This is not new news, I'm afraid – I'm working too hard at the moment to keep up – but I do find it interesting.
German writer and illustrator Cornelia Funke, asked to make significant changes to the the structure of the third Reckless book, The Golden Garn, by her US/UK publishers, said no. Her books are edited in the German original, she told the press (two different but similar interview pieces were published in the Süddeutsche Zeitung and Publishers Weekly has the full scoop in English).
So they gave her the rights back and she didn't even have to pay for the finished translation, and she has set up her own publishing house, Breathing Books, to bring out the book on her own terms. No one's really saying why the Americans and British wanted the changes, although Funke suspects they wanted to market the novel at younger readers – they didn't want it to open with a birth scene or close with an open ending. I'm impressed with Cornelia Funke. The internet would say Cornelia Funke gives zero fucks.
The plan now is to bring out the novel with a title closer to the German original than the planned "Heartless", as an e-book and a limited print edition to begin with in November, and see how things go. The new company will also do book-related apps and new editions of Funke's books with her own illustrations, plus re-releases of out-of-print titles like the fabulous Pirate Girl (tr. Chantal Wright) – which coined the phrase "you piratical nincompoop", much beloved in my household. The website looks exciting but doesn't credit Funke's usual translator Oliver Latsch, who is also her agent. And her cousin, I believe. So maybe he's OK with that.
I like the idea of a writer gaining greater command over her work in translation. I have to say I was surprised an editor would suggest structural changes to a translated and thus already edited book, but perhaps it really is the done thing in children's and young adult publishing, which seems to be rather concerned about putting readers off. And what makes me particularly happy about the whole story is the tiny spark of hope that Breathing Books might one day publish writers other than Cornelia Funke. Maybe they could offer a gateway to young Anglophone readers' hearts and devices for translated fiction. If they're reckless enough, maybe.
Showing posts with label cornelia funke. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cornelia funke. Show all posts
Thursday, 8 October 2015
Tuesday, 10 May 2011
Pixi Books and Celeb Children's Authors
Pixi Books are small books for children, slightly smaller than the Mister Men format. You'll usually find them in a big transparent dish held aloft at children's grabbing level by a moulded plastic pixie that always reminds me of those charity collection boxes shaped like pitiable children in 1970s England. Only the pixie is smiling through button eyes like a horror film character in a silly hat. Although it looks tasteless enough to be very retro, it seems the plastic pixie has only been around since 1994.
Children are very fond of Pixi books because they cost 95 cents and are the perfect item to nag their mother for while in a bookshop. Maternal guilt dictates that she cannot refuse to buy her child a small, cheap book with fairies or tractors on the cover while agonising over whether to get a lovely new hardback for herself or maybe two paperbacks. On the other hand, the large transparent dish is sometimes good for at least five minutes of earnest rummaging, thus distracting the child while the mother deliberates further.
Now Germany has fixed book prices of course, which is why the concept has worked since 1954. There's probably not a huge profit margin on a 95c book, but at least nobody's going to try to get it even cheaper. Having sold 13.5 million copies worldwide per annum, though, the German publishers Carlsen have finally managed to export the concept to the UK. As The Bookseller reported a while back, British publishers Autumn Children's Books will be marketing the mini books in packs with stickers from this summer. Which means they can set a fixed price too, of 99p. Because it would seem it's OK to demand a fair price for stickers, just not for books.
No word in the article on whether they've bought into the scary plastic pixie thing though.
Meanwhile, a recent Süddeutsche Zeitung article reviews the latest Pixi series (they come in sets of eight with a common theme). To celebrate the 200th series, Carlsen commissioned celebrities to write books for them. Only - who'd have thought it - they don't seem to be all that good, at least if the reviewer Cornelia Fiedler is to be believed. Heidi Klum's story is about a sadistic tooth fairy, film director Fatih Akin can't be bothered to tell a story, and there's one by a TV presenter about a bread roll and a doughnut who make friends. Luckily, they drafted in a genuine expert, children's writer Cornelia Funke, to write one of them. Funke is famous for being a writer and living in LA.
It's a great cantankerous piece, I must say. But does it really come as a surprise that celebs don't do good (children's) books? Ahhh, a quick search of German Amazon reveals that Katie Price's Perfect Ponies series hasn't made it into translation.
Children are very fond of Pixi books because they cost 95 cents and are the perfect item to nag their mother for while in a bookshop. Maternal guilt dictates that she cannot refuse to buy her child a small, cheap book with fairies or tractors on the cover while agonising over whether to get a lovely new hardback for herself or maybe two paperbacks. On the other hand, the large transparent dish is sometimes good for at least five minutes of earnest rummaging, thus distracting the child while the mother deliberates further.
