How do you say Acacia in Italian?
I'm not sure, but I'll be finding out soon. Piemme, the Italian publisher of Pride of Carthage, has decided to stick with me for Acacia: The War with the Mein also. They'll be publishing it in hardback, in a two volume set. I guess the length of an Italian translation is such that the two volume thing seems necessary. Fine with me. I'm not sure where they're going to cut it, though...
With the German edition, that makes two translations for Acacia. Still hoping that's just the start.
With the German edition, that makes two translations for Acacia. Still hoping that's just the start.
Labels: Acacia, Foreign Editions, Pride of Carthage
posted by David Anthony Durham at
2:52 PM
9 Comments:
Lots of great reviews and great news! Hope it continues to build. Are you hanging the reviews on the fridge next to your kids art work? :)
Now that the chapbook has gone to the printer, I can concentrate on other matters. Like reading Acacia.
Hi Constance,
You're kind. You know, there's so much of the kids' artwork that I don't think there's room for reviews too. They have stuff up on all the walls, not just the fridge. It's a wee gallery we have going here.
I will say that the kids are really supportive and interested in the book. Acacia is the first book - and I guess they're old enough now - that the kids are fully invested in. They know the story in detail. They asked every few days for updates on Acacia 2. It's a lot of fun. Makes writing something with a YA focus of interest for the future. They could help me write it!
Why not? Chris Howard has written a Fantasy book together with his daugther.
Acacia in Italian - well, something like ah-kah-geea (the 'g' like in 'giant').
Gabriele - Acacia in Italian. Tree flavored gelato? :)
Ummmm, gelato...
I read YA when I can. Some very interesting writing going on, although I see no reason a motivated YA couldn't be reading Acacia. I think 'kids today' handle the complexities in written worlds much better than I did at that age.
Yeah, I agree that there's good YA fantasy stuff out there these days, some of it coming through translations that weren't available just a few years ago.
And I very much hope that some teens read Acacia. It's complex, but my kids (only six and seven) are reading stories, having stories read to them, and listening to books on tape of things I'd never have been ready for at their age. It's hard to know what to make of it, actually. On one hand there's a lot to bemoan about the state of literacy in America, but on the other hand there are some great books out there being read by in great numbers by precocious kids. My wife worked in a small library in Shutesbury, MA, and she always commented on how many young people came in there devouring books. If we could just find a way to keep that enthusiasm for reading through high school and college and beyond...
I'm not sure how to keep that enthusiasm going in a kid. Eldest teen has been reading at a college level since 6th grade. Youngest teen won't even read the back of a cereal box. I did books on tape and read to both of them from day one.
On the other hand, Eldest son had teachers that let him read what he wanted. Youngest came home in 4th and 5th grade with books he had to read that were all about girls and their experiences. He wanted Call Of The Wild and they gave him Little House On the Prairie. Then made him answer worksheets about the book. Enjoyment of the written material was irrelevant. Now reading is a chore for him and it makes me sad.
Having stories read to me as a child helped me keep interested, I think.
I also read plenty of challenging material that I probably didn't understand entirely but was nonetheless moved by. Lord of the Rings springs to mind. I just skipped all the pages and pages of songs.
Yeah. I don't think young people mind being challenged if the rewards of reading are exciting enough. I struggled with Lord of the Rings too, but I was happy to do so because I was so caught up in the story. My kids are completely undaunted by big books. J K Rowling might have something to do with that. But they're also not daunted by reading or listening to things above their reading level. We listed to the first Jonathon Stroud book recently. I wondered if it was too wordy and linguistically complex for them. (I'm talking about a seven and five year old here.) But they were completely engaged and enjoyed the whole thing.
I do think that's how reading should be for as long as it can be. When they're ready for "literature" they'll be ready for it, and Moby Dick won't actually look that big to them...
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