, and much less of entering a bookshop.
We showed them round, did some activities and then settled down for a story, read by their enthusiastic group leader sitting in one of our magic Bali chairs. This storytelling session really did deserve the cliché truly magical. The kids were entranced and the group leader turned out to be a true master storyteller.
This volunteer/group leader/storyteller completely restored my temporarily lost faith in community culture and made me decide to write on this blog again.
And guess what the guy’s name is?
Vinicius.
True Story.
Very very unfortunately I did not take any pictures, but we are going to do another session with the same group soon so I will try to get one of Vinicius and his chair to post here.
Posted in Bahia, Brazil, Events, Vinícius de Moraes
If you’re wondering how the first Literary Thursday went, you can find out and read all the other latest news from the bookshop on the all new Urso de Óculos news blog.
I decided to put all the news from the bookshop in one place, and keep The Spectacled Bear for more general bookish blether. Enjoy!
News from Urso de Óculos International Bookshop in Itacaré
This week, Journalist and Cultural Events Organizer Juliana Machado is re-launching a project she started in 2006 in Itacaré, this time round in collaboration with our bookshop.
From today until the end of 2008, every week Juliana will present “Literary Thursday” at Urso de Óculos, with themed readings and chat on various topics in world literature.
The launch is today at 19:00, with the theme of love for valentine’s day (that’s today in Brazil!)
There’s also wine and nibbles, and, specially for the launch there will also be live acoustic music!
Entry is FREE, so come along, bring your loved ones and check out the culture of Itacaré!
Posted in Brazil, Brazilian literature, Events
This is a question I have been asked many times. A possible answer, according to Tyler Cowen of the blog Marginal Revolution, is that Most Brazilians do not read.
Cowen’s post “Why are books so outrageously expensive in Brazil?” offers up three other theories in an attempt to explain this issue, and there’s a heated debate going on in the comments to his post at the moment. From the sublime to the ridiculous, people from all around the world are musing on why it so difficult to stock up on reading material in Brazil without making a hole in your bank account.
The adage that Brazilians do not read may or may not be true, but it certainly is an oft-mentioned stereotype image. The question comes up a lot in conversation and has me stumped. Personally, I know plenty of Brazilians who adore reading, and plenty of Brits who don’t. Whether many people anywhere in the world read much that is any good is another matter entirely.
Posted in Brazil
