Friday, August 01, 2008

A Little Italian Action

Will it get annoying if I keep mentioning nice things that are happening to me? I don't want to overdo it, so let me know if I start to get on your nerves. I'll keep it to myself then. (Or give you a bit more info on the things that AREN'T going right. There's plenty of that, too! It's just not quite as much fun to talk about.)

Anyway, my heart is a twitter today because I just received my copies of the Italian version of Acacia - I Ribelli del Mondo Oscuro! I think it's kinda lovely. It's very different than the other covers. Kinda brooding, not a person or strange beast or scraggly tree to be seen. What do you think?
It appears that this version has actually rolled out in that lovely country. I know this mainly because I've started to get Google alerts about it in Italian!

I got two in the last few days, for example. One of them took me
here: fantasy.blogosfere.it.

The other one was here: FantasyMagazine. Nice as well, although they used the photo of me from last year's World Fantasy. Overdressed and overheated and too smiley... Oh, well, though, that's me.

I noticed that there was a comment up already. Scanning it I noticed the word "tortura". Uhoh... Might this mean someone found the book a "torture"?

"Ce l'ho ma ancora non l'ho letto! Aspetterò l'uscita del secondo volume, altrimenti - se la storia mi cattura - sarà una tortura aspettare!"


And with an exclamation point, no less! Although, there's also something in there about the "secondo volume"... Okay, time to call of free internet translation technology... Babel Fish made a complete mess of it, but SDL came up with this...

"There I have it but still I did not read it! I will wait for the exit of the second volume, otherwise - if the story captures myself - will be a torture to wait for!"

Ah, okay. That I like. It's a reminder that the book was split in two for the Italian publication. This kind person, it seems, has picked up the first volume but is waiting for the second to come out before he starts reading. Nice of him. Makes me hope the story does capture him and is worth the wait. Also makes me very curious about how this first volume will be received. For those of you that have read the book, imagine if it stopped right in the middle, while Aliver was still with his rock-shaped friends in the Far South. Hmm... There's an awful lot left to go...

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15 Comments:

Blogger Corby Kennard said...

Wow, that is a gorgeous cover.

I love the US cover, but that Italian one is just evocative of windswept cliffs and the concept of loss.

Actually, kinda reminds me of the cover for The Terror. I love that one too.

8:54 PM  
Blogger David Anthony Durham said...

That's a good comparison. Actually, it FEELS like the The Terror cover when you have it in hand. Similar sort of aged look to the paper, etc.

8:57 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I love that cover. Probably more than the others. Too, especially digging it more now that you've said it has a sort of aged looked to. That's so cool. Would be a cool book to as a collectors piece.

best,
drew

11:19 PM  
Blogger Constance Brewer said...

Another nice cover! You're doing good in that department. Now I just wish my Italian was better so I could have an excuse to get a copy. But alas, I am woefully out of practice. :)

11:36 PM  
Blogger David Anthony Durham said...

Thanks, Drew.

Constance, you should work on your fibbing. You could have said, "Oh, great David, man I'd really love a copy of that. I'm fluent in Italian and have been waiting for just such a thing to keep my skills up"...

I'd obviously have jumped at the opportunity to send you a complimentary copy...

But you're "woefully out of practice", so clearly no such gesture is in order.

Thanks for liking the cover, though!

12:47 AM  
Blogger Constance Brewer said...

Hey, David, you know that beer I'm buying you at WorldCon? It's gonna be cheapbeer! *g*

1:03 AM  
Blogger David Anthony Durham said...

Ah, Constance... You say the sweetest things. Looking forward to it.

2:16 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Very nice. It does have that brooding quality... how have you continually escaped the poorly clad barbarian warriors? My pencil is ready for taking notes...

My best,
Bryan

11:27 AM  
Blogger David Anthony Durham said...

There is a secret, but since it's secret I can't tell ya. ;)

12:47 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hi, I am Italian and I'm going to have this edition of Acacia ;-)
I didn't know it was going to be issued in two books. How disgraceful!!! But not surprising, they often do it, over here.

I like the cover a lot myself. Actually, when I first saw the book (I mean I just saw it, I saw the cover) I though, “Uhm, interesting” even before I read the blurb. After which I thought, “I’m definitely going to read this book!”
And I’ll do, soon :-)

6:06 AM  
Blogger David Anthony Durham said...

Sarah,

Hi. Thanks for writing! It's great to know the cover appeals to people. I hope, of course, that you also like what's INSIDE the book. :)

Let me know. I'm curious as to your reaction about where the story ends - and if it makes you want to read the next one!

-David

1:48 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I've already booked it, but because of the August holidays (everything just STOP in August over here) I don't think I'll have it in my hands before the end of the month :-(

But I read the excerpts on your site... and just LOVED them!

I'm currently reading the translation of a German series about dwarves. Not bad! :-)

3:59 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

"The book was split in two for the Italian publication."

That's the reason I started buying only US/UK editions through Amazon, IBS or play.com. The books have always been expensive here and after Mondadori started "breaking" most novels in two (and the other publishers quickly followed) they've become even more so.
Yesterday I received the British hard-cover of Richard Morgan's The Steel Remains from play.com and it cost me less than a single Italian paperback (not to mention two).

8:39 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

You already know what I think of the Italian cover (our Forum banter, remember? :-)

Just gorgeous and pick-up-able. Striking because it IS so different.

Please keep mentioning the nice things so we can share in them. That's why we're here--to support you through it all, The Good, Bad, or Ugly. To celebrate with you.

That's how we should roll.

12:04 AM  
Blogger David Anthony Durham said...

Stephe,

Thanks for that. That's a good way to roll. The way it should be...

8:07 PM  

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