Anita Goetthans on translating Maurice Gee

Maurice Gee and his wife Margareta

Maurice Gee is one of New Zealand’s most distinguished authors, nevertheless, he is not well known to non-English speaking audiences. This is all the more astonishing as his work shows immense creativity and imaginativeness. His plots are incredibly rich and densely woven and turn in unexpected directions. His characters are tangible and their lives in the small towns and big cities of New Zealand vividly portrayed.

Also see a current article in Die Zeit (in German/page 2) lamenting that not more of Gee’s work has been translated. http://www.zeit.de/2012/41/Frankfurter-Buchmesse-Neuseeland/seite-1

Gee’s break-through probably came with his fifth novel Plumb which won the prestigious James Tait Black Memorial Prize for Fiction in 1978. It is the story of a New Zealand minister, a convinced pacifist and socialist who is on a constant search for the light and loses his religion over it, but never his morality and faith. The sequels Meg and Sole Survivor follow the lives of Plumb’s children and the three novels have been published as the Plumb Trilogy. Plumb’s conflict often shows up in Gee’s many other novels which also include children’s and young adults’ literature. Many of his works have become the basis for films. The novel Crime Story was made into the movie Fracture which, directed by Larry Parr, premièred in 2004. In the same year the book In my Father’s Den was filmed by Brad McGann and was launched in Germany under the title Als das Meer verschwand. His classic children’s novel Under The Mountain was released as a major motion picture in 2009.

For the legacy he contributed to New Zealand culture Maurice Gee received the Art Foundation of New Zealand Icon Award in 2003. In 2012 he became the first Honoured New Zealand Writer of the Auckland Writers and Readers Festival.

Anita Goetthans has long admired Gee’s work and in 2002 was able to see her translation of his novel Live Bodies published in Germany by Black Ink under the title Lebende Fracht. Read a sample chapter on http://www.blackink.de/literatur/buecher/bib14/leseprobe.html

Anita is a free-lance translator and interpreter who also teaches Translation & Interpreting at AUT University and co-founded the New Zealand Literary Translators initiative in 2011. She has been living and working in Auckland since 1996. For her Master’s thesis she translated Maurice Gee’s The Fat Man. Anita has a deep love and respect for New Zealand literature and tries to carefully reflect the author’s intentions in her translations. You can contact her on anitago@pl.net or go to her website www.germantranslations.co.nz

She is currently working on the translation of some of Tina Makareti’s short stories from her collection Once Upon A Time in Aotearoa.

Book Island – New Zealand’s newest publishing house

Meet the latest addition to the NZ publishing market. Book Island specialises in children’s book with a difference. The first three titles will launch in Wellington and on the Kapiti Coast in November.

Below, read the story of the journey to Book Island from the initial idea by founder Greet Pauwelijn to the official launch next month.

And feel free to come along to the launches, if you will be in the greater Wellington area. Contact Greet on info@bookisland.co.nz .

 

Journey to Book Island

 Sammy and the Skyscraper Sandwich, Sir Mouse to the Rescue and Bernie and Flora are three stunning picture books soon to be released by Book Island, an up-and-coming children’s book publisher located in the Kapiti Coast.

Owner and publisher Greet Pauwelijn’s goal is not only to publish outstanding children’s books in English and Dutch, but also to add an extra dimension to the stories by organising activities inspired by them – enabling children’s enjoyment of each book to extend far beyond its pages.

In Book Island’s frst title, Sammy and the Skyscraper Sandwich, a small boy builds the biggest sandwich in the world. Following in his footsteps, we invite you to come and help us build our own gigantic sandwich at the book’s launch on 11 November using recyclable materials – bring your own recyclables and see how high we can get! There will also be exciting activities based on Sir Mouse to the Rescue, which chronicles the adventures of Mouse, a stubborn knight and her long-suffering friend Dragon, and Bernie and Flora, a heart-warming tale of friendship and flowers.

The publication of these three titles will fittingly mark the three-year anniversary of Greet and her family’s move to New Zealand – a country, she says, that has been incredibly supportive of her endeavour to become a children’s publisher.

The inspiration for this career move came as Greet was translating New Zealand author Barbara Else’s The Travelling Restaurant (Gecko Press, 2011) for a Belgian publishing house. “While translatng this book – my first from English to Dutch – I suddenly realised that, instead of telling other publishers about possible bestsellers, I might as well translate and publish these books myself.”

Publishers, editors and translators were all fortuitously present in Greet’s social circle – “Even our accountant had been working in publishing for years!” she laughs. “I also met a publishing consultant while waiting at the traffic lights in Wellington, and my son’s friend’s parents turned out to be well-known book designers here…”

Greet says it felt “like lucky stars were falling from the sky”, and knew that she’d made the right move. She welcomes you and your family to join her on 11 November to celebrate both the release of these books and the beginning of a new chapter in the Book Island journey.