Now Germany has fixed book prices of course, which is why the concept has worked since 1954. There's probably not a huge profit margin on a 95c book, but at least nobody's going to try to get it even cheaper. Having sold 13.5 million copies worldwide per annum, though, the German publishers Carlsen have finally managed to export the concept to the UK. As The Bookseller reported a while back, British publishers Autumn Children's Books will be marketing the mini books in packs with stickers from this summer. Which means they can set a fixed price too, of 99p. Because it would seem it's OK to demand a fair price for stickers, just not for books.
No word in the article on whether they've bought into the scary plastic pixie thing though.
Meanwhile, a recent Süddeutsche Zeitung article reviews the latest Pixi series (they come in sets of eight with a common theme). To celebrate the 200th series, Carlsen commissioned celebrities to write books for them. Only - who'd have thought it - they don't seem to be all that good, at least if the reviewer Cornelia Fiedler is to be believed. Heidi Klum's story is about a sadistic tooth fairy, film director Fatih Akin can't be bothered to tell a story, and there's one by a TV presenter about a bread roll and a doughnut who make friends. Luckily, they drafted in a genuine expert, children's writer Cornelia Funke, to write one of them. Funke is famous for being a writer and living in LA.
It's a great cantankerous piece, I must say. But does it really come as a surprise that celebs don't do good (children's) books? Ahhh, a quick search of German Amazon reveals that Katie Price's Perfect Ponies series hasn't made it into translation.
Monday, 18 October 2010
Guest Blog on Cornelia Funke: Reckless
This post was written by my daughter, who is nine. I'm so proud I think I might burst. She wrote it in German for her blog, and I've translated it here (and removed the spelling mistakes). Please don't laugh at my daughter having a blog; this is her first proper post and we shall see if she keeps it up...
I'm reading
Cornelia Funke
RECKLESS
Steinernes Fleisch
This is a great book about two brothers: Jacob and Will Reckless.
At the age of twelve, Jacob discovers a note in his missing father's room. It says:
The mirror only opens to him who does not see himself.
But when he looks at the mirror hanging next to the desk he sees himself. Of course - it's a mirror!!! It has a silver frame made of roses that look so real as if they were about to wilt. When he steps in front of it he still sees himself. Until he touches the reflection of his face and falls through the mirror...
It is a world in which fairytales are reality and a fairy's curse changes humans into a goyl.
Goyls are terrible human-like beings with skin made of stone, who fear the sun.
Twelve years later, after all the years of caution, Will follows Jacob into the mirror.
But when Jacob notices that a piece of jade is growing on Will's elbow, Jacob has only one goal:
to find a cure for his brother.
He doesn't want to lose anyone else. His father has disappeared, his mother has died.
The only person he has left is Will. And nobody else.
But Jacob knows that curses are incredibly hard to break, and this one was made by one of the most powerful fairies...
And a tip for the female readers: there's a girl in it later too :)
Aren't you totally impressed by my genius budding blogger of a daughter? I haven't read the book myself, but have been regaled with tales upon tales out of it, which is a good sign. It was released simultaneously in Germany and the States/UK, and the English version has a very touching dedication to Lionel Wigram at the front. German critics have been a bit snooty about the fact that Funke collaborated with Wigram, a film writer and producer. Here's what Funke has to say about it:
I still write in German, so my cousin Oliver (Latsch), who also translated The Thief Lord translated what I came up with for Lionel, as he is British and doesn't know a word of German (though he likes to make fun of it:). Then we met again to add things or take them apart – and off I went to write the next draft. I usually do four to five drafts of a book but Reckless was the first book that developed both in German and English, which was another adventure!
If my daughter is at all representative, the plan worked very well indeed.
I'm reading
Cornelia Funke
RECKLESS
Steinernes Fleisch
This is a great book about two brothers: Jacob and Will Reckless.
At the age of twelve, Jacob discovers a note in his missing father's room. It says:
The mirror only opens to him who does not see himself.
But when he looks at the mirror hanging next to the desk he sees himself. Of course - it's a mirror!!! It has a silver frame made of roses that look so real as if they were about to wilt. When he steps in front of it he still sees himself. Until he touches the reflection of his face and falls through the mirror...
It is a world in which fairytales are reality and a fairy's curse changes humans into a goyl.
Goyls are terrible human-like beings with skin made of stone, who fear the sun.
Twelve years later, after all the years of caution, Will follows Jacob into the mirror.
But when Jacob notices that a piece of jade is growing on Will's elbow, Jacob has only one goal:
to find a cure for his brother.
He doesn't want to lose anyone else. His father has disappeared, his mother has died.
The only person he has left is Will. And nobody else.