Kapiti Coast Book Launch, 11 November – ALL WELCOME

Book Island’s first three titles – Sammy and the Skyscraper Sandwich, Sir Mouse to the Rescue, and Bernie and Flora will be launched at 2pm, Sunday 11 November at Raumati South Memorial Hall, Tennis Court Road, Kapiti Coast.

The launch will include actvities for children, including the construction of a giganic, recyclable sandwich. To acknowledge the books’ Belgian origins we will also be singing Dutch and Flemish children’s songs, and six hundred Belgian crepes have been ordered. So come along to feed your appetite for stories … and sandwiches!

Wellington Book Launch, 19 November – ALL WELCOME

The books will also be launched at The Children’s Bookshop, Shop 26, Kilbirnie Plaza, Kilbirnie on Monday 19 November, 7.30–9.30pm. At the event, Book Island publisher Greet Pauwelijn will be giving a talk about Belgian children’s book illustratons. This is a unique opportunity to get a behind-the-scenes look at the art of illustratng – so don’t miss out!

 

Melanie Wittwer – our specialist for German and NZ children’s literature

In July 2011 Melanie Wittwer co-founded the NZ Literary Translators Initiative in the hope of bringing New Zealand literature and especially children’s literature to the world.

Melanie holds a Magister degree in English Literature from the University of Bochum, Germany, and an MProf Translation Studies from the University of Auckland, New Zealand.

She is a keen reader of everything from picture books to young adult literature and is involved with Storylines, New Zealand’s Children’s Literature Foundation and especially its ibby section (in 2016 the ibby world congress will be held in New Zealand).

Melanie also works as a book reviewer and has established a creative writing group in the Auckland suburb of Green Bay where she lives with her husband and two children. Apart from children’s literature she also has a keen interest in poetry.

Need a translator who knows her way around children’s book and is familiar with New Zealand as well as German kidlit? Just contact Melanie on Melanie@deutsch-in-aotearoa.net.

New Zealand author and poet Ron Riddell

Writer and peace-advocate, Ron Riddell, a painter, musician and author of a number of books and plays, has published twenty collection of verse and two novels: The Greek Letter and A Love Beyond. His poetry has been translated into Spanish, Japanese, Czech, Arabic and Turkish. His edition of Selected Haiku contains verse in English and Spanish.

Ron is attending the book fair. Feel free to contact him. A Love Beyond is displayed in Hall 8 J941. If you are quick, you can catch him do a reading at the stand.

 

Dreamboat Books at the Book Fair

Meet award winning publisher and author Mark Sommerset

For Dreamboat Books the last two years have been a non-stop success. In 2011 husband and wife team Mark and Rowan Sommerset won the New Zealand Post Children’s Choice Award for their quirky picture book Baa Baa Smart Sheep (pssst! outrageous sequel out soon). This year saw them win ‘Book of the Year’ at the PANZ New Zealand Book Design Awards (plus the award for ‘Best Children’s Book’) for Two Little Bugs.

Now Dreamboat Books, Baa Baa and the  Two Little Bugs are ready to venture out into the world. Meet Mark at the book fair in Hall 8.0 M950 and find out what mischievous Baa Baa is up to.

Baa Baa Smart Sheep and its sequel have already been translated into German by New Zealand based German translator Melanie Wittwer, ready to be snapped up by a clever publisher.

Meet Sabine Lang – one of our translators

Diplom-Übersetzerin / Translator

Mitglied des neuseeländischen Übersetzer- und Dolmetscherverbandes NZSTI / Member of NZSTI

Freiberuflich tätig seit 1999 / Freelance since 1999

Sprachen: Deutsch, Englisch, Spanisch, Französisch /

Languages: German, English, Spanish, French

E-Mail: Lang.NZ@xtra.co.nz  Ph: +64-(0)7-827 0469

Übersetzen ist mein Beruf und meine Leidenschaft

Schon früh wurde mein Interesse an fremden Kulturen und Sprachen geweckt, als ich im Alter von sechs Jahren mit meiner Familie für einige Jahre nach Peru zog. Meine Eltern lebten Ihren Lebenstraum, und so reisten wir in jeden verfügbaren Ferien mit unserem VW-Campingbus durch die entlegensten Winkel Südamerikas. In einigen Andenregionen hatten die Menschen noch keinen nennenswerten Kontakt mit Touristen gehabt, und besonders Kinder starrten uns neugierig an und befühlten vorsichtig unser blondes Haar.

Diese frühe Faszination an Sprachen und Kulturen hat mich mein ganzes Leben begleitet und führte mich nicht zuletzt auch zu meinem Beruf.

Ich liebe den Abwechslungsreichtum der Texte und das internationale Umfeld, in dem ich arbeite.

Man lernt nie aus ist kein leere Redenswendung, sondern Grundlage des Übersetzeralltags.

Das Besondere an Literaturübersetzungen ist jedoch die Möglichkeit, meiner Kreativität noch viel mehr Freiheit zu lassen.

Heute lebe und arbeite ich in Cambridge, einer Kleinstadt auf der Nordinsel Neuseelands, und lebe den Lebenstraum meiner eigenen Familie.

Translating is my job and passion

An interest in different cultures and languages was created early when my family moved from my native Germany to Peru for a few years. I was six years old at the time, and my parents were living their dream. In the holidays, my mother would pack our VW Kombi and we travelled large parts of South America. This was the 70s, and tourism wasn’t what it is today. In some remote places, we were the first Gringos that people had seen. My brother and I were blonde, and the indigenous people would openly stare at us and carefully touch our hair.

This early fascination of languages and cultures stuck to me, and I decided to become a translator.

I love the versatility of texts as well as the international environment that I work in. In the translation business It is never too late to learn is not only a saying but everyday reality.

What fascinates me about translating literature is the prospect of working a lot more creatively.

Today I live and work in Cambridge, New Zealand, and live the dream of my own family.

Interview with Jürgen Boos

Earlier this year New Zealand based German journalist Doris Evans met up with Jürgen Boos, Director of the Frankfurt Book Fair. This is what he had to say about New Zealand:

Mr. Boos, what are the criteria used to select a country as Guest of Honour of the Frankfurt Book Fair?

Juergen Boos:  We always go to great effort to select the right partner country and have created a list of criteria for this purpose. The first priority is to discover something new and to provide an impetus for the publishing world. We know relatively little about New Zealand. We know that there are Maori and that The Lord of the Rings was filmed against the backdrop of its marvellous natural scenery. We know New Zealand as a wine country, a tourist destination and perhaps also through rugby. This makes us curious to find out more. We also wanted to once again have an English-speaking country as our partner.

What advantages does New Zealand have as Guest of Honour?

Juergen Boos:  We will offer New Zealand the opportunity to showcase the diversity of its culture. What’s exciting about New Zealand is that it is a country that has dealt with its past and its indigenous culture in a very focused and exemplary manner. The Maori have a primarily oral storytelling tradition and a language that has only existed in written form for a few years. It is interesting to see how English-language literature has developed alongside Maori culture. 

How long did it take to select New Zealand and what are you looking forward to?

Juergen Boos:  The negotiations lasted around two years before we made our decision. As always, I am especially looking forward to meeting the authors from the guest country – the people behind the stories. And I am looking forward to the ceremonial handover of the role from our current Guest of Honour Iceland to New Zealand. That is always a very emotional moment.

New Zealand is a small country, albeit with a vibrant book market. Eighty publishers alone are members of the Publishers Association of New Zealand. These publishers generate 550 million euros in sales annually. Around 2,000 new titles enter the market each year. What particular opportunities do you see ahead for New Zealand as a partner of the Frankfurt Book Fair? What advice would you give your Kiwi partners?

Juergen Boos:  The most important thing to know is what one hopes to achieve. The book industry worldwide is very small and dominated by a few multinational publishers. New Zealand has a large number of very small publishing houses that are run by just a few people, but still have an interesting and unique line of titles. As part of the Guest of Honour programme, these publishers can now come to Frankfurt.

What should the country focus on in particular in order to be represented in the best light?

Juergen Boos:  New Zealand has the opportunity to present the full spectrum of its culture. We also want to feature the entire range of cultural activities New Zealand has to offer beyond its literature. New Zealand will make its exhibitions, dance, theatre and film accessible to a German and international audience. Combining media, even between films and books, is standard practice in New Zealand. New Zealand also has a strong presence in terms of the visual arts and new media. The Book Fair will provide a forum for discussion. We want to give as many authors as possible the chance to present themselves, their country and their stories.

What does the collaboration between the Frankfurt Book Fair and New Zealand look like in concrete terms? You mentioned a translation programme that is offered by the Frankfurt Book Fair?

Juergen Boos: The Frankfurt Book Fair provides support for the Guest of Honour in the form of an advisory committee, while the guest country puts together an organising committee that is responsible for the financial and organisational implementation of the translation programme. As I already mentioned, very few titles published in New Zealand have been translated into German. Many titles are also out of print. We also always collaborate with the Guest of Honour country on a translation programme in the hopes of facilitating the publication of more titles.

Which cultural institutions are involved in the Book Fair activities with New Zealand on the German side and how will costs be distributed?

Juergen Boos: Nearly all of the major museums in Frankfurt, like the Museum für Moderne Kunst, the Deutsches Architekturmuseum, the Filmmuseum, the Museum für angewandte Kunst, the Museum für Kommunikation, and many others, will draw on the offerings of the guest country. The costs are generally shared. Institutions like the Frankfurter Schauspielhaus, the Mousonturm, the Literaturhaus and the Romanfabrik are also open to cultural collaboration.

What do you like most about New Zealand?

What impressed me the most about the Kiwis is their friendliness and sincere openness? On my first visit, I was only in the country for 36 hours and was still able to make many interesting and endearing contacts. I was really impressed by New Zealand cuisine and its unique blend of European tradition with the freshness of the South Pacific. Books focused on food, nutrition and cooking will have a special place at the Book Fair.

©Questions by Doris Evans

Source: The New Zealand German Business Association