But Jacob knows that curses are incredibly hard to break, and this one was made by one of the most powerful fairies...
And a tip for the female readers: there's a girl in it later too :)
Aren't you totally impressed by my genius budding blogger of a daughter? I haven't read the book myself, but have been regaled with tales upon tales out of it, which is a good sign. It was released simultaneously in Germany and the States/UK, and the English version has a very touching dedication to Lionel Wigram at the front. German critics have been a bit snooty about the fact that Funke collaborated with Wigram, a film writer and producer. Here's what Funke has to say about it:
I still write in German, so my cousin Oliver (Latsch), who also translated The Thief Lord translated what I came up with for Lionel, as he is British and doesn't know a word of German (though he likes to make fun of it:). Then we met again to add things or take them apart – and off I went to write the next draft. I usually do four to five drafts of a book but Reckless was the first book that developed both in German and English, which was another adventure!
If my daughter is at all representative, the plan worked very well indeed.
Wednesday, 13 August 2008
Pointless Website, Interesting Insight
Cornelia Funke is not our favourite German children's writer, but she's up there somewhere. And one of my Secret Informers has sent me an interesting link concerning her choice of reading matter.
It's tucked away on one of the most pointless websites I've ever come across - bar this one, perhaps, which is a lot more satisfying. The site in question is the FAZ Leseinsel. All manner of writers and the like share inanities on their reading habits in a completely annoying "hand-written" format, overlaid on an eerily shifting map of the world. It seems to be for adults - kids would probably spurn such a stupid format right away.
Anyway, in this case, Cornelia Funke does say something pretty interesting after all (albeit not until you've clicked through a three-page description of her garden). I'll just rip it off and hope they don't sue me, shall I?
Q: What book would you most like to read right now?
A: ...If you want a title, it'd have to be The Undiscovered Chekhov. Thirty-Eight New Stories translated by Peter Constantine. The translator gave me a copy after taking part in a translation workshop with me and my brilliant translator Anthea Bell, organised by the Goethe-Institut in Chicago. I've already read two stories, and they were hard to top for exquisiteness...
Now isn't that nice? She mentions two translators in one fell swoop. No need to introduce you to Anthea "Queen of German translation" Bell, I suspect. But I have to add something about the amazing polyglott Peter Constantine. He's translated from German, Russian, French, Modern Greek, Ancient Greek, Italian, Albanian, Dutch, Slovene and Friesian, ranging from Thomas Mann to the young upstart Benjamin Lebert - the book that netted him the Wolff Translation Prize last year. That's not the only prize weighing down his shelves, mind you - he's won four or five others too. And he's such a huge honey that he was even prepared to appear in one of our Translators Reveal All events just out of the sweetness of his heart, but unfortunately he was prevented by force majeure.
I wonder if he just plucked a random book of his off the shelves before setting off to the workshop, or really thought long and hard about what to give to Cornelia Funke. Seems like it was a good choice, however it came about.
It's tucked away on one of the most pointless websites I've ever come across - bar this one, perhaps, which is a lot more satisfying. The site in question is the FAZ Leseinsel. All manner of writers and the like share inanities on their reading habits in a completely annoying "hand-written" format, overlaid on an eerily shifting map of the world. It seems to be for adults - kids would probably spurn such a stupid format right away.
Anyway, in this case, Cornelia Funke does say something pretty interesting after all (albeit not until you've clicked through a three-page description of her garden). I'll just rip it off and hope they don't sue me, shall I?
Q: What book would you most like to read right now?
A: ...If you want a title, it'd have to be The Undiscovered Chekhov. Thirty-Eight New Stories translated by Peter Constantine. The translator gave me a copy after taking part in a translation workshop with me and my brilliant translator Anthea Bell, organised by the Goethe-Institut in Chicago. I've already read two stories, and they were hard to top for exquisiteness...
Now isn't that nice? She mentions two translators in one fell swoop. No need to introduce you to Anthea "Queen of German translation" Bell, I suspect. But I have to add something about the amazing polyglott Peter Constantine. He's translated from German, Russian, French, Modern Greek, Ancient Greek, Italian, Albanian, Dutch, Slovene and Friesian, ranging from Thomas Mann to the young upstart Benjamin Lebert - the book that netted him the Wolff Translation Prize last year. That's not the only prize weighing down his shelves, mind you - he's won four or five others too. And he's such a huge honey that he was even prepared to appear in one of our Translators Reveal All events just out of the sweetness of his heart, but unfortunately he was prevented by force majeure.
I wonder if he just plucked a random book of his off the shelves before setting off to the workshop, or really thought long and hard about what to give to Cornelia Funke. Seems like it was a good choice, however it came about.
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